Tips for teaching the kids at home

As schools have now closed, many families will now need to take on the task of schooling at home. This can be overwhelming for parents who haven’t had any teaching experience, but rest assured you can get through it with these handy tips!

Set up a learning space

Dedicate a specific area in the house for where your child will be able to focus on learning. A learning space should help nurture your child’s creativity, keep them focussed and increase their motivation.

You can find some learning space inspiration online but keep in mind every child has their own ways of learning, so what works for one may not work for another. So, feel free to allow different places for your child to learn, whether lying on the ground or sitting at a table.

Stick to routine

Children need normality, familiarity and structure. Because of this, it is important to stick to a routine so that they do not just see this as an extended holiday but as normal school learning.

Rather than disrupting your child’s routine, a great idea is to aim for a regular school-style structure, and then be flexible depending on how your child is progressing. Be sure to keep checking in with your child to see how they are going, offering help as they need it.

Help but don’t get in the way

If your child is finding a particular task difficult, be available to make suggestions and answer questions, but try to let them do things themselves as much as possible. If you don’t know the answer, work with your child to discover a solution. It is important that you help your child without robbing them of their opportunity to learn for themselves.

Think about the technology you will need

Some schools will have online educational platforms available to support student learning. Be sure to pay attention to information shared by the school on how this online learning will be facilitated so you can download the recommended apps and programs.

If these programs are not free, check with the school if they have a shared licence that you can use. Make sure you download these programs from the official developers, as some other sites may expose your computer to malware.

Stay active

Children spend a lot of time moving around at school, so it’s important to make sure they are still engaging in these activities at home. If it’s practical, spend some time outside riding, jogging or walking. You might even consider getting the kids to help you work on a project in the garden.

Teaching your children at home may seem overwhelming at first, but it is also the perfect opportunity to spend more time as a family. With how stressful the world is right now, it’s important to remember to enjoy each other as much as possible, so we recommend you try and make the most of it!

Have any other tips of how to teach the kids at home? Share with us on Facebook by sending a message or tagging our page. Be sure to follow our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), where we will be sharing more tips and ideas to help your family cope during these uncertain times.

Fun ways to entertain the kids at home

The COVID-19 outbreak means you may be spending an extended time at home with the kids while you self-isolate and practice social-distancing. Being confined to your home doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun! Here are some great ideas to keep the kids – and even the adults – entertained.

Get the kids in the kitchen

Cooking is one of the best things you can do with the kids. Not only will it help you out, but they will also learn essential skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. Getting involved in cooking will help your child to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and even learn concepts of math and science. There are so many simple recipes you can try out with the kids.

Play a board game

Digging into your board game collection is an excellent way to entertain the kids while getting the whole family involved. Board games are important for a child’s mental and social development, helping to develop their concentration skills, decision making, critical thinking and social interaction. Some of the best board games to play with kids include Connect 4, Guess Who, Operation, Scrabble and Mouse Trap.

Learn magic tricks

Learning how to do magic tricks and performing them is a fun way to keep the whole family entertained. They are also a great way for children to increase their self-confidence and improve their dexterity skills! There are heaps of great magic trick tutorials for kids online that are easy to learn and only require basic household items.

Create a scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts are an easy and fun way for kids to keep busy, build their problem-solving skills and learn teamwork. Don’t fret if you don’t have the time to make a whole list for your scavenger hunt. You can simply give the kids instructions to “find something that starts with the letter C,” and let them run around the house searching. If you do have the time to give the kids more of a challenge, there are some great ideas and ready-made clues online that you can use!

Get crafty

Crafts can keep the kids occupied for hours and they can bring a lot more benefits other than having fun. Children can learn new skills, perseverance, patience and boost their creativity. During these uncertain times, we understand kids may not be able to see their grandparents for a little while. So why not get them to craft cards to send to their grandparents to make their day? If you have the desire and resources to get a bit more crafty and creative, there are plenty of other easy craft ideas you can try!

