Education during COVID-19
R
Stories to Stay at Home
The Long Wait Katia RodrĂguez
Nicolas Chirokoff
www.LaAldea.co
Srategy for education in the context of COVID-19
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When the world slow downs and time becomes subjective, life changes. Our daily routine, once almost instictive, suddenly disappears. And we are left a bit lost without a script to guide us. The micro stories in La Aldea: Stories to Stay at Home are meant to be a voice of encouragement and companionship durign the COVID-19 pandemic, for children, from 4 to 99 years old. Characters such as Arnold, the opossum, Peter, the porcupine, Lucy, the turtle, Harry, the chameleon, and many others, help us understand and give meaning to what we are living. They help us explore those things that sometimes we can’t put in to words. » » »
- How can I befriend my own mind? - How to value the present, despite the difficulties? - Why can we find meaning in the small things?
Introduction
» » »
- How to better undesrtand my fear? - Can we learn from home? - How can we be together at a distance?
These, and other questions, can occupy the minds of children and adults alike. They remain sensible questions, even after the pandemic and once life has resumed. At Click, we believe that this is a time to get to know ourselves better, and to go on the inner journey that we tend to postpone. Resources are free and available for download at www.LaAldea.co
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What is
La Aldea ? R
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In Spanish, “aldea” refers to a very tiny town that is usually inhabited by very few people. The closest translation would be “village” or “hamlet”. It is a small settlement occupied by people (or animals in this case!) surrounded by nature, who know each other very well and cooperate. Our Aldea is located in South America, and it’s filled with exotic animals. But you can experience it anywhere in the world...we’re all just like them.
Introduction
La Aldea is a learning strategy, woven into stories about a group of animals. They live together and work through situations that are metaphors for real life. In La Aldea children have fun, while reflecting on the world around them. They draw parallels between what happens in the world of La Aldea, and what occurs in their own personal lives on a daily basis, and then, more broadly, in their communities and planet. The stories and characters in La Aldea are a springboard that allows children to strengthen their social-emotional and communication skills, as well as their abilities in mathematics and science. It also encourages them to change their environments in a positive way. This multi-platform strategy is designed for homeschooling and can be used by teachers and educational institutions for distance learning. For more information, go to: www.LaAldea.co
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La Aldea is a transdisciplinary educational strategy that allows children to have fun while strengthening their skills in different areas:
Language
Social sciences
Natural sciences
Mathematics
Social-emotional skills
Mindfulness
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Introduction
In addition, it is a flexible educational strategy that can be used in different contexts:
Formal education
Non-formal education
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Home learning
Distance learning
Education in emergencies
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Contents Get to Know Them
pg. 10
¿Quiénes son los habitantes de La Aldea?
Read, Listen, Talk and Do .8.
The Long Wait The unthinkable had happened: La Aldea would have to close down indefinitely. Animals would have to face the challenges of quarantine. These were strange times. Everyone would have to find their way to adapt.
1. The Quest for Silence Does silence exists?
pg. 16
2. Arnold’s Discovery Can I enjoy new things?
pg. 34
Introduction
3. The World Upside Down I’m bored!
pg. 48 4. Harry’s Uncertainty What if I am the only one who’s scared?
pg. 66 5. The End of Homework Is this even possible?
pg. 86
6. Lucy’s Birthday But, how can we celebrate if we can’t go out?
pg. 106 7. If we stay home, we will defeat the virus! It’s proved mathematically!
pg. 124
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Arnold II the opossum I am an agile and smart opossum. I try to always be the first at everything. Even if sometimes,...just sometimes...that means breaking the rules. But, shush! Don’t tell anyone.
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Ernest II the tapir I am a handsome and powerful tapir. My father was one of the founders of La Aldea. So, this village exists thanks to him. I am very proud of my ancient tapir lineage and I will do everything I can to make La Aldea great again!
