The "NEW" Extended March Break 2020
It’s a little scary out there right now. So many unknowns, so much “what happens if” and so darn many cancellations in order to help keep us (and the vulnerable) safe. We are right there with you and we want to help you if we can at all.
You can click the links we’ve added (embedded behind the names in this paragraph) to important places to check for updates on the current school cancellations for Grand Erie District School Board, Brant, Haldimand-Norfolk Catholic District School Board, local Haldimand County and Norfolk County websites for community facilities (and events), the local MyFM (Norfolk Today.ca) website for local news and The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit or Health Canada for COVID-19 specific information.
If you need guidance finding out anything else we will do our best to point you in the right direction. And if we don’t know, you have our promise that we will help find someone who does.
We’ll update this Blog as we continue to come across wonderful resources and articles that we find interesting and that we hope you will too. So come back often and know that we are all in this together xo
Scott and Tessa Through the Years
What does this have to do with being off for 3 weeks? Absolutely nothing.
I found it in my saved videos and it makes me feel good so I thought it may help you too :) I’m not a figure skater, just know the “big names” but these two are special to every Canadian. I was one of those who thought they might have become pregnant watching their final performance…
HERE is a video to Jim Cuddy’s “Pull me Through” with clips of them performing through the last 20 years. <3
In the meantime, let’s do other things. Different things than we had planned, but let’s do them.
If you want to feel like you’re going to the movies without actually going, visit Cineplex and check out their rentals. There’s a March Break special too - you can rent some pretty great movies for as low as $2.99! We do this a lot since it can be quite expensive to take the 6 of us out to a movie and buy treats… just get some snacks and a blanket, turn down the lights and we can enjoy both old and new favourites. Bonus, you can pay for them with Scene points or with your Cineplex Gift Card :)
I asked the girls to give their opinions about what to watch on Netflix and here is what they said:
Audrey (7, in grade 2)
Nailed It
Cat in the Hat
Journey 2 (the Mysterious Island)
Maddie (almost 12, in grade 6)
the Lorax
Storage Wars
Tiny House Nation
Sophie (13, in grade 8)
Ferdinand
the Emoji Movie
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp)
Grace (14, grade 9)
Smurfs (the Lost Village)
Coraline
Spy Kids
I happen to be super excited that I saw an ad for Pitch Perfect 3!!!!
And the same question for Disney Plus…
Audrey (7, in grade 2)
Toy Story 4
Aladdin (with Will Smith)
Pocahontas (the original)
Maddie (almost 12, in grade 6)
Aristocats
Unlikely Animal Friends
Robin Hood (animated, out of the vault)
Sophie (13, in grade 8)
Coco
Tangled
The Lion King (the new live action one)
Grace (14, grade 9)
Alice in Wonderland (original, out of the vault)
Finding Nemo
Pirates of the Caribbean
We accidentally came upon an amazing based-on-a-true-story movie called “Finest Hours”. OMG you should watch this one - it’s amazing!
12 Famous Museums are offering Virtual Tours You Can Take from Home!
You know what’s cool about this LINK? You can “visit” so many places that you may never have thought possible… London, New York, Washington, I wonder which one will be your favourite?
Something else we stumbled on through this article is Google Arts & Culture. There are far too many amazing ways to learn about fashion, culture and art but the best feature (in my humble opinion) is the Street View. You can walk the Taj Mahal or the Paris Opera, tell us your favourite pace you “visited” this March Break!
After March Break, Back to “Normal” can be comforting for many.
I’ve seen this suggestion for a schedule on Facebook and thought it was a great start! You may need to adjust times depending on the age of your kids and your work schedule but it is an easy to plan day. The real “homework” will be for us all to find the right stuff to put in front of them (read on for a great list of resources). I know after a well deserved semi-lazy week we’ll all be ready to get back at something educational over the extra two weeks away from school.
