Items

• 
  2022-04-26

  Street food snacks

  My daughter is attending 2nd grade in Arequipa, Peru for a few months. Today was her first day, and when we went to pick her up the school exit was surrounded by food vendors ready to sell a snack to the kids and parents. In the background of the photo, you can see two food vendors wearing masks, both offering deserts (the woman in the background has an ice cream cart).
• 
  2022-04-12

  SMhopes and Civic Wellbeing Partners

  Using a grant from Civic Wellbeing Partners in Santa Monica, teachers at the Virginia Avenue Park Spring Camp program asked their students, from grades 1 through 8, to envision their hopes for the future. The students responded with drawings (and one story). Facilitated by artist Paula Goldman as part of SMhopes, the students were also asked to rank how happy they were with their lives now, and how they view their future prospects, two indicators of well being.
• 
  2022-04-10

  Day of the Child vaccine drive in Peru

  En el Día de la Niña y el Niño, acude con tu pequeña y/o pequeño a los centros de vacunación por su vacuna contra la #COVID19. ¡Protege a tu familia de este virus! 💪🏼 #MeVacunoPerú 🇵🇪 A post by the Ministry of Health in Peru promoting the vaccination of children for the Day of the Child, it encourages people to go get vaccinated over the weekend.
• 
  2022-02-18

  Covid Has Made Me Hate People

  This is a news story from Scary Mommy by Samm Burnham Davidson. This is a story written from the point-of-view of someone who has experienced some of the negative social effects of COVID. She says that before the pandemic, social media posts that annoyed her would only be mildly so, but with COVID and lockdowns, she started to feel senses of inadequacy compared to other parents. She thought that she needed to overhaul her entire wardrobe, her son should get ice skates, and that her four-year-old needs to learn to ride a two-wheeler bike. She has three young kids, and a 2020 baby. She describes feeling very isolated and the exposure to social media made her feel like she had to measure up to some imaginary standard of parenting, like trying to forgo all plastic toys for Christmas to help the environment. This is a good story for the perspective of mothers with many kids to take care of, resulting in even more isolation than what would happen for adults with no kids, as kids caused her to stay home more even before COVID.
• 
  2022-03-10

  Politics wrecked America’s response to COVID. Don’t let it put transgender kids in danger, too

  This is a news story from The San Francisco Chronicle, written by Stephen M. Rosenthal and Diane Ehrensaft. This is an opinion piece comparing the government response to COVID and the politics surrounding it to ruining the response. The authors warn that following politics over science is dangerous. It later goes on to talk about the anti-trans legislation being passed through different states, such as: Idaho, Texas, and Florida. The authors believe that science proves that trans kids have no real threat from puberty blockers. A study is also quoted, where it says that gender affirming care for trans youth is linked to lower instances of depression. The point of this article is not so much about COVID itself, but fear of what was done during the peak of COVID being repeated on other types of legislation, and in this case, using politics over science with trans kids.
• 
  2022-04-01

  NYC judge nixes mask mandates for toddlers, Eric Adams plans to appeal

  This is a story by Bernadette Hogan, Cayla Bamberger, Nolan Hicks and Natalie O'Neill for the New York Post. This story is about masking for young kids and the struggle within the local government on what is best to do. A Staten Island judge ruled against masks for toddlers in New York City. Parents in support of this claim that this is a good thing because masks could make it harder for kids to socialize and read emotions. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, plans to appeal this to reinstate masks, where he believes that if you don't know the vaccination status of everyone in a room that you should wear a mask.
• 
  2020-08-29

  Socially distanced and socially safe summer camp

  The attached article is something that is probably not well known. In Seattle, Washington there is the Pacific Science Museum, a fun educational museum for all ages, but focused on kids. Every summer they run educational camps for K-8 graders. It was unclear if after months of distance learning (early pandemic, 2020) students would be physically or emotionally ready to do a group activity in person. PacSci’s camps were able to run while students were socially distanced and masked. This matters because there has been a lot of rhetoric about kids not being able to wear masks for a variety of reasons, but this article proves that kids were able to understand social distancing and mask-wearing so they could have a safe and fun thing to do. With these practices in place, combined with low group sizes, and the use of a lot of outdoor time, they didn’t have any transmission cases for the whole summer. Not included in the article but they had the same success the next summer, 2021, and are on track to continue again the summer of 2022. The significance is not just to a collection focused on children, but also to the service industry since this is a less formal education setting that leans more toward front-facing customer service.
• 
  2022-03-30

