Dear Roanoke parents, 

I know right now, many of us are experiencing stress and worry about how we are going to handle schools being closed, missing work, juggling remote work, kids, and added, unexpected expenses.  I think, as usual, we are adding additional undue stress to ourselves, trying earn a virtual teaching degree overnight.  I almost didn't want to create this list because I didn't want to be the cause for any parent to think they have to do any of these things. However, I think it's just as stressful to see the constant facebook posts with new ideas for educating, entertaining and "exercising" our kids, so maybe it will be helpful to have as many as possible in one spot.  I've listed below several local businesses online and virtual offerings and ideas- many of these are free. In addition to tons of online resources, classes and activity ideas.  

Do you remember those precious first years before school started? We read books and sang songs, built things out of blocks and forts out of blankets and couch cushions. We went for walks and looked for shapes in the clouds.  We taught our kids to make cookies and playdough. We had movie time, we cuddled, we laughed.  These were the things our kids needed then, and now. You have everything you need to get them through this time- it's all in your heart and mind.  I am very hopeful that in a few weeks, we will all feel that this time was a blessing, a chance to reconnect and do some of the things that the busyness of life far too often keeps us from doing.  Let's do more of those things. We'll get through the tough stuff together. 

You may also find this printable schedule helpful and the support group on facebook called Roanoke Moms Survive Corona

Love, 

Beth, Publisher

Virtual and Online activities, educational resources, crafts, games and more

		In honor of the 40th year celebrating Community School’s Strawberry Festival, we are excited to present the Strawberry Sprint. This virtual 5K is a great way to get out, get moving and support a non-profit school! You can complete the 5K distance however, whenever, wherever you choose. We ship you the berry sweet participant’s medal, and proceeds go to Community School! $25 race registration fee includes: Your own Strawberry Sprint medal and bragging rights to say you participated in the very first Strawberry Sprint! More info: Virtual Strawberry Sprint 5K
		Ferguson Fitness  Virtual Fitness Project designed to keep you and your kids moving over the next two weeks and beyond! We will host daily live workouts on our Facebook page at 7:30 am for adults, 3 Coach Unicorn Challenges for kids to complete each week (Mon, Wed, Sat at 12:00 pm) and some nutrition tips and ideas as well.
		Anderson Music Therapy's founder, Noel Anderson is always so wonderful about sharing music fun for you to try at home- for fun, learning, and emotional regulation.  She is sharing daily activities for kids as much as possible over the next two weeks in her facebook group: Growing Through Music In addition, her comprehensive online class for parents will teach you to use music to develop many of your children's skills, including: ✅ Communication ✅ Pragmatic skills (social rules) ✅ Attachment/relationship building ✅ Sensory needs ✅ Motor skills ✅ Attention skills ✅ Fun and motivated learning! Learn more and sign up here:  https://www.growingthroughmusic.com/
		Super Kicks Karate is going to do a beginner virtual classes Tuesday through Friday at 4:30 pm each day. We are a family martial arts school so kids ages 4 - Adult are welcome to jump on and train. We will have a life skill we talk about each class. We will do some warm-ups together Each day will have a different focus on what material we work on. This is open to everyone. Jump on with us LIVE if you are able to! http://www.Facebook.com/SuperKicks
		Kids Square will go live on Facebook at least one time a day during the week! We may be doing a science experiment, reading a book, building a house, who knows? If you join in to learn with us, you may win one of the items we play with that day. If you live within 10 miles of the museum and win, we do have a Kids Square delivery truck you can choose to take advantage of. That's right, delivered straight to your door to help conquer the cabin fever craze and implement the boredom buster experience. If you are further then 10 miles, or are concerned about a delivery, no worries, we will keep it up to 2 weeks after we reopen for you to pick up at Kids Square.  Check in on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/kidssquareatcenter
		Join the Roanoke Children's Theatre team on their facebook page daily for live theatre skills. The first day started with Aladdin! At home Theatre skills by Roanoke Children's Theatre
		Raye Raye's Reading Raye Raye has been reading stories on facebook, local schools, libraries and even Barnes and Noble. She just wants all kids to fall in love with reading like she has.
		The Making Foundation is sharing fun ideas on their You Tube Channel Make the Most
		Bricks 4 Kidz is hosting daily build parties with step by step instructions for your lego lovers.

