Innovation in the Time of Corona

At first, the kindergarten team saw the temporary suspension of activity with the children as an opportunity to catch up on the mountain of paperwork and bureaucratic requirements for the accreditation inspection in May. But as the situation dragged on, we began to worry about how the kindergarten's children were getting through this period full of restrictions, shut in their homes and continuously exposed to news and information, each more alarming than the last.

Innovation and adaptation

It was time to innovate and adapt. We quickly organized crash courses for the educators on using online working tools, and Zoom meetings to discuss ways in which we can support both the children and the parents. The educators began sending weekly plans with ideas for activities that parents could do at home with their children. Sorina began recording herself on her mobile phone reading stories. It was reassuring for the children to hear her voice again, and parents began sending us photos of the little ones nestled in bed with the phone, listening to Sorina's stories.

Trial and error, online

We experimented with organizing an online version of the circle activities with the children. It was a real experience of trial and error. The children were so delighted to see their classmates and educators together again that they all wanted to talk at the same time, and the result was, of course, chaos. We discovered that it is not so easy to capture their attention from a distance, or to get them to wait their turn to speak – even when we used the mute option, some of them got very upset that they could not be heard.

Aware that exposure to screens has its own dangers for the sensitive, developing minds of small children, we did not want our activities to depend entirely on a screen, and we thought seriously about what kind of online activity could bring the greatest benefit. We decided that the main purpose of the online meetings should be to maintain social connections among the children and with their educators. We found that interactive games like “Simon says” are more fun and engaging than attempts to capture the attention of the whole group with a lesson or a story. Sharing experiences or demonstrations of experiments that the children can do together with their parents, and singing together (with everyone on mute, to avoid the chaos created by imperfectly synchronized audio channels) worked very well, as did some stories, although we found that these are better used if they are recorded and sent to parents to use at other times.

New talents

It was not long before the educators thought it would be nice to also make video versions of the stories, with music, background sound effects and images. We held another crash course online about using a simple, free video editing program (Videopad). Madhavii and her teenage daughter Kalyanii began producing wonderful stories with pictures from storybooks. Going forward, we want to explore staging the stories with puppets and perhaps even animation.

Who are the teachers now?

Meanwhile, we realized that during this period our role is rather that of coaches or consultants for the parents, who are in fact the ones leading the educational activities, because of the obvious and objective limitations of short online sessions. Many of the parents of the children in our kindergarten are rightly overwhelmed by having to work from home while also taking care of their children and continuing their education at the same time. They greatly appreciated the ideas and suggestions for activities that we sent, because otherwise they would not have had the time to do the research necessary to implement them at home with the children. It is a real joy when we receive photos from parents of the children engaged in various activities we suggested.

Prioritizing socio-emotional support

Doing interesting activities helped channel the children's energy toward positive and useful educational experiences. Nevertheless, it is clear to us that more important than making sure there is progress toward typical educational goals is giving the children the socio-emotional support they need to successfully navigate this period in which we are all living through a global phenomenon of potentially disastrous, historic importance. We translated therapeutic stories published by our friend Susan Perrow for exactly this purpose. The experience gained from taking part in the AMURT/EL Child Friendly Spaces programs after natural disasters or in work with refugees was very useful. Creating familiar, predictable routines and structures, such as the ritual of meeting the educators and classmates online in place of the morning circle, helps normalize the perception of the situation. We also sent parents resources on how they can use the technique of abdominal breathing to relieve stress and enjoy pleasant moments together with their children.

So part of my work has also been to find and send parents suitable resources for children, to help them explain the COVID-19 situation and manage any emotional outbursts that might have arisen. Activities such as making masks can help demystify, and even turn into a game, this new element that has appeared in everyone's attire and that has a real potential to alienate or frighten the child. An experiment with glitter can illustrate the spread of germs in an amusing way: the child puts their hands in a container of glitter, and of course it sticks to the skin. The parent does the same, then the parent and child shake hands, touch various objects and see how the glitter ends up everywhere!

Children need honest explanations, but ones that encourage them, about what is happening around them. Parents can reassure children that both they and a multitude of other adults are doing everything in their power to keep everyone safe. They can highlight in a positive way the roles of those who provide help, such as doctors, scientists or police officers. Still, it is important to find ways for children to feel actively involved through their own role, because this reduces the feeling of powerlessness and helplessness characteristic of traumatic experiences, and increases their resilience. Instead of simply telling the child to wash their hands, parents and educators can present these rules as ways in which the children themselves can protect those around them. Encouragement and positive feedback are essential when the child remembers these rules on their own and applies them: “You are a great help to the whole community because you wash your hands so conscientiously! Well done!”

Indeed, in times of crisis, those who find ways to actively help others tend to have greater psychological resilience, coming out of the experience even stronger than before. This is in line with our Neohumanist understanding of human nature, and especially of the deep, innate need to be of service to those around us. It is one of the key elements of a happy life with a robust and healthy sense of meaning. Here is a quote that reflects this wisdom.

An article by Didi Deshaies, founder of Răsărit Kindergarten.