  Vaccination clinic in Callao

  This Instagram posts shows that today, all day (8-5) people in Callao can head to the Centro de Salud Quendo to receive the COVID vaccine dose that they need. Children 5-11 can get their first or second dose and children 12-17 can get their 3rd dose 5 months after the second dose, and those over 18 can get their 3rd dose 3 months after the second one. The photo show s a bus that is carrying healthcare workers to the destination to help vaccinate the people there.
• 
  2020-04

  Sounds of a Spring Lockdown

  On March 25, 2020 Governor Polis ordered a state-wide stay at home order for Colorado. By this time, my family was already limiting our time outside the house to work or errands. My daughter, Kat, has severe asthma, so we knew we had to limit our exposure as much as possible. Previous midnight trips to the emergency room were full of her wheezing out tiny gulps of air, the beeps and blips of the machine keeping track of her heart rate, and the guttural growl of the blood pressure cuff as it tightened around her arm. These were the sounds I first heard when the stories of a new, novel virus came out, the sounds that stayed most in my mind the more I heard about rising cases. The first week in April the movie theater where Kat worked closed down. My son, Gabe, left his job a few days later. I cried that day, not from sadness but relief. And not a quick cry, but the loud sobs that make your shoulders shake. The next day was a major shift for us. Instead of leaving the house to work, they came to work for me instead. My cross stitch shop was already a full-time business. Now that many people were staying home, the US saw a return to basics (baking and crafting), and my shop exploded with more orders than I could fathom. There is something that satisfies most of us in having that tactile experience, whether it be the feel of flour (soft and powdery) as you knead your bread or the stabstab of your needle piercing your fabric. Though there was the stress of craft stores closing and supply chain delays, long work hours, and boxes of hoops stacked in the living room, there was mostly the sound of the Beatles and loads of laughter. Kat has a high-pitched giggle (she snorts when she really gets going), Gabe a deep laugh rich in tone. Someone came up with the adage that laughter is the best medicine. I couldn’t say who created the saying, but the sound of laughter in my house during the April 2020 lockdown in Colorado kept myself and my children in positive spirits. In fact, our lives have been forever changed by that April. They are back to their old jobs, but we still keep mostly at home and with each other. We have family game nights and cook together and keep the laughter going strong.
• 
  2022-01-31

  THE WISDOM OF TWO-YEAR-OLDS

  As I got out of my car last Sunday morning in pursuit of caffeine, I took one last deep breath of the freshly-brewed coffee emanating from my local barista's shop before pulling on my N-95 mask and entering the cafe. I live in California and masks are required in all shops in my part of the state. So snug was my mask’s fit, that the aroma instantly vanished. Masks and odor are tightly related, not in just snuffing out outside scents. For anyone who has ever pulled on a previously worn mask, you will have noticed an opportunity to smell used YOU, up close and nasally. Walking in to get my brew, I passed a family with two-year-old twins, bedecked in pink glittery princess gowns complete with wands, tiaras, and the newest in royal attire—tiny COVID masks. One skipped and the other twirled, both seemingly unbothered by their face coverings. And they are not alone. I am still stunned by the casual aplomb of the very young when it comes to mask-wearing. I first noticed this phenomenon several months ago at LAX. It was late in the evening—peak red-eye time. Preschoolers, some overtired and wired, others sleepily dozing in their parents’ arms, passed by. All wore COVID masks; Spiderman; Elmo; mini soccer balls, dinosaurs. None complained. Perhaps they welcomed the slight dulling of their sense of smell since young noses are far more sensitive to odors than mature ones. This makes me wonder why small children do not feel the need to evoke the Gestapo or Hermann Goebbels when it comes to a small piece of fabric that has saved millions of lives. Apart from a diminished sense of smell when wearing N-95s, will we miss mask-wearing when it is no longer a matter of life or death? I for one am not sure. I like the fact that there is no need to wear lipstick. I can skip makeup from the brow down and stop obsessing about new wrinkles. I welcome the feel of an extra layer of warmth on chilly mornings. But perhaps we should look to the two-year-olds who have accepted this bit of sartorial attire as a fun accessory—a tiara for your nasal passages.
• 
  09/28/2020