Characters
Peter II the porcupine I am a righteous and responsible porcupine. I want La Aldea to become a place of fairness and openness. That is what I care about the most. Which is also why I get angry when I see animals cheating or abusing others. That’s just not right!
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Carol II the spectacled bear I am the only spectacled bear in La Aldea, and also the largest animal around here. For me, the most important thing in the world, is to always be respectful of everyone’s opinions, and to never take advantage of others. I try to always be positive, specially if we want to solve any conflict in La Aldea.
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Lucy II the turtle I am the turtle, the leader of La Aldea. It is my duty to make the most important decisions, bearing in mind the well-being of everyone. I want us to always act together, as a community.
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Lia II the crab I am a blue crab. I migrated to La Aldea after my home was destroyed by a natural disaster. I still don’t feel entirely welcome here, so I prefer to do things all on my own. That’s just how I am.
Characters
Harry II the chameleon HI! I’m Harry, the chameleon. I am a newcomer in La Aldea. I came here after losing my home in a landslide. I’m usually green. But I turn yellow when I’m happy, and when I’m scared, I turn purple. Sometimes, I get angry and I turn the color of lava! Many animals don’t understand why this happens to me. But I have accepted myself, just as I am. Welcome to La Aldea!
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The macaws
This just in! We are the macaws, La Aldea’s journalists. We report everything that happens: gossip, events, fights and breaking news. We fly from tree to tree delivering information to all animals. Although, sometimes, we like to exaggerate the news a little bit. It’s just to make them more fun and see the animal’s reactions.
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The ants We are La Aldea’s best workers, and we’re in charge of construction. We are very organized and follow orders to a tee. The ones in charge are always right!
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The moorhens
Hi! We are the moorhens. We are always together, and we always do an say the same things. Actually, we may even think the same. We are skittish and maybe a bit clumsy. We think it’s better not to question things, and just do what we’re told.
Characters
The bees
We’re La Aldea’s meteorologists. We focus on protecting the environment and producing delicious honey. La Aldea’s honey is the best in the whole world!
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The owls
We owls have many tasks in La Aldea. We’re in charge of educating the youngest animals -a very important work! We also do all the scientific research, and we study hard to take care of the sick. We love what we do! But we also know we have a huge responsibility, and we work very hard to uphold it.
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The Quest for Silence
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Story 1:
The Quest
for Silence
Scan the QR Code to listen to the story!
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One,
two, three, kick! One, two, three, jump! One, two, three, squat! One, two, three, push-ups!
Peter, the porcupine, was counting through his exercices. He had not been out of his burrow for days, and the confinement was starting to make him impatient. He had cleaned every corner of his lair over three times already, rearranged every little thing he owned, and even reorganized his food supply. He had also filed his nails, and polish every single one of its quills.
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“...twenty-nine thousand eight-hundred seventy-five, twenty-nine thousand eight-hundred seventy-six, twenty-nine thousand eight-hundred seventy-seven! No more, no less!”
Now, he was exercising. But soon he would run out of things to do.
“And it’s not even noon!”
The Quest for Silence
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He though, grumpily. Doing nothing was so hard for him. He was always trying to keep his mind busy, and almost never gave himself some free time. But now, because of the virus, everything had changed. His daily routine was discarded.
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“Ok, let’s try this ‘do-nothing’ thing”, he said to himself at the end of his workout. “Some opossums seem to really enjoy it”.
So he tried. He sat on a rock, and did nothing. But only a couple of minutes had passed when he got up again:
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“This is impossible!! It’s absurd! Even though mi body is still, my mind is all over the place. I can’t bear it! It speaks too much! The only way to stop listening for a minute is to always be doing something. To keep always busy!”
The sun was shining bright in the middle of the sky. The moon was still many hours away. What would he do during all of that time?
He looked out the window. Some opossums were quietly and calmly hanging from the branches of trees. Their eyes were closed, and they were even smiling! How could they enjoy doing nothing so much!
