music, stories and play…while you’re home.

If you’re looking for some enrichment options during your newfound time at home, we wanted to share a few ideas and will share some more each week. There is so much programming online now, it’s tricky to keep track of it all. Please let us know what your favorites are!

Virtual Music Time With Megan

Everyday 8:30 a.m. - Donations welcome

If you've ever been to a Music Time with Megan class, you know how much fun it can be for kids to sing, dance and move their bodies to the beat. This Marin mama is offering live and interactive concerts for families via Facebook and youtube. Rock out in your living room and join in the fun! 

Please thank Megan for this wonderful gift she is sharing with our community by supporting her with a donation via paypal or Venmo when you attend her virtual classes. 

Songs of Comfort and Joy Susan Salidor

Weekdays, 9-9:30 a.m., FacebookLive

Join award winning singer and educator Susan Salidor as she performs songs of Comfort and Joy on FacebookLive.  Susan's concert is for children of all ages and their families, but is particularly suited to the under 8 crowd.  Join Susan as she performs familiar songs and finger plays while helping young people develop their social emotional learning.  Susan's cheery disposition is sure to appeal to everyone and is guaranteed to make you smile. The concert is interactive, fun and uplifting. Susan's concerts are FREE and occur each weekday at 11AM Central time during the worldwide  corona virus "shelter in place" orders.  Each of Susan's concerts are archived and can be viewed afterwards on Youtube.

Tuesdays With Tinkergarten

Every Tuesday at 8:30, head to Tinkergarten’s Facebook page for a free virtual Facebook Live Tinkergarten class led by founder Meghan Fitzgerald. Classes will last roughly 20 minutes and you won’t need any special equipment. 

San Diego Zoo's Free Online Classes

Parents and students can gain access to 22 free, self-paced online courses covering a variety of taxonomic groups and individual animal species. Offered by San Diego Zoo Global Academy, these fun, fast-paced, interactive courses are designed to be completed by students in as little as one to two hours. They include video, images and quizzes to teach students about mammals, birds, primates, bears, reptiles, monotremes, marsupials and more. The lessons will remain online through May 24.

Goodnight with Dolly

Check out Imagination Library’s YouTube page for details. Dolly Parton, calling herself “The Book Lady” is hosting a series called “Goodnight with Dolly,” that will run for 10 weeks with the aim of offering children “a welcomed distraction during a time of unrest.”

“I think it is pretty clear that now is the time to share a story and to share some love. It is an honor for me to share the incredible talent of these authors and illustrators. They make us smile, they make us laugh and they make us think.”

Mindfulness for Parents

Cultivating Calm, Clarity and Compassion in the Face of Chaos

Parenting presents us with a unique challenge - how do we remain calm, loving and present in the face of situations and interactions that can often feel unmanageable?

“During stressful parenting moments we may “lose control” or “flip our lid” and let our emotions control our reactions. When we “fly off the handle,” it happens so quickly and we aren’t thinking about how our children are perceiving us. Our reactions can be very scary to kids. Also, we are modeling that this is how grown ups react to stress. If we choose to be more mindful by pausing before responding, we can teach kids that they, too, can pause and choose to respond instead of react.”

— Dr. Dan Siegel

Mindfulness is an invaluable life skill that can help reduce our stress and anxiety, increase our sense of well-being and connection, and teach us how to show up for our kids (and ourselves!) with the deep and abiding understanding and witnessing everyone needs and deserves.

It is becoming increasingly clear that our new normal of social isolation is going to be a marathon —not a sprint. The coronavirus pandemic is changing our lives and to maintain a healthy emotional wellbeing, mindfulness is an excellent tool. Class will be held via Zoom.

In this course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of mindfulness practice and receive support for establishing a regular individual and family practice to support you in finding more peace, equanimity, joy, trust, compassion, connection and authenticity — all while building community with other parents!

(Note: this course is also appropriate for teachers and others who work with children)

Join us via Zoom

Class Dates -

Five Mondays: April 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11 7:30-8:45 pm
Classes are 75 minutes in length, except for the last class which will be 90 minutes
No drop-ins for single classes. This is a five week, cumulative class.

Cost -

***Early Bird Special for the 5-Class Series: $100
Sign up after 3/30: $125

I'm Charity Kahn -- mother, songwriter, musician, teaching artist and the founder of Charity and the JAMband, JAMboodas, and JAMcamp.

I've been singing and dancing with children and families since the inception of JAM in 2001, shortly after I became a mom.

What started in my living room as a music-and-movement playgroup for my friends and their kids has expanded into an ever-growing collection of award-winning recorded music, live performances, school & library visits, classes and camps for kids, birthday celebrations, and mindfulness offerings and music for the grown-ups who love and teach them.

The vehicles are music, movement and mindfulness, and the opportunities for growth, connection and joy are boundless.

