I’ll cut to the chase so-to-speak in this post. If your school has closed (or is poised to close) due to COVID-19 then you’ll want to keep a couple of things in mind: our students’ physical and emotional health. The activities below are aimed at fostering physical and social activity. At the end of this post, for those rainy days, see some apps that kids can have fun with while being creative, thoughtful, and should bring a smile! Do you have an idea? Please leave them in the Comments box.
Before I continue:
1. Consider enrolling on one of these two free online courses:
These activities are a blend of online and offline activity, with the central focus on well-being while we’re doing distance learning. While your school may be closed, it’s not necessarily unsafe to go outside! Exercise and fresh air will foster better learning. Here are some outdoor activities to consider, though they require a smartphone:
Bioblitz/Nature Walk. Have your students walk around their local park with a smartphone. Take photos of leaves, trees, bugs, and other stuff. Get them to upload the images to Google Forms with the File Upload option. (rather than a question) You can require a comment if you want more thought put into it. No park? Why not have them photograph things in their local area and share their neighbourhood? Perhaps they’ll discover something new! Turn the photos into a class slide show. Give an “Explorer Award” for the most unique thing found in your town! (from Wes Warner @I_teach_ICT)
The Amazing Race/Scavenger Hunt. Get them moving around the neighbourhood with a quest to find a list of things, with a smartphone. As with the previous suggestion, get them to upload the images to Google Forms with the File Upload option. (rather than a question) You can require a comment if you want more thought put into it. To make it an Amazing race, set the time limit or do it within the time of your online class to get them outside. Perhaps kids who live close to each other can work in teams. Either way, they get outside, move around, and take breaks from their screens.
Get Dancing with Flipgrid! Join South Korea-based Technology Coach Sean Forde in this great Flipgrid topic to get your students dancing away! (from South Korea based technology coach Sean Forde @sean4d; check out his #WorldReadAlouds initiative)
Geocaching. There are free geocaching apps out there. Create your own geocaching activity or provide your students with a suitable app and get them to make their own to share later on! (from China-based Early Years Educator Kevin O’Shea @MadForMaple and host of the Making Better Teachers podcast) *I admittedly haven’t created a geocaching lesson, but have done geocaching - it’s fun. After a bit of looking around it seems the Groundspeak Inc. app Geocaching® is a well-rated app.
See the Beauty. Get up from your studying, put on some shoes and a jacket and go for a 5-10 minute walk around your house. While you're walking keep an eye out for things you find neat, different or just plain beautiful. When you find something you like, snap a photo of the thing and when you're done with your walk upload it to a Google Form. Your subject doesn't have to be extravagant or unique. It might be small or ordinary, but something that draws your eye regardless. (from Nagoya International School, Japan colleague, and well-being specialist Joe Peavy)
Video Challenge. Have students get outside. Tell them to take a walk around and observe their neighbourhood in a different way, thinking of a theme. Get them to create a video about their neighbourhood. There are several video editors out there, some now (such as online editor WeVideo) are free for schools affected by COVID-19. Perhaps a PE teacher could have them demonstrate warm-up skills, or how to do a layout in basketball or take a penalty kick in soccer/football? A Science teacher could ask that they use an app to learn about and introduce local flora, with video. Perhaps they can recite a piece of literature or poetry in a park. Dump the videos in a Google Drive folder. Videos could be uploaded to Flipgrid, too. (even better because they can view each others’ videos and reply with another video, providing an opportunity for social engagement) Just get them outside! (note: WeVideo and Screencastify are offering free premium accounts for schools affected by COVID-19; in the case of Screencastify contact their sales team: sales@screencastify.com)
Driveway Art. (ok, graffiti) If your students have access to coloured chalk, get them to go to a safe paved area and create a piece of art. Snap a photo and submit it via Google Forms or upload to a Google Drive folder.
Tracking Walking or Jogging. Some of your students are into fitness already, perhaps. Encourage them to get outside and track their time for a run. This could be used later to teach making charts and graphs.