  Justin Sears-Watson Oral History, 2020/09/28

  C19OH
• 
  12/11/2020

  Janet Pope Oral History, 2020/12/11

  C19OH
• 
  2020-08-12

  Lunch Time

  With the closing of schools, many students no longer had access to a warm and healthy lunch provided by the federal government. Kids from lower income families often rely on school to provide them with at least two meals a day, but because of COVID-19 they no longer could eat certain breakfast like oatmeal and lunch such as, carne guisada, that they have been used to consuming. In order to address this problem, schools began setting up times for parents to come and collect food for their kids three times a day. Ultimately, due to lack of personal time, parents were picking up breakfast, lunch and snacks for three days on Friday.
• 
  2020-08-11

  Ipads and Chromebooks: The New Notebooks

  Following the reopening of schools through the virtual world a number of students across the country were faced with a new problem. They lacked the technology needed to attend their online class. Schools who fell under the title 1 classification , which is where children from low-income families make up at least 40 percent of the enrollment, were disproportionately affected by this problem. These families which often consisted of more than one child simply couldn't afford multiple computers. As a result many kids were still unable to attend their classes or do any work at all. This lack of technology was a problem that not only younger kids faced. Students ranging from all ages had to adapt and make due with whatever technology they had or were forced to go out to buy another computer.So in order to help fix the problem for younger students schools began to hand out chromebooks and ipads. By providing them with the technology to access their new classroom setting they could begin attending school again. While there were still other problems such as the lack of internet, handing out chromebooks and ipads definitely had a positive impact by providing a number of students with these new school supplies.
• 
  2020-07-28

  Preparing Your Child for a COVID-19 Test

  A blog post from Banner Health about helping children take a Covid-19 test
• 
  2020-07-21

  COVID-19: How to Help Your Child Navigate This New Normal

  A blog post from Banner Health about helping children during Covid-19.
• 
  2020-05-27

  Is My Medication Safe? Securing & Disposing of Old Medicine

  A blog post from Banner Health on how to safely dispose of and store medications.
• 
  2020-05-18

  Don’t Let COVID-19 Halt a Well-Child Visit

  A blog post from Banner Health discussing the importance of well-child visits, even during COVID restrictions.
• 
  2021-10-06

  Pandemic Rules Aren't Fun

  I'm a nanny to three kids. As a fun activity, I wanted to take them on an adventure to Build-a-Bear. For those unfamiliar with this store, you choose an animal that has no stuffing in it; then, you go to a big machine that has the stuffing in it, and with the help of an employee, you stuff your own animal. You can pick out clothes, accessories, a name, etc. It's very fun and something I've done multiple times as a child myself. I explained the process to the kids and they were very excited! However, upon arrival, we discovered that the kids couldn't help stuff their animal. They had to stand behind a rope while the employee does it for them. We understood this was the social distancing protocol. The kids were ok with it and had fun anyway, but I was a little disappointed because this was one of the best features. We have safety protocols for a reason and I comply with all of them. It's just frustrating when you want to have fun to get your mind off work or problems in the world that the pandemic reminds you it's there at every turn.
• 
  2020-07-13

  Voices from Quarantine: Kids Share Their Experiences During the Pandemic

  Scholastic’s SuperScience magazine asked kids to share their insights and experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Hear how their lives have changed, how they’ve coped with school closures and being away from friends and family, and what they’ve learned about themselves.
• 
  2021-06-15

  The impact of COVID-19 on young people

  This global pandemic is poised to deepen a learning crisis that already existed, with millions of young people not developing the skills that will enable them to get a good job, start a business, and engage in their community.
• 
  2021-10-06

