Self-Care and Mindfulness Resources
“Pause. Breathe. Win.” A 5-minute meditation series:
As educators we often look outward to what we can do to leverage our collective strength. At this time it’s also important to nurture our inner strength.
Mindful Arts Breathing Cards: If you have ever wondered how to incorporate mindfulness into your school day without the help of a Mindfulness Instructor, look no further.
Calm App Mindfulness Resources:
From the developers of the Calm App, these resources cover topics like daily mindfulness challenges to mindful eating, fear, sleeping, etc. Many of the downloads are free, and the app isn’t bad either, but there is a small charge to sign up for the app.
9 Brain Break Ideas to Help Your Students Focus:
These are mental pause activities designed to help break the steady march toward dysregulation that some students experience. They are great for teachers too and can be a great set of activities to do at home!
20 Three Minute Brain Breaks for Students:
From Minds in Bloom, this website has a lot of great mindfulness resources for purchase as well.
15 of the Best Brain Breaks:
Some of these begin to repeat other sites, but the organization strategy for letting students have control over which activity to do is unique.
Free Mindfulness Downloads:
These are actual recordings for use with mindfulness practices, from guided mediations to the sounds of bells.
ASCD Guide to Mindfulness:
A series of inks to resources for both mindfulness self-care for teachers and using the practice in the classroom.
Mindfulness for Teens:
Designed specifically for use with older students, this list of resources includes activities, free meditations, and research.
Brain Breaks and Focused Attention Practices:
Edutopia provides these ideas with not a lot of detail, but you will be able to use your own creativity to fill in the blanks.
Websites and Resources for Families
South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center:
A grant project of Black Hills Special Services, this site is full of information for families—activities, events, tips, tricks, and advice.
Resources from Understood.org:
This site is designed for parents and caregivers and is full of great help and resources. Among them:
Brain Breaks and What You Need to Know:
A great explanation for parents of the importance of brain breaks and how they can help with homework.
Homework Advice and Strategies:
Tips for parents to help children tackle homework without a lot of fighting or frustration, broken down by the issue the parent is trying to address.
Supporting Your Kids During Covid-19:
A page of resources to talk to and comfort kids about Covid-19, keep them busy at home, make learning from home more enjoyable and productive, and more.
Websites and Resources for Educators
Understood.org has online best practices for homework, dealing with anxiety as a teacher, distance learning best practices, resources to share with parents and more.
Resources for Online Learning During School Closures
Free Tools for Schools Dealing With Coronavirus
Common Sense Education EdTech Tools
This robust library of more than 3,500 tools encompasses all P-12 grade levels and a variety of subject areas.
Top 25 Learning Tools for When School is Closed
Tech & Learning compiled their list of sites, platforms, and online resources that support remote learning when school is closed.
105 Tools for Distance Learning & Strategies for Student Engagement
The Albert team provides a comprehensive list of helpful learning tools, information on common benefits and drawbacks of remote learning, and a few strategies for keeping students engaged while remote.
Tech Against Coronavirus
This list encompasses a wide variety of software solutions to maintain collaboration and work remotely with your team.
Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Due to School Closings
This spreadsheet includes more than 100 education companies offering free services to educators during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Navigating Uncertain Times: How Schools Can Cope with Coronavirus
ISTE and EdSurge published this set of tools – including articles, podcasts, webinars, and community resources – for helping schools navigate the difficulty of dealing with coronavirus.
Distance Learning Strategies
PBS has recorded a distance learning webinar with tools for educators now struggling to adapt their classrooms to online learning.
6 Lessons Learned About Remote Learning During the Coronavirus Outbreak This article provides best practices related to digital learning to ensure quality and engaging instruction during the suspension of face-to-face learning during the COVID-10 pandemic.
10 Strategies for Online Learning During a Coronavirus Outbreak
This article includes best ideas from educators from around the world, many of whom have already been teaching during coronavirus closures.
Additional Tips:
Avoid new assignments. Instead, structure assignments based on previously learned concepts. This will give students an opportunity to reinforce what has already been taught and discussed.
Routines give kids a sense of security, so keep your students on a schedule, where they will follow the subjects that they would be doing at school.
Factor into the schedule brain breaks and physical activity. Students can follow an exercise program on YouTube, for example