Edition 2	 Activities And	3/27/2020 ResouRces foR

fAmily Resilience

This compilation of resources will be published each week to support youth and families through what can be a challenging time. Family and Youth Coordinators for Ohio National Guard Family Readiness will bring you a collection of ideas to help keep everyone engaged and growing during this bonus family time. Our goal is that out of the suggestions shared, your family will find activities that will work best for you and the age of your children. Please remember that what works for one family may not be ideal for each family’s situation - and that is perfectly fine.

The Ohio National Guard Family Readiness & Warrior Support is committed to supporting you and your family. We will send ideas and resources that should be easy for parents to use at home. Wherever possible, we have included an online reference so that you can readily find the instructions and list of needed supplies.

Resources included in Edition 2 (3-27-2020):

- Stay Connected (page 2)	- National Day Of... (page 5)

- Movies and Books (page 3)	- Hunt The Good Stuff (page 6) - Distance Learning (page 4-5)	- Telework (page 6)
- Live Animal Cameras (page 5)	- Non-Screen Activites (page 7)

stAy connected

omK fAcebooK

Keep connected

Help Ohio Military Kids share how you and your family are making use of your time at home together. Let everyone know about any fun, educational, or interesting activities you have been engaging in by sharing them to the OMK Facebook page. Feel free to include a photo of the activity (if you wish), but please make sure it is appropriate for public viewing. The activities and photos that you share could generate ideas for other military families to try.
http://www.facebook.com/OhioOperationMilitaryKids

Stay in touch during this time of separation.

Want to keep in touch with friends and family during this challenging time? Messenger Kids is a free video calling and messaging app for smartphones and tablets. Parents control the contact list, and kids control the fun. Keep in touch with close friends and family with fun-filled features like filters and stickers. It is available to download on the App Store, Google Play, or by following the link below:
https://messengerkids.com/

Family History

Want to learn more about your family history? Developing a family tree is a great opportunity to stay connected with family members. Call your grandparents or aunts and uncles to learn more. You can also visit the following link:
https://www.familytreetemplates.net/category/kids

movies & booKs Movies with Great Messages and Themes for the Family to Enjoy:

Inside Out -

Real happiness can come when you embrace sadness. Messages include happiness is not just about joy, don’t try to force happiness, sadness is vital to our well-being, mindfully embrace (rather than suppress) tough emotions.
The Pursuit of Happyness -

Try until you succeed. Nothing great comes easy. Messages include the importance of family relationships, overcoming life’s obstacles, when things get dark…relax, we receive what we want after we doing everything we can. Kubo and the Two Strings -
You are the editor of your own life. Write your own story and edit it often. Compassion is key, heroes come in all sizes, and finding strength in love.

Great Books for Every Family to Enjoy:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone -

While many kids have seen all these movies, it is still highly recommended reading this aloud because there is so much more in the book than kids can ever imagine!
Out of My Mind -

The story of Melody, a girl who is unable to move or communicate, but whose mind is filled with brilliance. The story is filled with lessons about overcoming obstacles and that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to people.
The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detective -

This is the ultimate fractured fairy tale and you may find yourself going back and forth between this and your classic fairy tale book as you read about the adventures of two sisters who discover their family is so much more than they ever knew.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing -

Sibling rivalry, friendship troubles, and hilarious antics are all reasons why this book has stood the test of time.

distAnce leARning

Keep the learning fresh. While the kids are keeping up with their school work, provide some new options to keep the mind growing with new adventures!

The Junior Library Guild (JLG) is the collection-development partner for school and public libraries across the nation, and are offering free resources to help keep students’ brains busy and blossoming. With JLG Gold Standard eBooks for Elementary, Middle and High School students, JLG Digital gives you unlimited access to read books online from any device. There is no limit to the number of users who can access the books! There are always new picks available.
https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/at-home

Have you ever wanted to learn a new language, but found you may not have the time or money to necessarily do so? Duolingo is a free on-line language learning program designed to be fun and accessible for everyone. Free, bite-size lessons feel more like a game than a textbook, because learning is easier when you’re having fun. Duolingo offers 94 courses for 38 distinct languages. Duolingo is not a stand-alone language course, but it’s an excellent addition to a language learner’s toolbox. You can download Duolingo on the App Store, Google Play, or by following the link below: https://www.duolingo.com/

Now is a good time to teach kids how to manage their money. Even though most stores are closed, the Internet is always open for business.
www.bankaroo.com

Family time, learning, and life skills with supplies already in your home.