Seesaw Activities. Get some ideas from Kevin O’Shea starting with this Twitter link.
*Note: If you’re collecting photos in any of the activities above try creating a photo mosaic. It could be a nice class artifact when everyone returns to school! https://www.picturemosaics.com/photo-mosaic/
Connect With Your Friends, Family & Nature!
Foster pen-pals. This may be a great time to leverage video or text-based apps for connecting with friends and family all over the world (for classwork, perhaps have students working in Geography, Social Studies, Reading and Writing). (from Japan-based teacher Melissa Uchiyama)
Using Video To Assess State of Mind. Video responses posted on tools such as Seesaw and Flipgrid can also give you a look into how the kids are feeling. (from Kathy Kampa, Japan-based Early Years Music & Dance Teacher; check her website for great resources on Magic Time Kids)
Forest Bathing. (known as shinrinyoku in Japan) In connection to sharing the planet and being 'balanced' students create a video on Seesaw to share their ideas of how they can reconnect to nature, even if they're stuck inside. This gets them thinking about ways to be mindful of the planet and their health. They can demonstrate how to meditate and/or do yoga techniques. Also, see this Seesaw activity. (from Japan-based PYP Teacher Matt Eisenhaur)
Phone a Friend. Don't Text, No Snaps, No Tik Tok...at least for a minute. Now that we are all spread out over the city, it can be tough to get our daily words in. This challenge is to call your friend. You can use your phone, Facetime or Skype, but you need to be speaking live with someone. If you have video capability, Great! But you don't need to see someone, just to be able to hear and speak directly to them! But what do we talk about? Who do we talk to?
Step 1 - Gratitude List. Make a list of names of people you normally talk to at lunch or break. Then on a sheet of paper make two columns. Write their names on one half of the paper, and on the other column fill in with things you like to talk to them about (music, video games, food, feelings, etc) and at least one reason you are grateful that they are your friend.
Step 2 - Contact! Now select one of those names and either facetime them, call them on the phone or if you are near them meet for lunch at a park and have a talk.
Step 3 - Record. Once you've talked with your friend fill in a teacher-made Google Form.
(from Joe Peavy, Wellbeing Teacher)
Snacks! Who doesn't love SNACKS?
If we are what we eat, how does our snacking life play into our bigger life? When we get hungry we don't always make great choices or do great learning. SO, how do we plan out and set up some good study snacks? Read this article with some great snack ideas, and come up with something you have in your house that might fit in with these ideas: https://canada.national.edu/the-10-best-brain-food-snacks-for-studying/
Now, before you wolf down all of those tasty apple slices or a cup of high protein Greek yogurt, snap a picture and upload it to a Google Form and answer the question on it. (you’ll have to make a form and think of a suitable question for your students - Google Forms allows a file attachment of up to 1GB)
(from Joe Peavy, Wellbeing Teacher)
Brain Breaks
Giving students activities to step away from traditional school work settles and resets the mind.
Read. For parents, check out Epic! Digital Library. Free for educators.
Walk Your Dog (from Alec Hara)
Break out that musical instrument. It’s a good time to learn.
Encourage kids to write in a journal. A good way to share thoughts privately and get things off your mind.
Fun Apps That Bring a Smile
Before I continue:
1. Consider enrolling on one of these two free online courses:
- Designing for Online Learning from the Global Online Academy
- Teach the Global Goals: Health and Well-Being. (a 2-hour self-paced program)
- Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings
- Free Tools for Schools Dealing with Coronavirus
- Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning (Facebook)
- International Educator Shared resources for virtual learning in emergency school closure
- My own links (overlapping with the above)
These activities are a blend of online and offline activity, with the central focus on well-being while we’re doing distance learning. While your school may be closed, it’s not necessarily unsafe to go outside! Exercise and fresh air will foster better learning. Here are some outdoor activities to consider, though they require a smartphone:
Bioblitz/Nature Walk. Have your students walk around their local park with a smartphone. Take photos of leaves, trees, bugs, and other stuff. Get them to upload the images to Google Forms with the File Upload option. (rather than a question) You can require a comment if you want more thought put into it. No park? Why not have them photograph things in their local area and share their neighbourhood? Perhaps they’ll discover something new! Turn the photos into a class slide show. Give an “Explorer Award” for the most unique thing found in your town! (from Wes Warner @I_teach_ICT)
The Amazing Race/Scavenger Hunt. Get them moving around the neighbourhood with a quest to find a list of things, with a smartphone. As with the previous suggestion, get them to upload the images to Google Forms with the File Upload option. (rather than a question) You can require a comment if you want more thought put into it. To make it an Amazing race, set the time limit or do it within the time of your online class to get them outside. Perhaps kids who live close to each other can work in teams. Either way, they get outside, move around, and take breaks from their screens.