NEW Ministry of Education Learn at Home Portal
The Government of Ontario together with the Minister of Education just released the creation of a portal for students developed with Ontario Educators. It’s goal is to prevent “learning loss” and provide parents and students with curriculum based lessons. There will also be the option for online tutoring through TVO, though I’m not sure exactly how that will work. It will be available in both english and french. If we should be out past April 5th they announced that a Phase 2 effort will be ready, all of this upon the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Click HERE to check it out!
Education Companies offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings
I saw this list that a Teacher in my area posted on his Facebook about some resources that may help parents in the short term. Personally I am a bit of a worksheet addict ;) and have been known to print those out for the girls all year long. And while we certainly can’t replace the expertise of our valued Professionals, we can keep the kids’ brains from turning to mush with a little “homework”. We are also big fans of the website abcya for Audrey and Prodigy which is math games for many ages - we don’t pay for them, we just use the free versions!
Scholastic’s new Learn at Home Website
So I am already a big Scholastic fan and our school benefits from having Book Fairs that bring in a lot of money to our Teachers’ classrooms and the school community in general. Now with the time away they’ve created a website (click HERE) for parents to use for FREE! Seriously, Scholastic is a leader right now. Help others without expecting to profit during hard times and the benefit you receive in good karma will come back 100 fold.
“Dear Families and Caregivers,
We know that missing school isn’t easy for upper kids - or for you. But we also know that there are simple ways to turn unexpected time at home into exciting opportunities for students to learn, think, and grow.
This is why we’ve created Scholastic’s Learn at Home website. This free resource provides your children with 20+ days of exciting articles and stories, videos, and fun learning challenges. Children can complete them anytime, in any order. They can work on their own or together with you and your family.
Our active learning journeys are available on any device and will provide your child with up to three hours worth of exciting learning experiences per day. They can go on virtual field trips, meet best-selling authors, or dig deep into a topic they love.
We hope that you and your children stay safe and healthy and wish you the best of luck during this stressful time.
With best wishes from all of us at Scholastic,
Lauren Tarshis (Sr VP, Editor in Chief to Publisher of Scholastic Classroom Magazines)”
FREE Educational Websites for Kids, click HERE!
Math:
Prodigy
Khan Academy
Science:
Mystery Doug
National Geographic
Writing:
Typing Club
Reading:
Squiggle Park
Storyline
Social Studies:
History for Kids
GreatSchools.org Resources
If school has closed, these resources will help your child learn from home. Find out how to set up at-home learning and use the grade-based resources below to fill in the gaps. Just follow the LINK!
100 Activities to Do at Home
Hi Everyone!
I have created a helpful guide for all of you to survive the upcoming school closures.
Many of these activities listed below will require some supplies. Most items you could find at the Dollar Store.
Enjoy the list by clicking HERE!
Two weeks worth of fun and easy
Science Experiments
Our readers have told us they are half looking forward to time at home with their kids, and half nervous for entertaining them all day long, for an extended period of time.
To keep the learning going, try one of these science experiments each day. They each take about 30 minutes, and use super simple ingredients from around the house.
Check out how the do Science in Milwaukee HERE!
“Giant List of Ideas for being Home with Kids”
This list was shared by a few people online so when you’re done with the Netflix, Disney Plus and tech, check out these amazing ideas from crafts to cleaning up to mini Olympics :)
Learn to Geocache!
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. I’ve always wondered about how this treasure hunt works, maybe you’ve been wondering too! Check it out HERE and have fun :)
Prepare for the Bags2School pick up at Lakewood
How does it work? In a nutshell it’s a textile recycling program that doubles as a fundraiser for our Eco Club at Lakewood Elementary. The Club along with the Lakewood Leaders then decide where to donate the proceeds in our own community. Collection is close to Earth Day at the school so now is a perfect time to get sorting through your closets and drawers (and stuffed animals)!
You can click HERE to visit the website for more info.