The Quest for Silence
Maybe you would have to be upside down. Or better yet, maybe he could drown his thoughs by digging his head in the ground. So that’s what he did. But even then, everything remained the same: his thoughs were racing around his mind.
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“If it’s quiet outside, why can’t it be quiet inside of me?”, he wondered.
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And then it hit him: this was the perfect time to go on a quest for silence. But how to find it? He could not go out. He dug his head out of the ground, cleaned up all the dirt, and sat to ponder. “If we are always thinking about something, feeling something, looking at something, or smelling something, then our minds are always busy. That means the quiet could be in those things that are there, but that we don’t stop to perceive!”, he exclaimed, as if he had just discovered a deep secret in life.
The Quest for Silence
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He approached the window and peered at the opossums again. They were not doing nothing! In reality, they were simply enjoying the warm rays of sunshine on their faces. He then looked up to the sky, and admired the shape of the clouds. He looked at the trees, and examined all of their different textures and colors. There was so much beauty surrounding him! He took a deep breath as a rosemary-scented gust of wind caressed his face. He had find silence.
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Activities Pleased to meet you, Ms. Routine. Peter is having some difficulty accepting his new life style during the lockdown. All of his usual activities have changed, and he now faces the challenge of adaptation and self-knowledge. Can you know yourself by observing your daily activities?
Challenge 1.
Draw and illustrate. Draw the map of one of your days. You can use whatever shape you like. Inside the map locate the following: 1. Your favorite activities. 2. The activities you don’t like to do.
6. The activities you would like to do with your family.
Occidente
7. The activities that calm you down. 8. The activities that make you anxious.
3. The activities you have to do to take care of yourself.
Sur
4. Las actividades que debes hacer para apoyar a otros.
Norte Oriente
5. The activities you would like to do on your own.
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Activities
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Routine: an action or a series of actions that are regularly performed over long periods of time. Brushing your teeth, for example.
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In times of isolation, how do you distinguish weekends from weekdays?
Challenge 2.
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How many times a day do you say “thank you” to someone?
How many times a day someone says “thank you” to you? How many times a day do you feel like you want to go out?
Count and then count again. Be aware of your actions and behaviours during the day, and record them in a notebook or a diary. Answer the following questions.
How many times a day you give someone a hug?
How many times a day do you wash your hands?
How many times a days do you help someone?
How many times a day do you smile?
Activities
Challenge 3.
Represent information. Use the following symbols to represent the information you gathered on your daily observation. Look at the example and make your own representation.
8 p.m.
Saying “thank you”: 5 Receiving thanks: 1 Giving someone a hug: 3 Lavarse las manos: 3 7 a.m.
Helping someone: 2 Wishing to go out: 7 Smiling: 7
8 p.m.
Saying “thank you”: _ Receiving thanks: _ Giving someone a hug: _ Lavarse las manos: _ Helping someone: _ Wishing to go out: _ Smiling: _
7 a.m.
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The magic of doing nothing Peter doesn’t like being idle. His mind is restless, and every minute feels like an eternity to him -specially durign this time staying at home. How to ease the mind?
Challenge 4. Smile like an opossum. Take five minutes, and find a comfortable and quiet spot to do this fun exercise. It will let you enjoy your own company. Your mind and body will thank you!
The smile of the opossum
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Type: Movement and breathing When to use it: Stress, anger, fatigue Objective: Regaining calm and quieting the mind Emotion management: angst, anxiety
Read: Peter, the porcupine, is a very active animal. But right now he’s facing a moment of stress due to the confinement. So, in order to feel peaceful like the opossums under the sunlight, he’s going do the following exercise.