  Sweden, Denmark Halt Moderna’s Covid Shot for Younger People

  Sweden and Denmark decided to halt vaccinations with Moderna Inc.’s Covid-19 shot for younger people because of potential side effects.
• 
  2021-03-24

  Covid-19 Daily Schedule

  In 2020, when schools closed their doors my children were ages 2 and 5. Because I was a public school teacher, I was no longer away at the school for 10+ hours a day. My kids were not old enough to have started school so I didn't need to learn about their online learning. However, I came to realize they needed a set structure to keep them busy during the what-seemed-like endless days we would be home together. A friend shared this schedule with me and I took pieces from it to work into our daily lives. It was important to me to keep my kids brains active and I knew I had to take on the role of a preschool teacher to do so. Eventually, we got into a groove and the many days became purposeful.
• 2021-07-12

  Working during the Covid-19 Pandemic

  I took a summer job in this pandemic working at a summer camp with young children. At first, I was skeptical because of the times we’re living in, and because kids just have poor habits that can cause the COVID-19 virus or any bacteria to spread. But then I just did it because it beats staying at home all day. There were many safety precautions and guidelines that took place to keep everyone safe and healthy. Any sick kids or staff were sent home and couldn’t come back until they were better. In addition, we had to check our temperatures every day, the staff had to fill out daily health surveys before arrival, we always had to have our masks on, disinfect each classroom after we use it, and wash our hands frequently. We went by a schedule, so there wouldn't be any confusion or unnecessary crowds. In terms of safety, the summer camp did a good job keeping everyone protected from the COVID-19 virus or any other sickness. Overall, the experience was different than the regular summer camp because we couldn’t do as much. But we made the best of it for both the staff and children.
• 
  2021-09-23

  COVID vaccines for people aged 12+

  Tempe Public Schools sent this email today that includes information on free vaccines in Tempe, especially around Scales and Jaycee Park which are both in the same neighborhood.
• 
  2020-03-24

  How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus

  A blog post from Banner Health Blog about talking to children about Coronavirus and the pandemic.
• 
  2021-08-06

  New Normal

  We didn’t leave the house for a year. Not exaggerating. Search my name in this archive, you will see we didn’t leave the house, nor was anyone allowed inside. However, when cases dropped this spring, we began to venture outside, albeit with masks. Now with cases on the rise, it becomes such a difficult choice. The adults are vaccinated, so we should (hopefully) be semi protected. But the kids aren’t. But do we want to lock them inside for another 18 months? Obviously not. So we’re trying to embrace a new normal. We still haven’t gone to any home get togethers - too dangerous with Delta, but we are carefully enjoying the outdoors. The zoo is all outdoors and spread out, so that has been feasible. Disneyland has been replaced by the beach, which we’re very lucky to live so close to. The beach isn’t scary - there’s plenty of room to spread out. But what do you do when your former teacher and current co worker who adores your kids invites you to school to share in a tennis picnic? My kids LOVE “gung gung” (Chinese for grandpa), and he loves teaching them tennis (he’s been the tennis coach for almost 30 years). There is no one size fits all answer. I decided because he was vaccinated, the event was completely outdoors, most of the tennis players are vaxxed and my kids could wear their masks that the risk was worth it. And it was, they had a great afternoon. So this is the new normal. Weighing the risks and making decisions that 18 months ago never would have been given a second thought.
• 
  2021-06-29

  Oops, You Were Blind?

