How are you doing?
That's such a loaded question right now, isn't it? Even when we're healthy, none of us are doing particularly great. This is hard. And though there may be scarcity of toilet paper and canned goods, there is absolutely no scarcity of online learning resources. I don't know about you, but I've been a bit overwhelmed by the abundance.
Online educators (and teachers in particular) are really making lemonade from the lemons we've been given, building awesome screen-based learning experiences for your kids. It's hard to compete with that, but I keep feeling like something's missing, so we're going to take the plunge into remote Spitfire Club offerings on YouTube.
Under normal circumstances, The Spitfire Club is different from most learning environments, in large part, because our big goal is to nurture the well-being of each girl. Reading, playing, moving... these things are all important too. But our clubs are designed primarily to make sure that each week, our girls leave their club feeling a few inches taller with a sparkle in their eyes, ready to take on the world.
Let's see if we can replicate that online...
How will this work?
Each week on Friday morning, Spitfire will post our newest club to YouTube and you'll get an email letting you know that it's ready. You can watch this any time you want! This week, we'll be reading Breathe and Be by Kate Coombs and Saturday by Oge Mora. We'll do some meditation, make some puppets, and just be together.
No dancing, unfortunately, (can't do music because of copyright rules), but you can access the Spitfire playlist on Spotify at any time for your own dance party.
The experience will be better if your girl has some materials ready ahead of time. Here's what she'll need:
A pillow or some sort of cushy thing to sit on
One of the following: a paper bag, an old sock that no one will miss, or a stick of some sort (popsicle stick, spoon, a stick from the yard all work)
Blank paper, scissors, markers or crayons, and some glue or tape (or even a rubber band)
A pencil and journal of some sort that can be used for our writing and reflection prompts
Other things that might be useful but aren't essential: pompoms, googly eyes, string or yarn, bows, and other found materials that can be used to make a puppet.
Thank you. One final note: As a parent, I respect that now, more than ever, there is a ton of pressure on us to keep our kids mentally stimulated, to assemble activities for them, and to provide a rich learning environment at home (on top of working, making sure there are meals to eat and fresh pajamas to wear, and all of the other tiny things that pile up). There just isn't enough time or resources to do any of this well and my heart goes out to you. I'm working on giving myself grace, and I hope you are, too. I also hope that our online Spitfire Clubs don't add to your burden and, if they do become burdensome and you have ideas for how to make it better, please let me know. We're all in this together.
Godspeed,
Amanda