Grandparenting in the COVID-19 World
It started when our children “grounded” us. Soon after California’s governor called for senior citizens to isolate, our children told us that they wouldn’t be bringing the grandchildren over to see us because they didn’t want to expose us to the Covid-19 virus. Knowing that this would be a sacrifice for them as well as for us, we were touched by their concern.
We were also panicked.
What? Not see the grandchildren! Realizing that this could go on for a while, our next thoughts turned to our adult children. Being suddenly stuck at home and in charge of all things academic without preparation time and supplies, limited away-from-home activity and 24-7 parenting, must feel like a daunting task. What were they going to need during this time and what would we be able to do to help?
Here are four ideas that are working for our family to provide academic and emotional support for our grandchildren and their parents:
1. Science Projects
Thinking that science might be the most difficult to teach, the first thing we did was get on Amazon and send out inexpensive science project kits to each family. It was fun to hear about the children’s responses when the kits arrived. We loved seeing the end results of their projects in FB posts, photos sent to us or via Facetime.
2. Homeschool Online
One of our daughters asked us to help out with her 6-year-old’s education by providing a daily lesson on a weekly unit of her choosing. Although not the topic I would have chosen, the first week on spiders was fun as we met daily via Zoom with her and her two little sisters. This went so well we decided to include all the grandchildren. Now we spend 20-30 minutes a day online teaching lessons with all 7 of our grandchildren, ages 2-10.
Tips for Lessons:
Online Platforms: Zoom, and other online platforms, have a screen share function so you can show videos from YouTube for the lessons. There are tutorials to help you learn this easy-to-use service. Don’t be afraid of technology. It is your friend.
Adding Something Special: When you can, add in something special. We send items through Amazon or email. For example: Jelly beans for the day we learned about How Jelly Beans are Made. Animal stickers for our week on animals. Coloring pages can be emailed ahead (just google Coloring pages and your topic). Virtual field trips like to the Monterey Bay Aquarium via their live cam.
Drop your expectations about the actual lesson. Focus on the time together and expect some silliness as the children can see each other and themselves on the screen. They are going to make faces!
Prepare Weekly Units and Daily Lessons: It may sound like a lot but the daily lessons really only take about 5-10 minutes to prepare when you have a Weekly Unit (Topic) and an outline. YouTube makes this easy. Just put your topic in the YouTube search.
Ask Questions: Be sure to ask the children questions to get them talking such as “What would you put in a pinata?” Or “What does your pet like to eat?”
Fun ideas for Weekly Units and Daily Lessons:
How Things are Made (How they make Crayons/ Peanut Butter/ Pinatas/ Legos/ Jelly beans)
Animals (Safari/ Farm/ Rain Forest/ Pets/ Ocean)
Occupations (Firefighter/ Doctor/ Teacher/ Nurse/ Ballet Dancer)
Other units might be: Family, Countries, Feelings, Foreign Languages
3. Drop offs
Careful to follow the Covid-19 protocols, we periodically drop treats off for the families so they know we are thinking of them and it allows us a nice drive out of the house. Cookies are always a big hit. We add a note that says “Thinking of you! This treat is made with gLOVEs by Grandma and Grandpa”. We leave them on the porch and then send a fun text to let them know it is there. For our families who live out of the area, we mail an occasional treat.
4. Family Gatherings
Pulling the family together online via Zoom provides the grown-ups a time to connect. Holding this agenda-less gathering after the children’s bedtime, allows us time to visit with and encourage, give updates and pray for each other.
We miss our family. We miss hanging out. We miss playing and cuddling with the grandchildren during our Friday evening activities. But we support the effort to contain this life-threatening virus and minimize loss in our community. This temporary absence is made better with a little creativity, sharing of ideas and the blessings of technology.
Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stay Connected.
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