What to do with the kids if camps are closed but parents’ work has resumed?
We went from “no phone in schools” to “school online”.
That’s a big step for parents and kids alike. Education has drastically changed, the classroom was moved exclusively online, with the distinctive rise of e-learning.
Worldwide there are currently more than 1.2 billion children in 186 countries affected by school closures due to the pandemic.
Is learning online as effective?
For those who do have access to the right technology, there is proof that learning online can be more effective.
Research shows that on average, students retain 25-60% more material when learning online compared to only 8-10% in a classroom. This happens because students are able to learn faster online. E-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional classroom since students can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading, skipping, or accelerating through concepts as they choose.
📌 Passing your old iPhone on to your kid? Get a lower phone bill, too!
A lot of parents turned to Tello for their kids’ phone plans
Now, more than ever, parents are loving the freedom of adding more data to their children’s phone plan, adjusting it and upgrading the original talk & text only plan they bought for them. Maybe their first choice of plan was a bare-bones one with just the essentials to keep them connected to their kids. But now, people are adding gigs of data since most learning & fun activities are taking place online.
Having an affordable and reliable carrier that can sustain your kids’ education without costing an arm and a leg makes all the difference when video teaching is the new normal.
📌 Families are choosing Tello phone plans for the kids’ first phone
This summer brings another challenge for parents: what to do with the kids if camps are closed but their work has resumed?
While the future of learning will clearly need to integrate technology, working parents are concerned about a problem that is more present: what to do with kids during the summer?
School ended early. There is no use in sugarcoating the situation at home. Kids are already bored and the parents are close to losing it. All their plans for this summer were blown away by the pandemic and traditional camps might not all be a good solution this year. So now what?
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Outside activities 🤸
Lack of physical activity takes its toll on kids’ overall morale and energy levels.
DIY projects, arts and crafts, reading, dancing, hula hoops, simple science experiments, even using electronics can be done in the fresh air, right? Take any activity you can outside.
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Virtual camps 🖥️
“Camp is about the connection. It’s about exploring,” says Penn Henthorn, director of programs and camps for Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma.
While many parents don’t feel comfortable sending their kids to a traditional camp this summer, there are plenty of virtual options available. An incredible number of camps are gearing up for a summer of virtual adventure of all types! Can you say “live sing-alongs?”
🏕️ Free Virtual Camps:
- Miss Megan’s Camp Kindergarten: The founder, Megan Jessen, a former kindergarten teacher, offers lessons, music, and storytime on her Facebook group, which has close to 100,000 members.
- MOCA Art Camps: If your kids are between 6 and 13 and prefer Dali paintings over cartoons, then this is for them. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami offers free instruction in mixed media, painting, drawing, and textile
- Too Cool for School: Another Facebook group to save the day, offering parent-to-parent live classes, along with ideas for crafts, arts, physical activities, and games.
- Varsity Tutors Virtual Summer Camps: Weeklong camp sessions for no cost, with classes that run the K–12 gamut. You can find anything from recycled art for kindergartners, LEGO movie making for elementary students to Minecraft storytelling for middle schoolers. Even podcasting for highschool students with an entrepreneurial flair.
🎨 Paid camps according to your child’s interest:
Bake-a-Camp: Imagine your kids getting a baking box, every week, that includes four themed kits from Baketivity kits for kids ages 6–11; the recipes will get more advanced and explore different topics, themes, or cuisines. Delicious results for the entire family!
Blue Sky Kids Virtual Camp: One hour-long private or semi-private sessions that move at the pace of your child, exploring different passions like coding, cooking, comedy/improv, art, chess, magic, or songwriting.
Camp:ASPIRE: UBTECH Robotics, offers at-home summer programs for kids above the age of 8 in robotics and engineering using hands-on STEM learning activities and design challenges. Who’s in?
Camp Whatever-It-Takes: We just love the name of it and all the positivity around this idea! The camp offers teens and tweens experiences in entrepreneurship and empowerment.
Connected Camps Minecraft Classes: All your kid talks about is Minecraft? This is a perfect match for him! The virtual camp offers dozens of Minecraft-related classes for 8- to 13-year-olds that cover everything from Minecraft art to coding.
Smart Buddies Camp-in-a-Box: Smart Buddies fans ages 7–11 can get extra enrichment by means of mixing socialization with activities and assignments to train those coding skills.
Super Soccer Stars @ Home: Soccer gains in the house? Livestream virtual soccer lessons in small-group settings, where your kids can get one-on-one attention with activities designed for small spaces.
Outschool: If you need to fit camp into a tricky schedule, you can sort through tons of virtual camps via Outschool based on age, meeting time/duration, or level of interest. Classes include everything from Wings of Fire dragon drawing and writing to Harry Potter-themed creative writing.
Do you recommend Montessori Climbing Triangle for indoor activities?