Enriched Family Covid-19 Resources, Plus How to Help + Get Help

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

(Please note, the following post is provided for informational purposes only; the information is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge, but there may be omissions, errors or mistakes, and no guarantees are made.)

Mamas and papas, like so many of you, I am reeling these days. I want to say that I see you. It is SO hard to parent full time, not to mention work full time from home, while simultaneously worrying about one’s family, elders, neighbors, community, job, economy, and the world. Anxiety is running high these days. We are faced with some fairly insane and critical demands all at the same time. Our new normal is surreal and scary, but each day, we keep pushing. Pushing on so that we can care for ourselves and our families, check on our neighbors, and on our elderly parents. I have no magic bullet or silver lining here. Frankly, this shit is hard. It is okay, and healthy, to admit this.

At the same time, the researcher and family coach in me wants to figure out how to help in some small way. With so much change in such a short time & schedules and routines upended, it has taken me a minute (or a lot of minutes) to get myself and my family to a relatively good place, take care of my current clients, and start thinking about how I can be of help. Normally, this time of year I would be producing Enriched Family’s summer camp features, but I have decided to hold off on these for now as so much is up in the air. In addition, I will be skipping the Enriched Family monthly Austin kid and family activities posts until the shelter-in-place order has been lifted in our area.

In the meantime, I will be periodically producing blog posts rounding up helpful resources for you and your families, including both national and local resources. I have been so moved by all the free resources popping up…free online concerts, classes, and do-at-home workouts. At the same time, I have been a bit overwhelmed by all the information out there and I imagine you might be too. So, in this issue, I focus on a consolidated list of available resources to help you and your family during this time. It’s not exhaustive, but it is pretty thorough. Think DIY cleaning supplies, workouts you can do at home, online learning and entertainment for kids, and mental health resources. I have focused largely on free resources, but of course there are a ton of online paid resources out there as well. Feel free to pass this on! If you have ideas for topics you would like to see covered in future blog posts, please reach out.

And in the dark moments, try to remember the people sewing masks for healthcare workers, shopping for their neighbors, the restaurants serving free or super reduced-cost meals to their staffs and other service workers, and the generous folks donating to local causes. I find solace in these acts of generosity when I become overwhelmed with all of this. As Fred Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” So in these times, let’s look to the helpers like healthcare workers and express our gratitude for their sacrifice and courage (if you want to help by  making homemade masks, you can find information here). Let’s all do our small part to help our communities in whatever ways we can. In this spirit, this blog post also contains a compilation of ways you can help the community and a list of information and resources to get help if you need it.

All the best to you and yours,
Esha/Enriched Family

DIY Cleaning Supplies + Cleaning High-Touch Surfaces in Your Home

Given that we are all trying to avoid germs, while lacking many cleaning supplies like disinfecting wipes and sanitizers, it’s time to go back to basics. There are a ton of green cleaning products you can make with supplies you probably already have on hand at home (think essential oils, baking soda, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide, for example). Check out Clean Mama for a whole host of fantastic tips and recipes for homemade cleaning solutions. I have been using Clean Mama’s sink scrub and love it, but she also has recipes for disinfecting spray, glass cleaning spray, bathroom scrub, and floor cleaning spray.

I also ran across this good, short NYT article, “How to Clean Your Home for Coronavirus,” that highlights the “high-touch” surfaces to clean on a regular basis during the pandemic. Clean Mama also recently published an informative blog post, “Cleaning During a Crisis: Helpful Tips for Your Home.”

Exercise & Working Out at Home

We are all cooped up at home. It is more important than ever that we remember to move our bodies as much as possible for both physical and mental health benefits. We have been trying to take a daily social distance walk in our neighborhood as a family. Some days we even get in two. There are also a host of workouts you can do from home with online instruction. Culture Map Austin recently did a great roundup of well-loved Austin workouts that you can do at home. I have included below just a few of the free listings that are available to all.

  • Yoga with Adriene (free yoga workouts on YouTube).

  • Camp Gladiator (free, live at-home Facebook streamed sessions with a Camp Gladiator trainer; offered several times daily, M-F, or you can access the recorded workouts anytime).

  • Femme Power Fitness (free, Facebook Live workouts, including core, stretching, etc.)

Physical activities for children and families

Meditation, Mindfulness, & Mental Health

As we protect ourselves and our families from coronavirus, we cannot forget to engage in activities that protect our mental health as well. There are a ton of great, free meditation and mindfulness podcasts and apps out there. I have included a few below for general audiences, plus some kid-focused apps as well. Starting with just 5-10 minutes a day is great if you are struggling with conflicting demands on your time (and who isn’t these days!).