By staying home with the kids as much as possible, you will be helping to protect the wider community, especially those who are more vulnerable. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, where will be sharing more ideas and tips to help your family cope with self-isolation and social-distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Coronavirus COVID-19: Office Update

Update as of 1:25pm – Monday 23 March 2020

As per our previous communications, we are taking the coronavirus outbreak very seriously and with a focus on the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, members, volunteers, visitors and others at the workplace. As such, until further notice the CLCRF office will be closed and our team will now be operating from home.

We are continuing to work as per normal and you will still be able to contact us via phone (08) 9363 7400, through email or social media channels: Facebook,  Instagram and LinkedIn,as well as find information on our website.

CLCRF Events

Although we rely on our events to help raise funds for childhood cancer research, the safety of our team, the families we collaborate with and the wider community is our number one priority. We have therefore postponed all planned events for the year until further notice.

Our Quiz Night will now be held on Saturday 14 November, all things permitting. This will be under review closer to the date and we will keep you informed.

If you have already purchased a ticket, we will be contacting you personally to let you know the new date and/or arrange for a refund if you are unsure about attending later in the year.

We will continue to communicate with you about other events as we reschedule and revise plans throughout the year.

CLCRF Updates

CLCRF will continue to stay connected with you through multiple channels (Facebook,Instagram, LinkedIn and our website) to provide support and helpful information, as well as continue business as per normal through digital platforms. We will also continue to disseminate our biannual printed newsletter publications as always.

Over the coming weeks we will continue to monitor the situation closely and act quickly on the advice of health authorities. For now, we encourage members of our community to continue to stay informed about COVID-19, practice good hygiene, be aware and be prepared. Please take care of yourself and those around you.

For the latest information and advice, please visit the WA Department of Health website, which is updated daily, or call the Coronavirus health information line on 1800 020 080.

For updates on CLCRF’s ongoing response to COVID-19, please check our website regularly and follow our Facebook,  Instagram and LinkedIn pages. Important updates will also be provided via our eNewsletter database. If this message has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive direct updates, please subscribe via our website.

Should you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact our office on (08) 9363 7400, admin@childcancerresearch.com.au or via our social media channels.

Covid-19: Tips to protect yourself and your family

With the recent coronavirus outbreak, it is important that you take care of your health and protect your family and others around you. At CLCRF, we are taking the situation very seriously and have been focusing on the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, members, volunteers and visitors. We would therefore like to share a list of tips to protect yourself and your family from spreading and contracting COVID-19.

Wash your hands frequently

By regularly and thoroughly cleaning your hands for at least 20 seconds, you can help kill any viruses that might be on your hands. If you can’t get your hands on an alcohol-based hand rub, don’t worry! Simply washing them with soap and water works just fine.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth

Our hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Touching your eyes, nose or mouth with contaminated hands can cause a virus to enter your body and make you sick. You can protect yourself and your family by simply avoiding touching your face!

Maintain social distancing

You can help protect yourself from contracting a virus by maintaining at least 1-metre distance between yourself and anyone else, especially those who are coughing or sneezing. When someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain a virus and if you are too close you may breathe in these droplets.
Practice respiratory hygiene

It’s important to make sure you and your family follow good respiratory hygiene to protect the people around you from viruses such as COVID-19. According to the World Health Organisation, the right way to sneeze or cough is to cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue. If you are using a tissue, it is recommended that you dispose of it immediately.

Only wear a face mask if it’s absolutely necessary

It is recommended that you only wear a face mask if you have symptoms of COVID-19 (especially coughing) or if you are looking after someone who may have the virus. Masks make very little difference if you are just walking around town and going about your daily life. There is currently a shortage on face masks, so to avoid wasting precious resources and reducing the availability for those who actually need it, people are urged to use them wisely.

Seek medical care early if you have symptoms of COVID-19

If you feel unwell, it is important that you stay home to reduce the change of spreading any viruses. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, you should seek medical attention and call in advance. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility and will help prevent the spread of viruses and other infections.