Shrubberies FB Live Concert
My friends Jess and Adam are a part of the uber cool Shrubberies and they’re hosting a free concert Sunday night (March 15th) LIVE on their Facebook page at 8 p.m. They are “Haldimand-Norfolk's most eclectic musical collective. They play 1930s pop & 1990s pop. They play classic rock & alt rock. They play show tunes. They play car tunes. They rap. They bop. They barbershop. And they do it all for our entertainment.”
Art With Heart Camps is hosting an
Online Art Challenge!
🎨How it works; The challenges are designed to be open ended because we want you and/or your young artists to think about how to execute them using those big creative brains! They should take between 30 minutes to a couple hours to complete, depending on how much effort you want to put into it. Exercise your imaginations and use whatever materials you have on hand!
Our daily challenge will be posted at 10am. You will have the entire day (until midnight) to complete the challenge and post a photo of your completed work in the comment section of that days post. Your completed artwork comment will immediately enter you into our draw - (completed bonus challenges reward you an extra entry) and at the end of our 21 days there will be several AWESOME prizes given away! ARE YOU READY?! 🎨
Click HERE to go to their FB Page :)
Actor Josh Gad Is Reading Books to Kids Online Every Night During Coronavirus Quarantines
Actor Josh Gad Is Reading Books to Kids Online Every Night During Coronavirus Quarantines. Grab the tissues! He has decided to read children’s books to families around the world via his Twitter page each night while either under quarantine or practicing social distancing during the outbreak of coronavirus.
The Frozen II and Beauty and the Beast star began with reading Olivia Goes to Venice and has kept the trend going with The Day the Crayons Quit, The Giving Tree, and Dr. Seuss: Horray for Diffendoofer Day.
It seems Gad will continue the trend as long as is needed to keep spirits high and to help entertain families during this time. Josh also shares some fun insight into his admiration for the books he is reading and hilarious stories about his kids that they will be sure to roll their eyes at when they get older. Josh’s “Samantha?” Hat in the first video made us giggle up a storm, hehehehe. Click HERE to get started or go to his Twitter page :)
Norfolk County Spirit Awards
It’s time to vote online for 50 categories of the BEST in Norfolk! Best chicken wings, local Artist, Garden Centre to name a few. There is no REALTOR® so top local business for customer service is maybe one you could nominate your favourite for ;). Click HERE to get started on the quick survey monkey to vote!
Ripley’s Aquarium lets you “Swim with the Sharks”!
Toronto is home to tons of cool attractions, including the popular Ripley's Aquarium of Canada. The space is an underwater wonderland where you can visit colourful fish, sea turtles, and even sharks. Like many businesses in the city, the aquarium has temporarily closed as a safety precaution due to COVID-19. You may not be able to wander past the tanks, but you can still get up close to the aquatic life. Toronto Ripley's Aquarium shark cam lets you swim alongside these massive fish without getting wet.
11 Musical TV Shows to Binge while
you’re staying in!
We know that the world feels scary right now, but in times of hardship, theatre has always been an antidote—especially musical theatre. And even though live theatres across the country have taken the necessary precaution to temporarily close and keep us safe, all is not lost! Musicals ar everywhere—on your streaming service, in particular.
As many of us hunker down, we're going to need entertainment not just to pass the time but to remind us that this too shall pass. We will get through this. With that in mind, here are 11 musical TV shows and how to watch them.
Family Time
The BEST thing to come out of what’s being cancelled is what’s NOT. We’ll have so much time without softball, school, dance, theatre, all of the demands on our time (except work of course). We won’t see our parents (grandparents) to keep them safe but we will be home together the 6 of us as much as we can… trying to be kind and patient with one another.
“Conversations will not be cancelled.
Relationships will not be cancelled.
Love will not be cancelled.
Songs will not be cancelled.
Reading will not be cancelled.
Self-Care will not be cancelled.
Hope will not be cancelled.
May we lean into the good stuff that remains.”
