The Stuck Inside Survival Guide

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous disruption and uncertainty in our lives and the lives of our children. We all have BIG feelings right now, and the best course of action is to try to take it one day at a time.

While it’s absolutely necessary to get outside each day, a large part of controlling this pandemic lies in each family’s responsibility to stay home. This means there is suddenly a looooootttt of time indoors on our hands. Whether you were previously a working mom, working-from-home mom, part-time mom, or stay-at-home mom, this is a BIG change for all of us!

This guide provides topics and access to downloadable or virtual content to help you structure your days while home with kids. Many of the resources listed are live events or local to Portland. Our hope is to provide you with a few fun, online options that the kids can look forward to, while also helping support the people creating them. We recognize that what each day looks like is different for every family.

There is also more general information including resources available 24/7. Thank you so much to our City Mom Collective sister sites whose valuable articles have also been included in this guide.

Please visit our Navigating Quarantine In + Around PDX for specific resources related to local organizations and businesses doing what they can under these new circumstances. Supporting local is tremendously important, and many places are coming up with creative ways to continue to provide services.

*We will continuously update this page as new resources become available. If you know of something we should include, please send a note to [email protected].

There are lots of incredible self-guided, at-home study programs such as Khan Academy or Adventure Academy. However, while we’re all adjusting to new schedules and new timelines, having events or workshops for kids with specifics dates and times can be helpful. Below is a list of artists, musicians, teachers, and creators who have taken their offline events to an online setting. Pick one (or two! or three!) that interest you and build your day around these special times.

*Events will be updated regularly and this list will continue to grow. However, this is a fast-changing situation and our reported days/times may change suddenly. It is always a good idea to confirm your dates/times.

LIVE EVENTS FOR KIDS

***Check out Portland-mom-created Google Calendar with an amazing collection of live events! Many thanks, Alicia P!***

• Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems – Draw-a-longs and author discussion, every weekday at 1pm
• Online Storytime with Oliver Jeffers – Storytime and author visit every weekday at 11am on Instagram Live
• Living Room Dance Parties with DJ Mel – Every Saturday night from 6-9pm; join in with hundreds of others via Facebook Live
• Live Paint-A-Longs with Kids and a Canvas – Times vary, sessions are on Facebook Live
• Drawings and Author Visits with Narwhal + Jelly – Facebook Live on  Wednesdays at 11am and Fridays at 2pm
• Animal Exhibits Tour at the San Diego Zoo – Facebook Live visits with different animals each weekday around 930 am (times vary)
• Live Concerts with Red Yarn – Facebook Live performances by popular Portland kids’ musical act on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10am and Thursdays at 5:30pm
• Concerts with Music with Mr Hoo – Facebook Live performances of Portland kids’ musician on Thursdays at 10am (and other times TBD)
• Storytime with Rose City Book Pub – Every weekday at 2 on Facebook Live
• Live Concerts with Micah + Me – Portland-based children’s band hosting an Instagram live show, Wednesdays 10:30am
• Oregon Central Ballet – Livestreaming of ballet barre classes on their Facebook feed (beginning and intermediate levels); times announced ahead of time
• Animal Visits with the Cincinnati Zoo – Livestreaming on Facebook of animal visits, weekdays at noon (3pm EST)

ONLINE ENRICHMENT CLASSES FOR KIDS

• Acting for Kids and Teens – FREE acting classes, various topics and session times
• School of Rock Portland – Web-based music lessons in guitar, bass, drums, voice, and more
• Coding with Kids – PNW-based online coding classes with live teachers and multiple options
• Mad Science of Portland – Weekday sessions in a variety of STEM topics, see schedule for details
• Ready, Set, GROW – Downloadable dance classes for kids

How to fill the days when the kids are home? What about missed schoolwork from closure days? We’ve compiled a variety of resources from various sites in our network, as well as the general internet. Some of these are informational articles and others are online offerings available year-round. Click on the images below to head straight to the resource!

*We will continuously add to this list as resources develop — bookmark this page so you know how to come back for more!

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS + RESOURCES

Scholastic Learning – From their website: Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your grade level and let the learning begin!

Nurture Store (Your Teaching Fairy Godmother) – Free website with tons of printables, activities, and projects. Broken down by age (geared mostly towards preschool and younger elementary). Requires sign-up.

Mystery Science Remote Learning – From their website: To help educators during this time of coronavirus, we have pulled our most popular science lessons and are offering them for anyone to use for free. No account or login is needed. Copy and paste the links below into your documents and use them however they might be helpful! Mystery Science is the creator of the most popular science lessons in U.S. schools. We’ve curated this starter set of science lessons that you can use remotely or share with parents.

Yellow Scope 20 Minute Labs – Yellow Scope is a local, Portland-based company that makes science education kits. Check out their blog for quick, 20-minute labs that are both fun and educational.

Too Cool for School Virtual Kids Camp – This is a Facebook group that “… is a virtual kids camp, with resources for parents to help keep kids busy during school closures. Weekly activities include live classes, crafts, arts, physical activities, games and much more!” Tons of info and free to join.

Free Coloring Books from World-Class Libraries & Museums: The Met, New York Public Library, Smithsonian & More – This is a huge list! From their website: “Calling all coloring book lovers. You can now take part in #ColorOurCollections 2017–a campaign where museums and libraries worldwide will make available free coloring books, letting you color artwork from their collections and then share it on Twitter and other social media platforms. When sharing, use the hashtag #ColorOurCollections.”

Quarantine with Kids: 100+ Activities to do When School Is Cancelled – “…While it’s easy to turn to screen time, kids are definitely going to need more than hours and hours of movies and minecraft to make it through. My goal during this time is to keep their brains engaged and active even if they aren’t doing formal learning. This includes lots of innovating, art, building things with sticks and recyclables and more.” See the list here.

Storyline Online – (From their Facebook page): With school closures around the country due to #coronavirus, please use our FREE children’s literacy resource featuring the world’s best storytellers reading books aloud. Each video includes an activity guide with lessons for K-5 students to do at home. https://www.storylineonline.net/

Here’s the thing. This is stressful and hard. And yet, we need to be able to guide our kids and families through it. Below are some resources to help out with that tremendous task.

ONLINE CLASSES + EVENTS FOR MOMS

• Ready, Set, GROW – Portland studio offering online Prenatal and Baby&Me sessions, requires sign-up
• Itsabelly – Portland-based online support groups for new moms, hosted via Zoom
• Barre3 – Nationwide online workout program with several Portland-area studios; includes two free weeks
• LoveHive Yoga – Portland yoga studio with live online sessions