**NOTE: Keep checking back - as I find more ideas and links to free/low-cost websites I will be adding them!

Josh Gad (Voice of Olaf) does daily reading -  

From ENews!  Forget building a snowman...do you want to hear a story?

Josh Gad, the voice of Olaf in the Frozen movies, took to Twitter on Friday to offer kids a little bit of comfort—and their parents several minutes of free daycare—as they self-isolate at home amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The actor read Ian Falconer's 2010 children's book Olivia Goes to Venice, part of his Olivia series, which is written for kids aged 3 to 7.

"Since we're all stuck at home right now I figured we would have a little fun together, so I'm going to see how this goes, but I decided I'm gonna read to your and your children or just you, depending on what you prefer," Gad, a father of two, said in a Twitter Live video. "I'm not gonna pass judgment right now since the world is a little bit of a hot mess. But I thought tonight, we would start with one of my favorite books about one of my favorite places that none of us can really go to, a little place called Venice, in Italy."

Lunchtime doodles with Mo Willems invites YOU into his studio every day for his LUNCH DOODLE. Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together.  Viewers can see each weekday’s new video at 1:00 p.m. ET.  Visit https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/ to watch all of Mo's videos, find activity sheets to print out & follow along, and more!

Make Art Gallery -  Free art lessons on our Facebook page each weekday for the next two weeks. These will be family-oriented for a range of ages and utilize supplies typically found in your home. Creativity can ease stress, expedite learning & allow us to see circumstances in different ways. Since we will all be home gathered together over the next few weeks unexpectedly, it is the perfect time to discover and grow new talent! We will be offering take home kits from the studio for additional lessons beginning next Wednesday.

I always pull from my classical training as a BFA studio art major and 25 years as a professional artist, but also love to introduce process learning- In other words- I like to show you how to do it AND get messy! Join us at 1pm CT this Monday for our first lesson! Hint: For Monday, gather plain paper, a baking sheet, cooking spray/oil and pencils...we will be drawing faces!

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden - 

While the Cincinnati Zoo is closed and kids are home from school, let us help make your children’s hiatus from school fun and educational.  Join us for a Home Safari Facebook Live each weekday at 3pm where we will highlight one of our amazing animals and include an activity you can do from home.  Join us starting Monday, March 16 at 3pm for our first Home Safari- featuring Fiona, the hippo!

Lego Building Challenge! - Join Snapology of Monmouth County for a daily lego building challenges from home. 

Science Mom - Join us beginning Monday, March 16th, for a daily show featuring science and math lessons, crafts and games. Hosted by Science Mom and Math Dad, this two hour livestream is a wonderful way to put some fun learning into your quarantine. Each show will feature a science lesson, math activities, interactive games, and stories. You can watch the livestream on Facebook or by going to www.youtube.com/sciencemom (a replay will be available afterward on the Science Mom YouTube channel). While our science and math lessons are aimed at kids age 7-12, this is a family-friendly show that is for BOTH kids and parents.

Storyline Online- Actors reading children's books aloud on Facebook and Story Online website streaming. 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.

Broadway Babysitters Playhouse! A half-hour long virtual class, bringing the imagination of Broadway right to your living room!

36 Free Educational Resources for Kids - Online websites to help with educational resources.

60+ Awesome Websites for Teaching and Learning Math

12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch - Tour museums without having to leave the house.

ABC MOUSE - Online learning for ages 2-8.

Hooked on Phonics - Online reading program. Get Your First Month of Hooked on Phonics for JUST $1!

Learning A-Z  - Offering free subscriptions until the end of this school year. They have wonderful readers in Spanish for different levels.

