Surviving in Place

We’re all adjusting to this new normal and figuring out new ways of doing things. New ways to connect, new ways to multitask, and new ways to celebrate.

Keeping with our mission to support the healthy development of families through play, community and parent support, we’ve compiled some resources that may come in handy during this unprecedented time. .

PARTY IN PLACE

Are you gearing up to celebrate a birthday? Here are some ideas to make it special (& support local Sunset businesses!) even though you can’t gather with family and friends.

• grab some sweet treats from Butter Love Bakeshop

• order a book box from Black Bird Books

• get a curated toy kit from Recess or let us know if you’d like to rent banners or decor!

• gather loved ones to sing Happy Birthday on a zoom call

• order a Pizza from The Pizza Place on Noriega

• call Boavida for adult snacks and beverages

This will be one to remember. Enjoy!

PLAY IN PLACE

Play is critical to our physical and emotional well-being at any age. In stressful times, play can bring comfort and relieve anxiety. It helps us decompress and stay positive.

• Cardboard boxes can become anything! A blank canvas, a hiding place for a stuffed animal, a doll house, basketball receptacle… anything And if you have a few, tape them together for even more possibilities.

• Chalk fabulous because it is an outside activity, so you get a little fresh air, and it keeps the mess outside. During the COVID pandemic, this is so popular that chalk can be hard to find. An alternative is to make it yourself. There are several recipes out there that take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. If you need an activity ASAP, check out this recipe for chalk paint.

• Water. If it’s warm enough outside, do this. If not, pop the kids in the bath tub. Water is a wonderful and engaging activity for kids as long as you’re able to supervise. Painting with water, spraying water from a small spray bottle, and “washing” play objects will captivate kids of any age for a surprisingly long time.

• Contact Paper. Tape a piece of contact paper, sticky side out, to a wall or table. You can treat this as an ongoing sensory activity (we just have ours up in the living room, and both kids come and go from it), or use the contact paper as an art project (create a suncatcher, with tissue paper, leaves, flower petals, etc).

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SUPPORT IN PLACE

• FREE Baby/Toddler Sleep Support Group, ZOOM: Weekly Thursday's 10-10:30am PT and ongoing, sign up: jocelyn@angeliquemillette.com 

• Simple Parent Strategies for Limit Setting (2-4 yr olds) During Stressful Times, w Dr. Juli Fraga and Dr. Angelique Millette, $15 ZOOM Webinar Support Group for parents- Wednesday's 1:30-2pm PT and ongoing, register here 

• FREE 'ask an expert' Q&As for parents https://inceptive.org/coronavirus

• free webinars about COVID-19 and pregnancy care, sleep and stress during pregnancy, labor and parenthood https://whrcportal.ucsf.edu/whrcmember/WebinarList.aspx

•  Free childbirth classes through Evidence Based Birth during COVID19: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birthing-in-the-time-of-covid-19/

KIDS IN PLACE

Resources for Talking to Kids about COVID-19

• https://avivaromm.com/covid19-talking-to-kids/

• Dr Laura Markham on Talking with Kids about Corona Virus

  https://www.mindheart.co/descargables  (Printable E-book in multiple languages)

• But Why? Kids podcast episode about Corona Virus

• “Social Distancing: This is Not a Snow Day” from Medium.com

• “How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus” from the New York Times

• “How we can help kids increase their sense of control as the coronavirus approaches” from the Washington Post

• “Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus” from NPR

• “Coronavirus, Wildfires, Oh My: What to Say to a Child Who’s Scared By the News” from Fatherly.com

• Coping for Parents & Kids during COVID-19- child mind institute

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!