COVID-19

      Life is harder than ever for everyone in our country right now due to COVID-19. Teachers, parents and students alike are struggling with their own troubles during this time of quarantine. I have talked about quarantine life for the parents; I will now talk about teachers during their time in quarantine. Teachers have had to suddenly change their curriculum, adapt it to online work, change their schedule, and attempt to teach their students through virtual school and hope that they are able to grasp the information while being at home. 

      Due to the juggling of all these components, teachers can quickly become overwhelmed, stressed and exhausted. This could potentially pursue burnout within teachers. Typical school (not virtual school) also can stir burnout within teachers. Virtual schooling has increased frustration and stress in teachers more than ever.

     Us teachers need to stick together and support each other–especially during a situation like this. If you are an educator and you are looking for ways to decompress during your time of virtual schooling, PLEASE keep reading! Self care is essential for you!

Self Care at its Finest

It may seem impossible to find time to care for yourself when you have teaching, work, and family priorities (to name a few), on your plate. But, I promise you, self care is necessary and beneficial to you as a parent, (if you are one), a teacher and a person as a whole. Please consider these suggestions of self care and see which ones fit to your life and work best for you.

Simplify your schedule

       As teachers we do have a lot to do, however it is important to put an effort towards time management and figure out a schedule that works best for each of us. Simplify your schedule as best as possible. Ask yourself which activities and commitments are truly adding value to your life right now during quarantine.  Intentionally make space and time for those things that are most important. Make your schedule clear, and cross out tasks as you complete it, you will feel more accomplished that way.

Exercise

Exercise may seem impossible right now due gyms being closed, and really not being able to go outside. But, exercise is still important and can be something to do inside your home during quarantine. Stretch, swim in your pool if you have one, run, or whatever physical activity you enjoy. Exercise is a key part of self-care and it will help your body stay active and healthy throughout quarantine. Below, I have provided a few examples for you if you are not sure what to do.

Quarantine Home Workout – WITH NO EQUIPMENT

With gyms being closed and many of us being in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic, we have to get creative when it comes to doing our workouts. If yo…

 

Quarantine Stay At Home Workout #1 (no equipment needed)

Coronavirus quarantine home workout no equipment needed For Bookings Contact Anthony Mosley mosleymanthony@gmail.com Share with a friend who would enjoy this…

Take a long bath

Take care of your body, wash it well and clean all those crevices that dirt can get lost in. It is important more than ever to keep germs away. While you’re at it, light some candles, grab a magazine and a glass of your favorite wine for your bath as well–Treat yourself! 

Do something fun

Take time to participate in one of your interests at home–whether that be dancing, drawing, knitting, anything. Anything you get leisure enjoyment out of, do it. It will bring you happiness and peace during your downtime or break. 

De-clutter/Clean

Choose a place — your email inbox, your desk, a closet — and get rid of the excess and junk. This may bring peace to your mind knowing that there is a clean space within your home or computer. 

Meditation & Yoga

Meditation and/or yoga are great ways to calm the mind and the body. Begin or end your day with a minute of deep breathing, and focused awareness of your body, thoughts, and feelings. Meditation is beneficial to you in many different ways. According to the HHS and NIH, “Many studies have investigated meditation for different conditions, and there’s evidence that it may reduce blood pressure as well as symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and flare-ups in people who have had ulcerative colitis.” Meditation and yoga are truly beneficial in more ways than one; this is an effective method of self care that will truly take care of your mind and body. 

Below are some videos that I have provided in order to get started. No need for a yoga mat, just pick a spot and get going! If you have kids and need to keep them busy, then get them involved as well!

5 minute yoga | Beginners yoga

This 5 minute yoga class | Beginners yoga is for those days when you don’t have much time, but feel like you need to get your energy moving! Perfect first th…

5 Minute Yoga | Morning Yoga for Beginners | Yoga With Bird

5 minute yoga class to start your morning! This is a gentle 5 minute morning yoga for beginners routine. A simple 5 minute morning yoga practice is all you n…

 

 

Relax/Sleep

Relaxing or sleeping may be the best way of self care. Relax in the way that suits you best: watching a movie, read a book, whatever works best for you. You could also take a nap, go to bed earlier, and give your body some extra rest. Extra sleep won’t hurt!