General audiences

children

  • Stop, Breathe & Think Kids (ages 5-10)

  • Peace Out (relaxation stories for kids, ages 5-12)

  • Smiling Mind (mindfulness meditations developed in collaboration with psychologists and health professionals; they have a dedicated program for youth)

Mental Health

Online Learning & Entertainment Resources for Kids

Do-at-Home science and steAm

There are a number of sites that offer lists of do-at-home science experiments for kids (**These activities will, of course, require parental involvement**). I suggest you explore:

Online Learning

  • Check out Kahn Academy, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to "provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere," for a multitude of free, online learning tools. Kahn Academy offers a wide variety of educational resources on numerous subjects (from math to arts & humanities to science & engineering and so on). They offer learning tools for grade levels from kindergarten through high school. Parents, you start by creating your own account and then create a connected account for your child(ren). Parents can then login periodically to see your child's progress over time.

  • Varsity Tutors is the largest live learning platform in the United States. They offer numerous free resources to help students and parents cope with school and summer camp closures. Programming includes:

    • Virtual School Day: Nearly 200 free, live K-12 classes available throughout the day to help parents fill their children’s day with enriched learning. Popular classes include: "Intro to Spanish for Kids," “Coolest Women in History,” “Java Programming Basics,” and “The Story of Your Favorite Fairy Tales”.

    • Virtual Summer Camps: Free, week-long, half-day summer camps with enrichment-based classes in subjects like foreign languages, chess, theater, coding, Minecraft, how to be a detective, photography and more. These live, interactive camps will be taught by expert instructors vetted through Varsity Tutors' platform.

    • Adaptive Diagnostic Assessments: Measure a student’s proficiency and identify strengths and weaknesses in hundreds of subjects. Get an effective learning plan along with free tools for improvement.

    • Varsity Learning Tools: More than 250,000 free practice problems in over 200 subjects.

  • Mother Magazine also has a roundup of free online learning resources, as well as a list of free kids art classes available on Instagram.

coding

  • If you have an iPad, consider setting your kids up to explore Swift Playgrounds. Swift Playgrounds by Apple is a free app for iPad (App is rated for ages 4+; Swift Playgrounds requires a 64-bit iPad with iOS 10 or later, including iPad mini 2 or later, iPad Air or later, or iPad Pro; if your child is interested in digging deeper into Swift, there is also a free online course available).

  • I highly recommend following Emily Oster on Instagram (Economist and author of Expecting Better & Cribsheet, evidence-based guides to pregnancy & parenting in the early years). She recently posted about some Homeschool Learning Resources, including the free coding app Grasshopper (learn to code using JavaScript; free coding app for beginners-best for older kids).

stories and podcasts

We are big on podcasts in our family. There are currently many, many free offerings that will keep your kiddos entertained.

  • Audible has made a wide range of stories available for kids in six different languages free as long as schools are closed. Stories can be streamed on your desktop, laptop, phone, or tablet.

  • The Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls podcast is a favorite in our house. Based on the global bestselling book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (now in volumes 1 and 2), Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: The Podcast tells the amazing and inspirational stories of extraordinary women: scientists, authors, athletes, artists.... Learn about what made these women passionate as girls, the challenges they faced, and how their passions transformed our world. Most episodes are 15-20 minutes long (no age recommendation listed). Season 3 just launched!

  • Wow in the World (NPR podcast) is another wonderful and educational podcast. Hosts, Guy and Mindy, take listeners on a discovery-filled exploration of the many wows in the world. The podcast, for children ages 5-12, focuses on science, technology, discovery, and inventions. Most episodes are between 10 and 25 minutes long. 

  • Tai Asks Why is a great podcasts for kids grappling with existential questions. Eleven-year-old Tai Poole is trying to find answers to life's biggest questions. What happens after we die? What is love? How can we fix climate change? A great program for kids who like to explore life’s big ideas…

  • Stories Podcast is G rated for all ages. There are a lot of episodes available, going back to 2014, and quite a few stories have multiple parts. A full two hours of our December 2017 road trip to Marfa, TX were occupied with the multi-part story, "The Brilliant Firefly." My girls loved it and barely spoke except to ask us to play the next episode. 