McHarper Manor - We will be going live daily Monday through Friday at 1pm Eastern Time Live via our FB page with free art & craft tutorials to create at home with your kids! 

Outschool - Live Online Classes for Ages 3-18. Spark your child’s curiosity with access to 10,000 small group video chat classes—created and taught by inspiring teachers. Start learning for as low as $5/class.

Sage Oak Charter Schools - Sage Oak has compiled a list of free resources for educating at home! We are excited to share this resource with our families and we hope to help families outside of our community that may need some help with at-home learning due to school closures. 

San Diego Zoo Kids - Learn all about animals with this kid-friendly website.  

Scholastic Learn at Home - We know that missing school isn’t easy for your kids—or for you. But we also know that there are simple ways to turn unexpected time at home into exciting opportunities for your students to learn, think, and grow. That 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. www.scholastic.com/learnathome 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.

Storyline Online - 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. 

Teachers Pay Teachers - Low cost & free online resources. TpT is the go-to place for educators to find the resources, knowledge, and inspiration they need to teach at their best. We offer more than 3 million free and paid resources, created by educators who understand what works in the classroom. Our marketplace is growing every day to meet the evolving needs of the PreK-12 classroom. 

Virtual Field Trips - A list of current websites offering virtual field trips.

Broadyway Babies by Jamie Grayson various actors- entertainment for families through Jamie's facebook page. 

Learn to type at typingclub.com

Use our Monthly Fun Calendar for fun and easy crafts, recipes and other ideas to celebrate quirky national holidays.

Click here to view the ideas and print a free calendar March Monthly Fun Days Printable 

Puzzles

Board Games

Uno

Card games - solitaire, go-fish, spoons

Fire-pit smores or firepit dinner

Cook a meal together 

Sewing projects

Rock Painting - print out Rock the Spot labels here and join the movement of hiding kindness rocks in Roanoke. 

Watch a movie together 

Bubbles

Bouncy Balls outside

Build a fort

Virtual Field Trips - A list of current websites offering virtual field trips.

Check Out Our Guide of Easy Crafts, Recipes and More!

Macaroni Kid Fun Book - A Great Guide to Crafts with Your Kids

Look on our website for a ton of arts & crafts to do with your kids use search phrases like craft, DIY, recipes, paint, color

Fun A Day is an awesome website full of arts and crafts developed by a Roanoke native

Art for Kids Hub - Online simple, and easy art lessons. Read more about it here. 

Top 70 Growth Mindset Television Shows from Big Life Journal

Coloring - roll out some butcher block paper and let them color with 3-4 drops food coloring. Rinse off with water.

Osmo - A great game to have on hand for individual learning

Virtual Strawberry Sprint 5K  to benefit Community School in Roanoke

Free Karate lesson on SuperKicks Facebook Page

Free Virtual Fitness Challenge by Ferguson Fitness

Cosmic Kids Yoga - This YouTube channel offers Star Wars (The Force Awakens) | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

Barre Alley: virtual barre studio Join us every morning (on Instagram and Facebook) at 9am EST for a socially distant 10-ish minute, fun-filled kid-friendly workout 

Free Les Mills workouts

Hoola hoop

Hopscotch

Don't forget to register for Summer Camps while you can still save money with Early Bird discounts! Roanoke Summer Camp Guide

5 Day Parenting Challenge by Dr Melinda Hill 5 Days to Peace in Your Palace

Easy Pantry Recipes from Michael Symon on Food Network Kitchen's Facebook Page

450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free

The Breathing Space - A schedule of virtual meditative, stress relieving, types of activities to help us take a time out. 

Women in business-  Need some extra support: FemCity has waived all joining fees this month. For those that know women that are starting to feel anxiety, stress and sadness over their business or the lack of connectivity with networking with other women. https://femcity.com/covid19

**NOTE: Keep checking back - as I find more ideas and links to free/low-cost websites I will be adding them!

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