Activities
Did you know? This exercise relieves stress, and relaxes the muscles in the face, neck and chest. Lead: 1. Sit straight with your legs crossed. Be aware of your sitting bones touching the ground, and your spine extending upwards to the sky. 2. Imagine you’re an opossum, sitting relaxed and carefree. 3. Rest your hand on your knees. 4. Close you eyes. Then, very slowly, bring your head back as you stretch your chest, and breathe deeply expanding your belly. Stay in this position for three seconds. 5. Very slowly, bring you head towards your chest as you exhale completely. 6. Repeat this movement five times, inhaling and exhaling. 7. Now, keep your head and neck straight. Imagine you have a string attached to the top of your head pulling you upwards to the sky. 8. Inhale once again, but this time take the deepest breath you can. How do you feel now? Hold your breath. 9. Now, exhale strongly through your mouth, sticking your tongue out. You’ll look just like a lion roaring. 10. Exaggerate the movements of your face. That way you’ll feel your muscles activate. At the end, close your eyes and smile. How do you feel now?
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Stress is a feeling that can bring out emotions like anger, anguish or fear. It can even impact your physical health by affecting the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.
Challenge 5. .30.
Research and Write. Use multiple sources of information (on-line, books, family members) to inquiry about the relation between stress and the human immune system.
Challenge 6. Draw two pictures of Peter to represent the relation between mental and physical health.
Activities
How would he feel physically if he keeps feeling stressed out?
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How would he feel physically if he keeps his stress under control?
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Challenge 7. Catch your thoughts and let them flow.
1. Sit in a quiet and confortable place.
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2. Close your eyes for thirty seconds.
Activities
3. Breathe easily, and don’t open your eyes. With the tip of your index finger, write in the air every though that comes into your mind.
4. Open up your eyes. You’ll see how your thoughts have vanished. .33.
5. Repeat this exercise until your mind is free of thoughts. Enjoy that moment.
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Arnold's Discovery
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Story 2
Arnold’s
Discovery Scan the QR Code to listen to the story!
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“No!
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Not nuts again!”, though a discouraged Arnold, the opossum. “I can’t bear eating a single more nut. Just thinking about it makes my tongue hide and my mouth dry. No more! I refuse! I thought nuts were my favorite food in the world. I though I could eat them over and over till the end of time. I though my dream was to live in world of nuts, where the walls of my burrow were made out of nuts, a bed of nuts, chairs of nuts, tables of nuts...But no! I was terribly wrong! I think I will faint if I even see just another nut!”
And then, perhaps without even realizing it, he made a decision that would forever change his life. Ever since Lucy had declared a quarantine, everything had changed in La Aldea. Now, animals could go out only once a week to collect food - always wearing a mask, of course! Fortunately for Arnold, he was allowed to go out today. But he still didn’t knew what food to get. One thing was for sure: not a single nut! No, sir!
Arnold's Discovery
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Arnold's Discovery
So the opossum went hopping from tree to tree, dangling by his tail to reach mangoes, oranges, avocados and papayas. He grabbed an armful of corn, artichokes, celery, asparagus, tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli and pumpkin. Whatever he could not carry with his opossum arms, he carried with his mouth: thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon. Back in his burrow, he could not believe his eyes: fruits of all kinds brimmed all over his home. Never before had he stopped to consider the abundance of food La Aldea had to offer. For years, he had only though about nuts.
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“I was missing out on all of this! So many colors, smells and flavors!�, he said, as his mouth began to water.
He ran to his usually-empty cooking space, and prepared stones and charcoal. He was ready for cooking! And thus he did. Seized by some unknown impulse and wisdom, he prepared mango mousse, avocado salad, roasted egglplant, steamed artichokes, tomato confit, broccoli and pumpkin pie, and cinnamon papaya jam. He cooked all day long, without rest. He cooked as if his grandmother had taken over his hands, and she had guided him every step of the way. At the end, he was exausted, but joyful.
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He had never felt so proud of himself. Now his burrow was full of new and wonderful aromas and scents. The only issue was that he had prepared way too much food for a single animal, and he had no one to share it with.
“What is that exquisite smell?!”, wondered Peter, the porcupine, peeking out from his burrow.