  Before he started kindergarten in 2019, I took my son to the ophthalmologist - I knew he didn’t see correctly. My mom is legally blind without lenses, I am -8, so genetics are not in his favor. They honestly thought I was crazy at first because he was barely 5, but they confirmed he was seeing 125 out of his left eye. His eyes were balancing so the plan was to check the next summer. Then COVID hit. There was no way I was taking my kid to Los Angeles in the height of a pandemic. Throughout the year of virtual learning that followed, my son covered one eye, complained his eyes were tired and watched tv from one inch away. Even his piano teacher through his FaceTime lessons saw how close he had to get to his sheet music and politely asked “does he need glasses?” When numbers finally dropped in June, I took him in, knowing he’d need glasses. What I didn’t know is how bad it was. My sweet little guy couldn’t even read the giant E on the eye chart! I guess it’s good none of us realized how bad his vision was or else I might have broke quarantine to help him. As his eye doctor said “-4. That’s quite a prescription for a first pair of glasses.” I’ll always wonder if the year of online learning expedited his decline to seeing 475, but I’m relieved we had a brief break in the high case count to allow us to secure him glasses before the new school year. It makes me wonder what other conditions have gone unchecked for people as they’ve avoided routine appointments due to fears of infection. It’s really a lose lose situation. You avoid the doctor to protect against Covid or you risk Covid to get a check up.
• 
  2021-06-10

  School’s Out, I Finally Met My Teacher

  The day after school ended, we returned all the materials to my kid’s elementary school. While there, we were able to thank my son’s first grade teacher for all her work throughout the year in person. I will be forever in awe of this woman, keeping six year olds engaged over Zoom for a year. She is a testament to teaching and you could feel her genuine love for her students through the screen. There was something so bittersweet about my son’s first face to face meeting with her being after school ended. Such a bizarre way to begin an academic career.
• 
  2021-08-11

  Sorry, Not Sorry. Vaccines Are Necessary.

  In two years of everything under the sun becoming political, it’s not a shock that vaccines are yet another unnecessarily politicized topic. Of course, unlike masks, which were not a part of our daily routine prior to 2020, vaccinations and anti-vaxxers are not new. And honestly, if my two elementary aged kids could be vaccinated I would care a lot less about anti-vaxxers. I think they’re selfish, but for the most part, they’d be hurting themselves (and the immuno compromised that cannot be vaccinated.) But my kids can’t be vaccinated and I have been trying to stay positive knowing next week they’re walking into a classroom with only a mask for protection. I asked my mom “what is their teachers are unvaccinated?” I mean, every unvaccinated person poses a risk - what is the adult in charge is an anti-vaxxer and anti-masker? So it was with complete and utter shock and total relief to get the official word that teachers in the state of CA must be vaccinated. It’s a shame that this seals the fate on governor Newsom’s recall. I don’t love the guy, but I sure as heck want him more than a DeSantis and considering the last time CA recalled a governor, we ended up with the Terminator in charge…well. With Florida’s teachers being threatened with losing their pay over mandating masks, I am relieved to live in a state taking the opposite approach. Call us Commiefornia, I don’t care. Like I’ve been saying for a year and a half, this is a public health crisis. This isn’t about politics, it’s about an invisible virus that is continuing to mutate and spread. And as a teacher, I truly believe it’s my responsibility to do anything to help mitigate the spread.
• 
  2021-08-11

  There is No Good Decision

  My daughter is very athletic. I don’t make that statement lightly. I do not lie and I will look you in the eye and tell you my son is not an athlete. But my daughter was born with a natural ability for sports. Anything she tries, even recreationally, she excels at. When she was 3, she began gymnastics and in first grade, she joined the competitive team. It’s not just that she’s athletic, she works extremely hard. So making her sit out an entire season due to COVID was not an easy decision. I do not regret it, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. When this season began in May, we cautiously allowed her to return, fully masked. The cases were down and the coaches wore masks. We decided the risk was worth it for her mental health. Then the COVID restrictions were lifted June 15. My daughter became the only one in the full gym with a mask. We hoped for the best and have been lucky so far. But the cases are exploding. They are higher now than this time last year. What do we do? All her friends are from the gym. Truly. She doesn’t have any close friends at school because most of her time is spent at the gym. Can we take that away from her again? She worked out every single day of quarantine to stay in shape and she did. Can we look at her and basically say her work was for nothing? There is no good choice. What is more important? Protecting her physically or giving her the part of her life that secures her mental health? At the end of last week, I was seriously considering pulling her as the daily cases rose to 1,000+. However, in a move that shocked me knowing the clientele and position of the gym on this entire pandemic, even her gym has reinstated masks for all coaches. This made me feel maybe 5% better. Her one on one session is also from 8 - 9pm, which I was bummed at at first - so late for a kid! But I quickly realized we’re the only ones in the gym that late, which lowers my anxiety a bit. So we’re going to take the risk for now and allow her to continue going. I just hope it’s not a decision we regret.
• 
  2020-04-13