Get Dancing with Flipgrid! Join South Korea-based Technology Coach Sean Forde in this great Flipgrid topic to get your students dancing away! (from South Korea based technology coach Sean Forde @sean4d; check out his #WorldReadAlouds initiative)
Geocaching. There are free geocaching apps out there. Create your own geocaching activity or provide your students with a suitable app and get them to make their own to share later on! (from China-based Early Years Educator Kevin O’Shea @MadForMaple and host of the Making Better Teachers podcast) *I admittedly haven’t created a geocaching lesson, but have done geocaching - it’s fun. After a bit of looking around it seems the Groundspeak Inc. app Geocaching® is a well-rated app.
See the Beauty. Get up from your studying, put on some shoes and a jacket and go for a 5-10 minute walk around your house. While you're walking keep an eye out for things you find neat, different or just plain beautiful. When you find something you like, snap a photo of the thing and when you're done with your walk upload it to a Google Form. Your subject doesn't have to be extravagant or unique. It might be small or ordinary, but something that draws your eye regardless. (from Nagoya International School, Japan colleague, and well-being specialist Joe Peavy)
Video Challenge. Have students get outside. Tell them to take a walk around and observe their neighbourhood in a different way, thinking of a theme. Get them to create a video about their neighbourhood. There are several video editors out there, some now (such as online editor WeVideo) are free for schools affected by COVID-19. Perhaps a PE teacher could have them demonstrate warm-up skills, or how to do a layout in basketball or take a penalty kick in soccer/football? A Science teacher could ask that they use an app to learn about and introduce local flora, with video. Perhaps they can recite a piece of literature or poetry in a park. Dump the videos in a Google Drive folder. Videos could be uploaded to Flipgrid, too. (even better because they can view each others’ videos and reply with another video, providing an opportunity for social engagement) Just get them outside! (note: WeVideo and Screencastify are offering free premium accounts for schools affected by COVID-19; in the case of Screencastify contact their sales team: sales@screencastify.com)
Driveway Art. (ok, graffiti) If your students have access to coloured chalk, get them to go to a safe paved area and create a piece of art. Snap a photo and submit it via Google Forms or upload to a Google Drive folder.
Tracking Walking or Jogging. Some of your students are into fitness already, perhaps. Encourage them to get outside and track their time for a run. This could be used later to teach making charts and graphs.
Seesaw Activities. Get some ideas from Kevin O’Shea starting with this Twitter link.
*Note: If you’re collecting photos in any of the activities above try creating a photo mosaic. It could be a nice class artifact when everyone returns to school! https://www.picturemosaics.com/photo-mosaic/
Connect With Your Friends, Family & Nature!