  • Little Stories for Tiny People. Original kids’ stories and poems for littles. Range of episode lengths - from under 10 minutes to 20-something minutes. Great for preschoolers.

  • What If World. This storytelling podcast for kids imagines a "what if" world and tells super silly stories for kids (no specific age range specified, but I would say it skews younger) inspired by listeners' "what if?" questions and ideas. A sample story title: "What if unicorns and narwhals had jedi sabers for their horns?" Most stories are under 20-25 minutes long.

learn Spanish

  • Local Austin company, Fabulingua, is currently offering its language app for free. The app teaches children, ages 2-10, Spanish through storytelling and games.

explore museums virtually

explore zoos & aquariums via Live Cams

Additional Resources

How to Help

Food for Children & their families

Many children depend on free meals at school. With schools closed due to coronavirus, many children (and their families) may be experiencing hunger (please see section below - “how to get help” - to find free meals via Texas schools). Given this, please consider donating to the following:

Donate to ORGANIZATIONS helping Restaurant/bar workers anD their families

donate to the stand with Austin fund and all together ATX

  • The Stand with Austin Fund supports Austin nonprofits assisting individuals and small businesses (in the following industries: Music & Creative; Service & Bar; and Hospitality) most negatively impacted by the cancellation of SXSW and least able to recover on their own.

  • In an effort to support the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, Austin Community Foundation and United Way for Greater Austin have partnered to create All Together ATX. Your donation will stay local to support people in the Greater Austin area with immediate needs including food insecurity, basic needs, medical needs, employment and child care. This community-led philanthropic fund will provide flexible resources to nonprofit organizations working with communities who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic consequences of the outbreak. 

Donate Blood

  • Blood and platelet donations are needed! Blood donor centers and mobile drives are open for donors during shelter in place. To learn about the safety precautions being taken on behalf of donors and staff, click here. To schedule an appointment to donate blood at a We are Blood donation center near you, click here.

  • Outside of the Austin area and want to donate blood? Find a local blood drive location near you via the American Red Cross website.

Support your local restaurants and restaurant workers by ordering take out or delivery

Support local artists and Musicians

virtual volunteering

donate needed personal protective equipment for medical staff

there are a number of articles out on how you can help during coronavirus. Here are a few:

How to Get Help

Financial & Employment

local

  • 2-1-1 provides information about food, health, child care, and more. Call 2-1-1 today to find help and resources related to COVID-19.

  • Via Austin360: Austin-area residents working in the following industries who are unemployed due to COVID-19 are eligible to apply for Banding Together ATX funds: music venue, musician, music marketing/photography/content, bar, event production/activations, food & beverage, hotel and hospitality. Apply here.

  • Do512’s List of Austin Job Opportunities

national

food

Low-Cost Grocery delivery for seniors

  • H-E-B and Favor have recently launched the Senior Support Line (a new delivery program designed to offer a safer shopping solution for seniors across Texas. H-E-B and Favor are working together to provide a simple, affordable solution that offers contactless delivery of essential food and supplies to seniors where they are safest—at home.)

    • The H-E-B & Favor Senior Support Line will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, starting Friday, March 20. The program is currently available to seniors who live within eight miles of an H-E-B in the following Favor metro areas: Houston Metro, Austin Metro, San Antonio, Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi, Killeen, College Station, New Braunfels, Waco, San Marcos, Odessa, Midland, Beaumont, Temple, Victoria, Abilene, Laredo, San Angelo, Texas.

    • Seniors will be able to select items from a curated list of generic products (such as milk, eggs, and bread), as well as add custom items to their order. There is currently a 25-item limit per order. To keep this service affordable for those most in need, H-E-B and Favor will waive all delivery and service fees for the first 30 days of the program. Instead, all orders will include a $10 tip, which goes entirely to the Favor Runner, who will personally shop and deliver the items. To promote social distancing and limit exposure, all Favors will be dropped off at the customer’s doorstep. 

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Enriched Family is a unique, family resource and organization business dedicated to providing families with the information, tools, and systems they need to live more organized and joyful lives. Services include: Custom family-focused research (child care, education, health and wellness resources, camps, and enrichment activities), family organization solutions (stuff and systems), and productivity consulting for busy professional parents (planning and prioritizing, productivity coaching, and time management coaching). 

Family, Family Resources, Covid-19, Shelter in Place, How to Help, How to Get Help, Enriched Family RoundupEsha ClearfieldCovid-19, Shelter in Place, Family Resources, How to Help, How to Get Help