  Banner Health urges water safety for kids in times of self-isolation

  A press release from Banner Health reminding residents about water safety.
• 
  07/22/2021

  Research shows COVID-19 link to heart damage

  Banner Health experts are encouraging cardiac screenings for student-athletes as new research has revealed potential heart damage as a potential after effect from COVID-19 infection.
• 
  2021-07-15

  Dr. Marissa Rhodes, Oral History, July 15, 2021

  Curator for the JOPTY program, Angelica S Ramos interviews mother of three, Dr. Marissa Rhodes. In this interview she discusses her role as a professor and how COVID-19 halted all the plans she had for her classes. She also discusses her pregnancy with her third baby and the struggles that came with prenatal care and birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Rhodes also relates her birthing experience and how different the pandemic made it from her first two pregnancies; she discusses the complications that she faced and the stresses she dealt with. Dr. Rhodes also discusses how her social life was impacted and the struggle to find a balance between work, children, virtual-learning and a new baby. Lastly, she reflects on her personal silver lining and the lessons that she hopes will be learned from this experience.
• 
  2021-06-13

  Red ribbons at P.S. 042 Benjamin Altman

  I took these two photos in Downtown Manhattan at Public School 42. There were red ribbons tied around the iron fence that appear to have wishes or hopes from students. Some of the ribbons are hard to read, but one says "[Illegible] make homeless people happy by giving them things I don't need" and another says "My [illegible] that COVID-19 will stop forever". All of the ribbons where the grade level is visible indicate that the ribbons were made by fourth graders.
• 
  2021-06-05

  Andy Gaukel Oral History, 2021/06/05

  Puppeteer Andy Gaukel had carved out a comfortable niche for himself in the Early Childhood Center at Bronx Community College. Then Covid-19 hit, and he had to find new ways of connecting with the college’s smallest students. In this oral history, he explains how he learned new skills to teach online while maintaining his rapport with his pre-schoolers and engaging their parents in a way that he hadn’t before the pandemic.
• 
  2021-06-11

  Covid Vaccine for Children

  I am thrilled that vaccine testing has started for the 2-11 age group. My daughter is 4 (5 next week), and I will be getting her vaccinated as soon as possible. I know a lot of parents who are on the fence or certain that they will not vaccinate their kids. I understand their fear, but the alternative is a lot scarier. Our kids lives have been entirely abnormal for over a year. This is going to have long lasting side effects on their mental health and education. We need to be able to let kids be kids as soon as possible. My daughter's first school experience is sitting at tables divided from her peers by plexi-glass and wearing a mask all day. I don't think any of us want that for our children. When we heard on the radio that children could start getting vaccinated (12+) my daughter was very excited and wanted to go right away. I told her it was only for kids 12+ right now, and she would have to wait for the trials to be over for her age group. She literally burst into tears because she was so disappointed. I never in my life heard of child cry because they could NOT get a shot. That is how much it is affecting their lives. Yes many have adapted well, but they shouldn't have to keep adapting. In sum, I think parents should be far more worried about the side effects of continued covid measures than about the side effects of the vaccine.
• 
  2020-06

  Some Graduation Memes and Photos During the Coronavirus Time

  Graduations during 2020 were conducted remotely. This meant that the students missed out on an important and memorable ceremony to mark this milestone in their lives. All ages were affected. The students were mostly home, and some had videos either as a live feed or prerecorded. Families tried their best to make the occassion memorable for their kids. Some schoolz had car parades for their graduates to "march" in front of their school or neighbors.
• 
  2020-06-15