Foster pen-pals. This may be a great time to leverage video or text-based apps for connecting with friends and family all over the world (for classwork, perhaps have students working in Geography, Social Studies, Reading and Writing). (from Japan-based teacher Melissa Uchiyama)
Using Video To Assess State of Mind. Video responses posted on tools such as Seesaw and Flipgrid can also give you a look into how the kids are feeling. (from Kathy Kampa, Japan-based Early Years Music & Dance Teacher; check her website for great resources on Magic Time Kids)
Forest Bathing. (known as shinrinyoku in Japan) In connection to sharing the planet and being 'balanced' students create a video on Seesaw to share their ideas of how they can reconnect to nature, even if they're stuck inside. This gets them thinking about ways to be mindful of the planet and their health. They can demonstrate how to meditate and/or do yoga techniques. Also, see this Seesaw activity. (from Japan-based PYP Teacher Matt Eisenhaur)
Phone a Friend. Don't Text, No Snaps, No Tik Tok...at least for a minute. Now that we are all spread out over the city, it can be tough to get our daily words in. This challenge is to call your friend. You can use your phone, Facetime or Skype, but you need to be speaking live with someone. If you have video capability, Great! But you don't need to see someone, just to be able to hear and speak directly to them! But what do we talk about? Who do we talk to?
Step 1 - Gratitude List. Make a list of names of people you normally talk to at lunch or break. Then on a sheet of paper make two columns. Write their names on one half of the paper, and on the other column fill in with things you like to talk to them about (music, video games, food, feelings, etc) and at least one reason you are grateful that they are your friend.
Step 2 - Contact! Now select one of those names and either facetime them, call them on the phone or if you are near them meet for lunch at a park and have a talk.
Step 3 - Record. Once you've talked with your friend fill in a teacher-made Google Form.
(from Joe Peavy, Wellbeing Teacher)
Snacks! Who doesn't love SNACKS?
If we are what we eat, how does our snacking life play into our bigger life? When we get hungry we don't always make great choices or do great learning. SO, how do we plan out and set up some good study snacks? Read this article with some great snack ideas, and come up with something you have in your house that might fit in with these ideas: https://canada.national.edu/the-10-best-brain-food-snacks-for-studying/
Now, before you wolf down all of those tasty apple slices or a cup of high protein Greek yogurt, snap a picture and upload it to a Google Form and answer the question on it. (you’ll have to make a form and think of a suitable question for your students - Google Forms allows a file attachment of up to 1GB)
(from Joe Peavy, Wellbeing Teacher)
Brain Breaks
Giving students activities to step away from traditional school work settles and resets the mind.
- Check out and modify activities from https://brain-breaks.com/.
- Modify these activities from Minds in Bloom.
- Modify these activities from Go Noodle.
- Magic Tricks - Simple magic tricks from Care.com that can be done at home. (has tutorial videos)
- Brain breaks action songs for kids. from The Learning Station. See this video on YouTube from The Learning Station or the Simple Dance from Sesame Street.
- Music and dance for early years learners by popular educator Kathy Kampa, Japan-based Early Years Music & Dance Teacher. Check her website for great resources on Magic Time Kids.
- Google Quickdraw. Draw the word that appears and see if Google recognizes it.
Read. For parents, check out Epic! Digital Library. Free for educators.
Walk Your Dog (from Alec Hara)
Break out that musical instrument. It’s a good time to learn.
Encourage kids to write in a journal. A good way to share thoughts privately and get things off your mind.
Fun Apps That Bring a Smile
- Duck, Duck, Moose. An iPad app that turns inanimate objects into short videos.
- Goose Chase. A popular online scavenger hunt.
ABOUT NATHAN GILDART
Learning Light Bulbs is a blog of musings by a teacher trapped in Japan. Nathan Gildart teaches MYP Individuals & Societies and DP History at Nagoya International School in Japan, where he is also Department Leader of Learning (HoD), a soccer coach, and TED-Ed Club supervisor. A teacher since 1997 and a former Instructional Technology Coach, he is an edtech geek who employs a wide range of digital tools to differentiate and enrich learning. Gildart is a Google for Education Certified Trainer, Google Certified Innovator, Google Certified Educator (Level 2), Google Earth Education Expert, EdTechTeam Featured Speaker / Blogger, Google Educator Group Nagoya Leader, and Edcamp Nagoya / Edcamp Kansai Coordinator. The outlet for Gildart’s educational musings can be found on www.learninglightbulbs.com, or find him on Twitter with @nathangildart.
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