Expert's Corner: How Do You Feel Right Now?

Learn better. Play smarter. | [View this email in your browser]( Parenting made simpler. Written by experts. Designed for intentional parents. Expert's Corner: How Do You Feel Right Now? We love being the nexus between parents and educators, and if there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us for certain, it’s to learn from multiple perspectives. That’s why we’re especially thrilled to share insights from second grade teacher and Plinkit Expert, Karin Soriano-Bilal in this week’s newsletter. We hope you enjoy Karin’s hopeful and pragmatic words, as they remind us how beautifully human we are as parents and educators. Karin was one of the first teachers we reached out to when our lockdown began last year to help create [hands-on, self-directed learning experiences]( for our children. Back in September, she also led our popular webinar 'How to Engage Your Child in At-Home Learning' and had a one-liner to a question that many of you told us really stuck: Q: "How does a parent determine what kind of learner their child is?" A: "Observe your child with adoring eyes. What are they drawn to?" Now, as we crest over the one-year anniversary of this global pandemic, and even though the realities of our readers around the world vary widely with in-person school and distance learning, her insights continue to bring our perspective into laser focus. Whether you’re celebrating Easter, Passover, Ramadan or the spring of a new season, we hope you keep observing your children with adoring eyes! What Feels Good Right Now? - As an educator: Teaching in-person, five days a week now, at a well-resourced school, that has had the safety of teachers and students in mind from the start of the pandemic…I feel incredibly fortunate. - As a parent: I have seen my daughter take responsibility for the safety of wearing her mask and being conscious of washing her hands. I have watched her play and create outside more than ever before. What Has Been an Opportunity? - The creative thinking and doing. - As an educator: The safety constraints guided me to rethink physical spaces, which led to changing academic strategies, content and tools. For me, it was a thrilling experience to have to do things differently under certain constraints. - We now have our class Morning Meeting outside and that’s something I will continue to do post-pandemic. We’ve become more aware of the names, sounds, shapes and movement of the birds, trees and weather. There has been a beautiful shift towards the outdoors. Now I often wonder, "Can we do this lesson or activity outside?" - As a parent: I feel a pull towards summer camps and hope that by the time summer arrives, Covid cases will be down and vaccines will be fulfilling their intended goals. I have daydreams that summer camps will be a bridge into returning to social activities for our kids. One can daydream. The few playdates we’ve had, have been outside-focused at a park, a trail or a beach for a couple of hours. What Feels Hard Right Now? Concerns? - I am acutely aware of my privileges as an educator because of where I work. During my personal pandemic, we’ve had a family birth and two funerals, one from Covid. None of my students have had to experience the death or serious illness of someone with Covid. The possible trauma has been at bay. - In the same breath where I am expressing gratitude, I also gasp at the educational pandemic in the U.S. The economic educational disparity gravely worries me. - Holding my privilege while wanting to be more active in healing the educational trauma that’s unraveled during this pandemic feels spiritually and emotionally challenging. - I am concerned about technology addiction and its impact on self-perception, mental health and device curiosity. (And yes, there have been benefits to technology during the pandemic.) I feel optimistic about 'the reset' once all schools are in-person, five days a week again - the screen time reset, the 'who am I-who are my friends-what do I like to do-what have I learned-what would I like to study'-reset. Words of Wisdom - As an educator: Although I get concerned about the transition to a new normal when we will collectively feel psychologically safe to be mask-less and socialize without anxiety, I feel like our children will be our grounding. When they are back in school (in-person and five days a week as it used to be), it provides the structure and stability we desperately need to reset. - As a parent: I’ve sensed a nervousness with the new normal among myself and other parents: Do I want to get back to the myriad of weekend activities? Do I want to return to 'an office'? Do I want to attend all those meetings in-person? What am I going to keep, miss, add, let go of from this quarantine time? PLINKIT POST [Go-To Parenting Scripts - How to Respond to Your Child]( Know exactly what to say and how to respond to your child during 15 common scenarios - in a simple printable. [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2020%2F04%2Fgo-to-parenting-scripts-how-to-respond-to-your-child-when-challenging-behavior%2F) [Share]( PLINKIT POST [What to Say When Your Child Asks for Help with Spelling]( A parenting script for when your child gets stuck on spelling and asks you a series of questions. [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2020%2F05%2Fspelling-when-child-asks-for-help%2F) [Share]( PLINKIT POST [How to Encourage Your Child to Write (and Become a Better Speller)]( A curated guide of creative and fun everyday activities your child can do to practice their spelling and writing. [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2020%2F05%2Fspelling-encourage-your-child-to-write-and-become-a-better-speller%2F) [Share]( SHOP + PLAY [Montessori Reading Blocks]( A different way of practicing phonics. Little hands love to hold these and experiment with the sounds of new words when they twist the blocks. [BUY NOW]( SHOP + PLAY [First Little Readers]( A wonderful boxset with colorful, bite-sized stories to keep your beginning reader motivated and curious. Simple text with just the right level of illustrations for context. [BUY NOW]( SHOP + PLAY [VersaTiles Math Take-Along Set]( A fantastic option for practicing fundamentals, especially if your emerging learner is screened out. The self-checking tiles promote independence and confidence. [BUY NOW]( SHOP + PLAY [Sight Word Swat]( For beginning readers who want a more interactive (and fun!) way of learning. Spot it, swat it, learn it. Kids love the swatting action! [BUY NOW]( SHOP + PLAY [Reading Comprehension Activities]( One of our favorite workbooks. Short and sweet with interesting exercises that gives kids a rewarding sense of progress. [BUY NOW]( Learn better. Play smarter. [EXPLORE OUR TOPICS]( FOLLOW US: Missed a newsletter? [Explore our Archive!]( Our content is written in partnership with the best child development experts. No ads. No sponsored recommendations. Just original content. This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Plinkit · Parenting made simpler. · Written by experts. Designed for intentional parents., California 94118 · USA [Mailchimp Email Marketing](