  A Tiresome Year

  During this first year of Covid-19 has taken place, I can sum it up in a single word "wearisome". When this pandemic started in the year 2020, the southern part of Texas seemed to be unyielding in the hustle and bustle of everyday life down here. The attitude and lack of being a courteous person continued until about the middle of July. This was the starting point of the pandemic begging to affect people enough to begin to take notice of this "uncertain time" as if a miracle the everyday average Joe wasn't hassling me for being wearing a mask. This tale of endless misery starts at the beginning of Covid-19 and stretches until the middle of June 2020. Some background information about the antagonist of this tale is a religious youth group of about twenty would come to every Thursday and order an obnoxious amount of items all very rudely. This instance in particular struck a chord with me. This one religious group of younger children (probably about eleven to fourteen) and an older gentleman named Moshi. This group I loathed, just for the sole reason that these children would run about with no mask and caring not for social distancing, and this gentleman was pushing these children to not follow CDC protocol. Well about after a good eight months these children and a new gentleman came in all wearing masks and seemingly decent and well-mannered. This new individual had replaced Moshi and lectured this devil-children about the importance of wearing a mask and being just at least a decent human. This religious youth group had come in and sat on our patio every Thursday and seemingly never once did these children follow protocol until Joel the new instructor stressed the importance of being not a walking health hazard. I and all of my co-workers appreciate that man greatly.
• 
  2021-04-21

  COVID Safety Squirrels

  I have an incredibly imaginative six year old son. Since he was three, he has told us each day which identity he is choosing for the day: duck, bird, duckbird, squirrel, bunny, or chipmunk. (This list has grown over time). He doesn’t actually act like that type of animal, or really alter his behavior or personality at all, but will refer to himself as “Duckbird” or “Baby Bird” and expects you to refer to him as such. And every once in a while will respond with a “quack,” or whatever noise is appropriate for that animal identity. For Squirrel (who is now our “house president” - apparently he won an election none of us were privy to), there is an ongoing theme of a Squirrel Parade that shows up and disrupts everything going on. This is not something that came out of COVID, the Squirrel Parade predates it (we live next to Disneyland and in a pre-COVID life went to the park at least once a week - the kid has seen a lot of parades). However, the Squirrel Parade has definitely evolved with the pandemic. It is remarkable how COVID has seamlessly become part of a kid’s imagination. The Squirrel Parade, which always included King Squirrel, the Throwing Nuts Squirrels, and the Trumpet Squirrels among others now includes the “COVID Safety Squirrels.” When we asked my son who they are, he said they’re the squirrels that hand out masks and hand sanitizer and make sure everyone social distances. It wasn’t strange to him, just another part of the parade. I guess for little kids this isn’t strange to them. I mean, it is. But it’s also not. Just another thing to learn along with multiplication tables. Put on a mask and keep your distance, and the parade marches on.
• 
  2021-04-05

  40,000 children have lost a parent to Covid-19

  (NEXSTAR) – In a grim reminder of the death toll from COVID-19, a new study published by the American Medical Association found that nearly 40,000 U.S. children have lost one of their parents to the virus. It’s a heartbreaking new angle to the number of U.S. deaths since the pandemic began – 555,273 as of Monday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. “This may come as a surprise, since 81% of lives lost in the US have been adults 65+,” study author Rachel Margolis, an associate professor at the University of Western Ontario, tweeted. “However, we are also seeing high mortality among younger adults, many of whom have children under 18.”
• 
  2021

  Covid-19 in the background of life

  I have a lot of photos taken in this spot. Our animals and children are cute and tend to hang out on the sofa. I was scrolling back through my online albums and noticed something the background of my photos from the last year all have in common. The tote bag hanging off the closet door is for used masks as we come in. The little table across the stairs is our home PPE station. It wasn’t there a year ago. The baskets are filled with cloth masks of various sizes and styles (it took a lot of trial and error to find masks that fit both kids) and the drawer has a touchless thermometer, among other things. The top has wipes, hand sanitizer, and a UV phone sanitizer that was on back order for months before it arrived. We will always be able to identify the year these photos were taken thanks to a collection of stuff I couldn’t imagine having eighteen months ago. I wonder how long it will stay?
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  2021-04-11