“Why does it smell so good?!”, shouted the moorhens.
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Arnold's Discovery
Suddenly, Arnold had a great idea. He put a mask on and covered his feet. He divided all of the food into portions and packed it carefully. And then, he went on to leave packages of food by the doors of all the burrows in La Aldea. He left even bigger portions for the animals that were taking care of the sick. Back home, he realized he had given away almost all the food, and little was left for him. Still, he felt an inmense joy filling his chest and belly. Maybe he had discovered the better version of himself.
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Activities Durign confinement, Arnold discovered a different kind of routine: always eating the same things. Although, he found out he didn’t enjoy this routine too much, Arnold managed to make the best of the situation. What has changed about you during the confinement?
Challenge 1. Talk to yourself. Think about five things that have changed about you in the last two months; whether it be your likes and dislikes, physical changes, fears, or ways of doing things in your daily life, etc. Write down the list on a table and write in front the answer to the following question: have you discovered this things out of accident? Or, instead, have you tried to get to know you better? Look at the example.
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Discovery I like twalking barefoot I prefer doing my homework while listening to music
Finding Accident
Self-assessment
Activities
Challenge 2. Imagine your ideal day. Break the routine! Make a self-portrait showing how you would look at the end of your ideal day. Write around your self-portrait all the things you did on that day to break your routine.
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Has anyone seen my routine? She ran away when she heard I wanted a break!
Corny joke
Have you ever heard the expression “breaking the routine�. Ask a family member what it means.
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Challenge 3. Lost in the pantry. Notice the foods stored in the pantry or fridge in your house. Classify them, draw them and organize them in groups according to their shape, texture, state (solid, liquid or gel), size, color, expiration date or origin (bought or home-grown). What other ways could you classify them?
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Activities
Challenge 4. Memory. During his journey, Arnold found a huge variety of fruit and vegetables. Do you remember them all? Play with your family this memory game:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Sit down in a circle.
Mention a product Arnold picked.
The person to you right has to repeat the product you said, and mention another one.
The next person has to repeat the two last products, and mention a third one.
The game goes on until someone forgets the sequence.
Try playing with other sorts of food! Salty food, crunchy food, soft food, etc.
Have you ever wondered how words are born? Etymology is the study of the origin of words. It help us understand how words are integrated in a language. Look into the origin of the word “variety�. Word of an owl
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Challenge 5. Experience with your senses. Through cooking, Arnold discovered that food can be enjoyed with all the senses! Now you try it! Right before eating follow these instructions (ask an adult for help):
Cover your eyes, and try to identify what food it is by only using you sense of smell.
Open your eyes and describe what other things are interesting about it. Pick it with your hands. What’s its texture like?
Grab a bite with your eyes closed. Chew slowly. Can you feel the flavor fill your mouth?
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Now cover your nose and chew without breathing for a few seconds. Do you taste the same flavor?
Uncover your nose and chew (or keep it in your mouth if it’s a liquid) for at least 30 seconds, without swallowing.
Analyze. Did you notice anything different with your food? What did you discover through this experiment. What relation is there between taste and smell? How do all of your senses help you enjoy food?
Activities
Challenge 6. Let’s cook! Think about your favorite dish -that recipe that fills your heart with joy. Would you dare prepare it? Write the recipe for your favorite dish on a piece of paper. The challenge is to write down the instructions step by step, as if you were telling a robot how to do it. The robot doesn’t know the names of tools, nor he knows anything about quantities. Start now!
Challenge 7. The solidarity challenge. Helping others and being grateful can bring great joy. Research with family members and define the word solidarity. Write down its meaning. Remember a moment when you, or a family member, has shown solidarity towards others. Write a short story using that memory.
Challenge 7 a. Analyze How can you show some solidarity during the emergency your community is facing? Plan with your family a way to help or support others.
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To read the next chapters and find all the challenges in:
La Aldea Stories to stay at home
>> The Long Wait <<
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