Wrap Up

For teachers, parents, students and others alike–it is extremely important for all of us to take care of ourselves. Especially, in a time like this during a pandemic, we need to stay clean, healthy and safe during our time in quarantine. Teachers who are reading, please participate in self care. Your kiddos in your class need you more now than ever. It is important for us to take care of ourselves,so we can take care of them.

Thank you for reading this in an attempt to better yourself during these crucial times. Stay healthy! <3

Blog for Parents

Due to the current events of our world, germs are scarier now than ever! It is important for you, the parents, and your children to be safe during this epidemic, as well as every other time, every day of the year. You are now the parent, the caregiver AND the teacher. As parents, you worry about the well-being and safety of your children. If you need some insight on how to keep your children busy and clean during this time of quarantine, keep reading!

Don’t Know Where to Start?

There are many ways to encourage good hygiene within your children. Let us start with the basics. The basics include: hand washing, bathing, and brushing your teeth. These are the most important ways of good hygiene. These ways keep your child(ren), happy, healthy and safe overall and during this pandemic. With the excessive amount of germs going around during this time, we want to make sure children have good thorough hygiene. Due to the nature of our country right now, I will be focusing on tips, tricks and ideas on hand washing. 

 Most simplistic way to present hand washing is:Wet, Soap, Scrub, Rinse, Dry. Allow your child to soak their hands in warm water, rub on some soap, scrub their hands, rinse the soap off their hands, and dry them. What is most important in hand washing is the scrubbing and rinsing. While scrubbing you want to scrub your hands (And your child’s hands) in every spot possible. Germs can get tucked away between our fingers and under our fingernails so it is best to scrub them as best as possible. Rinsing is also important because you need to be sure to rinse all the dirty soap off. Otherwise you will still have the soap and germs on your hands. Minimal hand-washing is necessary if you and your child touch your faces and other dirt-prone areas as little as possible. 

How Long?

How long do you think you should wash your hands?According to the CDC, you should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Now you can very easily can just count to twenty with your kiddos, but you can make it much more fun by singing a song instead! Some songs you can sing while washing include:

• Happy Birthday song (twice)
• Row Row Row Your Boat
• Wash Wash Wash Your Hands—(Video)
• Twinkle Twinkle

There are many other songs that you can do as well. If they have a favorite song, or TV show theme song you could very easily sing those songs for twenty seconds. Here is one example of a song by The Wiggles. Of course, the use of this video changes depending on the age and the appropriateness for your child, but younger children enjoy the tunes of The Wiggles. (I know I did). 

Washing Hands Song: 

The Wiggles: The Handwashing Song

We are so excited to share the song and video we created with our friends at UNICEF Australia! ⁠ This song is all about how to wash your hands and stay healt…

How to Make Washing Your Hands Fun

It could be as simple as adding a stool to the sink so your small kiddos can reach the sink. That way it does not seem like as much of a hassle and issue to wash their hands. You could also make it a family gathering where everyone washes their hands; due to it being a family activity it may encourage your child to want to wash their hands. 

You could also turn it into the game–especially if you have multiple children. You can make the game of “Who’s hands smell the cleanest?” This will encourage them to use plenty of soap, wash for the appropriate amount of time AND wash all parts of their hand. 

If you want to go the artistic/creative route, you can also allow them to make bubbles when washing their hands. Buying colorful soap in various shapes and smells can also excite your child into hand washing. 

How to Encourage Hand Washing

• Introduce at an early age!
  • Introducing “good” behavior at an early age allows for the child to observe, understand and mimic the behaviors you desire. 
• Read stories!
  • There are many story books out there about hygiene–especially washing your hands. This could expose your child to the habit of washing their hands and how important it truly is for them to stay clean. 
• Use Hand sanitizer only when soap & water are not available!
  • Hand sanitizer does not have the same effect as soap and water, but it is still useful. Only use it when necessary!

• Provide own personal soap
  • Perhaps if you allow your child to choose a bar of soap for themselves (with safety checks from you of course) then this might encourage them to wash their hands. 

We are experiencing some scary times within our country right now. It is up to us adults to keep our children safe–teachers and parents a like. If you ever need help, do not be afraid to ask. During times like these, we must stick together and help out one another wherever we can and however we can.  I will provide you with some addition resources below if you would like more information.

Thank you, stay safe and wash your hands! 🙂

Additional Resources:

Hand Washing Etiquette –CDC

Encouraging Washing — Huffpost

Fun Time Washing — Lysol