Did you know that cooking with your kids boosts their development? Each time you let your child help you prepare a meal, you are also preparing them for success in school and in life. Cooking with your kids offers a wide variety of opportunities to learn and grow, including: enhanced fine motor skills, increased math ability, improved reading skills, increased focus and attention, and more…

If you are unsure of what to make, have only a few ingredients at home, and are unable to make it to a grocery store; don’t worry about it. Supercook is a recipe search engine that finds recipes you can make with the ingredients you currently have at home. Supercook has indexed hundreds of thousands of recipes, so no matter what ingredients you have, there will be a meal for everyone.
https://www.supercook.com/#/recipes

distAnce leARning

Military OneSource Morale, Welfare and Recreation Digital Library provides free, online resources to Service Members and their families via the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Digital Library. You’ll find eBooks and audiobooks on virtually every topic, as well as databases and reference books that can help you learn a new skill, keep kids engaged and serve as a homework source, or prepare you to land your next job.
LINK: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/recreation-travel-shopping/recreation/libraries/mo-rale-welfare-and-recreation-digital-library

live AnimAl cAmeRAs

Did a family trip have to be postponed? Use these to take a short trip right from the living room.
Animal cameras: Throughout the country are various zoos and animal care facilities with live cameras. These live cameras allow people to observe different types of animals from the comfort of home.

(San Diego Zoo): https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams

(Monterey Bay Aquarium): https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams (Panda Cam Zoo Atlanta): https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/
(Houston Zoo Cams): https://www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/ 

(Georgia Aquarium): https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/ 

nAtionAl dAy of...

Have some simple fun with each day by celebrating the “National Day Of.” The list we found combines fun, silly, reverent, and educational days to celebrate.

March 27 – National Scribble Day, https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-scribble-day-March 28 – National Food on a Stick day, https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-some-thing-on-a-stick-day
March 29 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day - https://nationaldaycalendar.com/nation-al-vietnam-war-veterans-day
March 30 – National Doctors Day - https://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-doc-tors-day
March 31 – National Crayon Day - https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-crayon-day-April 1 – April Fools’ Day - https://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/april-fools-day-april-1/ April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day - https://nationaldaycalendar.com/world-autism-day

Hunt tHe good stuff

With the current state of life, then consuming the news, it is very easy to become overwhelmed by negative thoughts, emotions, and stress. And, if you find yourself as an adult doing this, just imagine what the young minds in your house might be thinking and the emotions that could be happening without the maturity to process them.

A great way to help fill our minds (young and older alike) with positive thoughts, is to “Hunt the Good Stuff.” This simple exercise is a great way to bring the family together and find the good in what might be an otherwise gloomy day.

How to Hunt the Good Stuff:

Record 3 good things each day, could be a journaling opportunity or could be a communal “poster” for the whole family to share. You can adapt this exercise for younger kids by verbally working them through the process and using word that may be easier for them to understand. With each event listed, write a reflection about the event using the prompts below.
1. Why this good thing happened?

2. What this good thing means to you?

3. What can you do tomorrow to enable more of this good thing? 4. What ways did you or others contribute to this good thing?

Benefits of hunting the good stuff:

-Keep negative unproductive thoughts from taking over -Lower stress levels
-Practice showing gratitude for the good things around us -Great discussion starters for the family
For maximum benefit, have your family share their good stuff! However some family members might be more private and if they prefer not to share, that is fine, too.

telewoRK ideAs And ResouRces If you are teleworking, the “rules” for what will work with the kids and family may be an ever-changing experiment of what will work to set boundaries and make the event productive and as painless as possible.

Some suggestions from parents.com: https://www.parents.com/parenting/work/life-balance/ how-to-master-being-a-work-at-home-mom/

Suggestions from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/smarter-living/ wirecutter/how-to-stay-sane-when-working-from-home-with-children.html