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New kittens would be fun for kids (and adults :) ) to watch

APR 9, 2020: Grace is the last of the Peanuts mamas! She's due to give birth for the last time any day now, in a safe environment where she and her kittens will receive all the love and care they need. Once old enough, she and her babies will be spayed/neutered and adopted into loving homes. Although Grace came from a large feral colony, she has become incredibly social and sweet, so she will be adopted into a loving home once her last litter of babies is raised.

 
Oregonmama said:
My Facebook feed was full of parents asking if it was 5 yet at 9am . LOL

I am not wot worried about my teens since they are both on honor roll but so many parents are struggling and only 5 teens out of 40 showed up to my google meet class. I see so much " I don't care" and I cringe at how many students will be lost academically in the Fall.
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Really they shouldn't have the same kind of difficulty that parents and teachers will. They grew up in this era. I believe some students would learn more by reading a book, keeping a journal, and studying something related to the quarantine (biology, how to sew a mask, disinfectant) Figuring out the s.f. or cubic feet of their bedroom...
 
I posted this on the coronavirus thread, and it was suggested I could also post it here because children would enjoy the Easter egg "search and find."

I have been wanting to post about my favorite comic strip--"Breaking Cat News," by Georgia Dunn. This strip is a treat for cat lovers, but I recommend it for anyone. You can find the strip online on gocomics, and our newspaper carries it. Georgia is a wonderful watercolorist, and her strips are a delight visually.

If you go to gocomics online today, the Easter strip is a "search and find" game looking for 33 Easter eggs in the picture. Fun for children and anyone! (I had to count the eggs twice to get all 33.) Today's strip includes many regular cast members, including "the woman" (based on Georgia herself), "the man" based on her husband, the boy and girl based on their real children, 4 cats based on their 4 real cats, and 4 "robber mice."
 
Hi everyone. I sure do hope all are safe and healthy today. I don’t know where y’all are from but heavy storms and tornadoes went through last night and more are coming. Tornadoes are on my top three list of fears. Living in the capital of Tornado Alley, USA - Preparation is key to survival. Here’s a great site for kids to learn.
Welcome to Ready Kids! | Ready.gov
 
I've had a lot of success with Khan academy. It's free online, it comes in digestible chunks. You can even cater to the exact age/school year for your child. You can also sign on as a teacher coach parent so that you can check on their progress.

The variety of subjects is really great, I even started learning some stuff myself, just for fun.

My DS (12) has been enjoying learning algebra, chemistry, and computer coding at the moment. I think you're allowed to learn 5 at a time.

Khan Academy | Free Online Courses, Lessons & Practice
 
Phase Two here in NJ of the Remote Learning. Started this past Tuesday ( the end of Spring Break). Lots better organized now than the hurriedly implemented Phase 1 was, with online video conferencing from teachers, choice between Google Classroom to do assignments or paper packets that have been mailed, although about 90 % of the students have internet access besides school-issued chrome books.
All teachers post instruction and instruction videos and links. Kids conference call or are on Discord to do small group projects even. We take pictures of work completed ( if it was on paper) at end of day and email the pics to the teachers for review and grading. My sons are in 7th and 8th grade. They spend generally 6 hours or so now on school work and interacting with staff and peers in some manner.
I am figuring that they are getting a crash course in self-starting and self-motivating and independent study, which will come in handy come college!!

Hope everyone is staying sane, what with our own tasks and overseeing the school hoopla!;)
 
Gracie is in labor and has had 2 of her kittens so far. If you want your kids to watch the full birth, you can scroll back on the video to about 3 AM (see clock in the lower right part of the video) which is appx when active labor started.

ETA: During the labor, Shelly does a lot of teaching about labor, birth, kitten care and why it's so important to spay and neuter. It's pretty amazing ❤️❤️❤️

 
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ZoriahNZ said:
I've had a lot of success with Khan academy. It's free online, it comes in digestible chunks. You can even cater to the exact age/school year for your child. You can also sign on as a teacher coach parent so that you can check on their progress.

The variety of subjects is really great, I even started learning some stuff myself, just for fun.

My DS (12) has been enjoying learning algebra, chemistry, and computer coding at the moment. I think you're allowed to learn 5 at a time.

Khan Academy | Free Online Courses, Lessons & Practice
Click to expand...

Khan Academy is a must use for those distance learning or E learning. Tons of videos which enable students and parents to understand today's curriculum.

Thi site is a keeper whether learning at home or in the classroom.
 
I would like to hear the opinions of parents/grandparents here about what they are seeing of "distance learning".

I have a grandchild who goes to one of "the best" school districts in our county, if not the state. Yet what I see being called "distance learning" is a joke. Or maybe I was just expecting too much>

Instead of these kids sitting at their home computer and participating in a virtual classroom setting online, they are only using the computer to "check in" between certain hours each day and to receive emails with attached worksheets in pdf format. Then they do the worksheet and return it online. There is no "teaching" going on. And very little learning, I suspect.

These teachers are earning their full salary for this!

I was just wondering how this was being done in other areas.
 
AlwaysShocked said:
These teachers are earning their full salary for this!
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Snipped.

My dear friend is an elementary school teacher and is often in or near tears trying to make this work for her students.

She is not only working for her salary, she is working very hard doing something completely new to her. She is not an IT specialist and is not trained in online learning. She is not used to the equipment or the programs, but is learning as she goes. One day she is in the classroom with kids....and then the world turned upside down.

Yet she is connecting with her students daily, worrying about them, encouraging them, coaching parents....and dealing with technical issues on her own. She is super concerned about keeping her students not only learning, but in good spirits, while no one is doing that for her. And, they are planning summer school sessions and figuring out how fall classes will work.

She is burning out but carrying on. Some of her fellow teachers also have their own kids at home while still teaching their classroom.

I can't imagine suggesting she is not earning her pay.

Of course, many parents and other families are stepping up and providing learning experiences without having to rely on worksheets, etc. There is plenty to learn in this world!

This is a first-time experience for everyone and it takes patience.

My kids are in college and some online experience have been fine, some have been not fine. One of the online platforms the universities use went down during my daughter's final this week.

None of this is easy on anyone.

jmo
 
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Thank you. Glad to read your input from a teacher's perspective, although I am a bit surprised that anyone of the younger generation would not have at least basic computer skills.

The curriculum being used here is all commercially available pre-programmed "lessons" that can be accessed on the worldwide web by just a few clicks. There is nothing original being presented that was prepared by the teacher. Nothing that even resembles a "class".

The technology certainly supports the ability to do far more than what we are encountering. I expected at thevery least a daily presentation along the lines of a Ted Talk with discussion via Zoom afterwards,

Nope. All there is is emailed instructions with a link to a worksheet. And this is in every class.

Yes, of course we are supplementing what is going on with the "school work". But anyone who thinks that distance learning as it exists around here is of any great benefit - well it just isn't.

This school district was supposedly "all set up" for this prior to the shut down. They only closed totally for three days for the teachers to have in-service training.

Maybe my grandson just has some lazy teachers?
Whatever is going on, it is a damn shame for these kids. They are home and bored, bored, bored.

Oh, well, maybe they'll really appreciate going to school once they go back?
 
AlwaysShocked said:
Thank you. Glad to read your input from a teacher's perspective, although I am a bit surprised that anyone of the younger generation would not have at least basic computer skills.
Click to expand...
She has basic computer skills, but has never planned or had to run a classroom online. It takes more than just pushing a button.
 
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