  Alarm grows over impact of states banning trans youth treatment

  Medical experts and LGBT advocates are sounding the alarm over the physical and mental health risks to the transgender community after at least 19 state legislatures, including Arkansas, have proposed or passed bills seeking to ban trans youth treatment. Proponents of the bills have argued that the legislation is in place to protect children from making irreversible decisions about their bodies. But earlier this week, doctors and LGBT organizations defended treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, and warned about a potential increased suicide rate among trans youth if such legislation is enacted.
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  2020-10-19

  3 easy ways to help kids unlearn gender identity & sexual orientation bias during the pandemic

  With all of the controversy in my state about our new Social Studies state standards about bringing in more diversity I see that we need to educate more people about the diversity that is in front of every student no matter their background because no matter what you do in life you will meet and interact with people that are not like yourself. I saw this article that gives teachers and parents some ideas on how to help kids unlearn gender identity and sexual orientation bias. Here are the three things you can do: 1. Prioritize Social-Emotional Learning 2.Introduce LGBTQ Characters, Works, and Historical Figures. 3.Start Easy, Start Small. Read the article for more information within these tips.
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  2021-04-18

  COVID 19

  what impact covid 19 has had on my son
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  2021-03-09

  #JOTPYSilver from Christine

  christinejwong #jotpysilver I’m grateful I got to spend more time with my kids that wouldn’t haven been possible if I was going into the office 5 days a week.
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  2021-02-22

  #JOTPYLesson from Marissa Rhodes

  I learned how to enjoy my kids' company. Before COVID and the resultant lockdown, I used to have anxiety about spending long periods of time at home with my kids. I felt like I needed to entertain them the entire time and like I was never doing a good enough job. COVID meant I had to face the fear really quickly. I learned what I loved about spending quality time with them and most importantly, that it's OK to encourage my kids to entertain themselves. #JOTPYLesson Joan Winnie Peggy Christman Mary Biggie-Beyer Jac Que Kelly Tee
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  2021-03-01

  #JOTPYLesson from Robin Keagle

  In retrospect, I have learned that the initial stay-at-home order was an unexpected gift to my husband, daughter, and me. Although the reason for it was unfortunate, it turned out to be a blessing in many ways. Instead of rushing to and from school and work, we had time to eat together more, watch movies, and develop a comfortable but temporary new routine. To be sure, not every day was bright and shiny yet we definitely appreciated this unique time together. Our youngest will be off to college in a couple of years which made it even more special to have those moments with her. Family is everything. PS. I also learned that Zoom has a great HD filter that allows me to wear much less make-up, and how to coordinate a work blouse with pajama pants which is a silver lining indeed. #JOTPYLesson Julie Watters Amber Peters Kim Kimberly Rankin Michele Gable Stefanie Thayer Sinanovic
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  2021-04-13

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  With vaccines already approved for ages of 16, still clinical trials need to be completed for children younger than 16. There is more thought put into children's vaccine as their body does not react to things the same way that grown adults do. By the looks of statistics, it can be said that the vaccines will be available for children before the start of the 2021 - 2022 school year. This means children will be able to get the vacancies and start living more socially involved lives as it is important for them during these stages of development. Though the vaccine will not be required, it is suggested and each state will make its own laws on what type of rules they want to set. On the bright sight, the vaccine is the best hope to end the pandemic and allow children to start enjoying their lives like before again, it will help cut down children's obesity rates and boost mental health.
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  2021-04-13

  How does the pandemic affect children?

  This article speaks about the clinical trials that have begun in Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in hopes of getting a vaccine out for children as young as five years old. At the moment about 3,000 children have been on a waitlist to be involved in the trial. There are sites at which people are working to get dosage limits right for children ranging from 2-4 aswell. Many responses were collected by children on how they felt about being a part of the trial. Lila, a third-grader who is 8, was asked what was the best thing about participating in the vaccine trial, she replied, "knowing I might be able to not wear my mask anymore and knowing that the coronavirus vaccine is coming out." The effects the pandemic has on the children are visible as their hopes are to help the pandemic stop so that things go back to normal for them.