Stay informed

The COVID-19 situation is changing daily so it is important to stay informed on the latest developments. We have been following the guidance of the World Health Organisation and Australian Government Department of Health. We encourage all of our supporters do the same to stay up to date with the spread of the virus and how to best protect ourselves.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, where we have been sharing tips, news and other information about COVID-19 as it unfolds. To see CLCRF’s response to COVID-19, including what this means for our office and upcoming events, head to our COVID-19 page.

Coronavirus COVID-19

Update as of 1:35pm – Wednesday 18 March 2020

Firstly, and most importantly, we’d like to let our community know that we’re thinking about you. This includes our CLCRF members, supporters, employees, volunteers, visitors, partners and donors. We are committed to the health and wellbeing of our community and value the relationships we have with you. It is a challenging time for us all and it is important that we all stay as healthy, well and supported as we can.

As such, we have been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on a daily basis and following the guidance of the World Health Organisation and the Australian Government Department of Health to minimise the spread of this virus.

Our Office

We are taking the coronavirus outbreak very seriously and would like to take this opportunity to assure you that it’s our absolute priority to focus on the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, members, volunteers, visitors and others at the workplace.

Our team at the CLCRF office are following the best hygiene practices, including social distancing and washing hands between interactions. We have also requested that if any member of the team feels unwell, they remain at home. We encourage all of our supporters to do the same to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In light of this current crisis, we request that you please do not attend the CLCRF office if:

• You arrived in Australia from any international destination in the past 14 days (after midnight AEDT 15 March 2020);
• You have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case in the past 14 days;
• You are awaiting test results for COVID-19;
• You share a home or have had extended contact with anyone who meets the above criteria;
• You have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, shortness of breath).

CLCRF Events

Although we rely on our events to help raise funds for childhood cancer research, the safety of our team, the families we collaborate with and the wider community is our number one priority.

In order to minimise the impact of the outbreak on our local community, we have had to make difficult decisions to reconsider our upcoming events, including our Quiz Night which was set to take place on June 20. We are currently looking at potential dates in November to hold the Quiz Night and will confirm shortly, once we have more information, about which date this will be.

If you have already purchased a ticket to the Quiz Night, we will be contacting you personally to let you know the new date and/or arrange for a refund if you are unsure about attending later in the year. We will continue to communicate with you about other events as we reschedule and revise plans throughout the year.

CLCRF Updates

In these uncertain times, CLCRF will be staying connected with you through multiple channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and our website) to provide support and helpful information, as well as continue business as per normal through digital platforms. We will continue to disseminate our biannual printed newsletter publications as always.

Over the coming weeks we will continue to monitor the situation closely and act quickly on the advice of health authorities. For now, we encourage members of our community to continue to stay informed about COVID-19, practice good hygiene, be aware and be prepared. Please take care of yourself and those around you.

Please be mindful of those families who may have immune compromised family members and follow guidelines accordingly to minimise the chance of affecting anyone else. Your ‘only’ may be somebody’s ‘everything’.

It might be good to remember that when shopping for supplies, some families do struggle to get to the shops after a long day at hospital so please reduce your panic buying. Could you reach out to families and ask if you can shop for them? Let’s continue the CLCRF generosity and be in this together, support each other through the coming weeks and months ahead.

For the latest information and advice, please visit the WA Department of Health website, which is updated daily, or call the Coronavirus health information line on 1800 020 080. For updates on CLCRF’s ongoing response to COVID-19, please check our website regularly and follow our Facebook,  Instagram and LinkedIn pages.

Important updates will also be provided via our eNewsletter database. If this message has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive direct updates, please subscribe via our website.

Resources

During this time of uncertainty, we hope we can all continue to support one another. Below are resources to help you protect yourself and your family from the spread of COVID-19, along with some other useful guides to help your family and community during this time:

• What you need to know about coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus
• Coronavirus: Advice for children who are immune-compromised or have pre-existing conditions
• HealthDirect: Coronavirus Info Hub
• How to talk to your children about coronavirus (COVID-19): Eight tips to help comfort and protect children.

Should you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact our office on (08) 9363 7400, admin@childcancerresearch.com.au or via our social media channels.