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Phone a Friend

It’s important we do what we can to limit the effects of social isolation.

For seniors, the new parents in our community and those who live alone.

Obviously social isolation is crucial to slowing the spread of the virus. It’s something we know we need to do at this time. AND research shows a consistent relationship between social isolation and depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

So let’s take this opportunity to check in on our neighbors (by phone/text/etc), share photos with relatives, or even help grandma and grandpa learn FaceTime.

Maybe this pandemic will help is all rethink how we move through our lives and re-prioritize social connection.

“... There’s going to be a level of social suffering related to isolation and the cost of social distancing that very few people are discussing yet.”

Humans are social animals, and the ability to make connections right now is vastly limited.

Many businesses are moving to online offerings during this pandemic to stay afloat and to provide social connection

These will help to take the edge off the sometimes pervasive anxiety and loneliness.

Recess is offering Baby Sign Language online 3/20 at 10am and a six week playgroup series starting 3/27. We will also be bringing our expecting parent circles and new parent circles online in the coming days. Check out our workshops page

Practice SF has created a series of new online programs: Parenting in Stressful Times. This is such a stressful and anxiety-provoking time for everyone, everywhere.  The mission at Practice revolves around supporting kids, teens, and parents in managing stress, anxiety, and big emotions effectively– and in creating community. https://practicesanfrancisco.com/online-programs/

Infectious disease outbreaks can lead to strong feelings of distress, including among people considered at higher risk, healthcare workers, and their loved ones. You're not alone: the national @Distressline 1-800-985-5990 offers 24/7 emotional support http://bit.ly/2xrmxQM #COVID19

Parentline is available to support you as well. Parenting can be exciting and challenging even in the best of times. With the added layer of stress during this pandemic, please reach out if you’re struggling. Contact Parentline for free support and resources from a team that specializes in the birth to three period. Toll-free: 1-844- 415-BABY (2229) Email: parentline@usfca.edu

Are there other resources we should include? Please drop us a line!

They Need their Cups Filled Too

Staying home with kids, figuring out how to entertain them and how to stay sane is a legit challenge.  Especially when the number of days/weeks we’ll be doing this is unknown.

But staying home withOUT kids, just because you’re one of “the vulnerable,” feels like a twisted form of torture for the grandparents, aunties and neighbors who rely on those weekly visits with our young children.

So many of the caregivers in our community are in the ‘over 60’ club.  And every week, the highlight of their day is spending time taking care of our kids. They thrive on that connection and, for many, it gives them purpose.

When I told my mom, who helps with the kids 2-3 times a week, that she probably should steer clear for a few weeks due to the coronavirus, she was gutted. There was lots of “Are you sure?  None of you are sick. That doesn’t seem necessary.” I sent her a recommendation from the CDC and suggested calling her doctor.

The doctors response was essentially that a few weeks may not be enough. To that, she just had a big sad faced emoji.

So how do we stay knit together in social solidarity through this time of physical distancing?

Recess Collective’s mission is to harness the power of community to promote healthy development through education, childhood play & connection.  

Almost overnight, it was recommended we shift away from our normal rhythms and practice social distancing.  And because there isn’t a fix for the virus, and the implications for seniors could be fatal, the recommendation for staying home is not optional for a large segment of the population.  In line with our mission and core values, we are mobilizing to do our part to take the edge off the sudden loneliness the older population is experiencing.

Isolation goes hand in hand with increased rates of depression and sends loneliness through the roof.  Imagine being told, not only are you now considered vulnerable and need to shelter in place, but you must also avoid the grandchildren you take care of every week, your bridge group, your book club, etc.

You’re stripped away of the social networks you’ve worked to build and those that keep you ticking on a day-to-day basis.  And you don’t have the know-how to connect using technology.

Togetherness eases anxiety, laughter releases stress, and connection helps us feel safe. Without a connected village, we panic. So now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we truly harness the power of community, especially for the most vulnerable.  

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Who needs support?  We’re taking names!

Recess Collective’s team is organizing to check on neighbors, ready to deliver activity kits, go to the big box stores (throwing elbows if necessary) to pick up supplies, and help get people set up with technology to stay in touch (in a no-touch way) and maintain connections.

Do you have an old smart phone collecting dust?  We can bring it to a senior and get them set up.  

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we are creating activity kits for the young and the old.

These will help parents of young kids stay sane. But one for a senior in your life to gift them a much needed fun diversion too. And what a great conversation piece to chat about later over FaceTime! Our goal is that these will be an awesome way to bridge the child- caregiver gap and keep the commitment to our mission while our doors are closed.

Preorder yours today

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By building a small, connected village, we can lighten the load.  That’s what we strive to do every day. Recess creates a space to come together.

By creating a prototype of truly supportive and multigenerational community center, our vision is that every community will have a Recess Collective space to come together, share resources and live playful, healthy lives.