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Kids vs. Zoom: Hacking the new school environment

Viva Sarah Press

Oct 27, 2020
2 min

Kids vs. Zoom: Hacking the new school environment

Within minutes of exchanging their classroom for a computer screen, and Zoom specifically, my three kids figured out how to manipulate the software, draw on the teacher’s whiteboard, unmute themselves and change virtual backgrounds. As kids everywhere have successfully done. But the way in which my kids react to the technology varies greatly. My two middle school kids learned how to navigate the software-based conference room solution speedily and aptly. They are way ahead of

A stick up my nose (Covid-19 test)

Viva Sarah Press

Sep 24, 2020
2 min

A stick up my nose (Covid-19 test)

The morning arrived when I had to take the Covid-19 test. This morning. And while I have heard horror stories about the feeling of having your brain scraped from inside your nose, the test wasn’t as awful as I thought it would be. It wasn’t pleasant either. I gagged on the throat swab. It took two tries for the woman in the hazmat suit leaning though my car widow – I went to a drive-in Covid-19 testing center – to swab the back of my throat. She was really sweet. She was on m

Reading with my kids to keep up on conversation

Raising three personalities

We wrote a story with book titles

Viva Sarah Press

Apr 24, 2020
1 min

We wrote a story with book titles

For today's family 'coronavirus creativity' activity, we "wrote" a story together. Using book titles only. All authors got equal treatment. William Shakespeare, Raina Telgemeier and Jez Alborough, Maurice Sendak and Kazuo Ishiguro. Ben Hatke and Judd Winick, Yasmina Khadra and Rick Riordan. Finding verbs was difficult. Robert Munsch and Mo Willems turned out to be our best connectors. Teamwork and complimenting one another on ideas took some effort. But best of all, when we

Crash course in mindfulness (aka sharing office space with a 12-year old ‘colleague’)

Viva Sarah Press

Apr 21, 2020
2 min

Crash course in mindfulness (aka sharing office space with a 12-year old ‘colleague’)

Shortly before the coronavirus epidemic sent us into social distancing isolation, I started to dabble in mindfulness, an art of focusing on the present. Deep breathing. Focusing. Tuning out. A few minutes a day of just being. And then came isolation. And with isolation came new colleagues. Three of them under age 12. Working from home is my regular gig. Working from home with a spouse and three kids has been the ultimate test to my focus and patience. I am used to working in

Scavenger hunts at home

Viva Sarah Press

Apr 6, 2020
1 min

Scavenger hunts at home

Before Covid-19, my kids attended scouts twice a week. Now, during social distancing and home isolation, they have semi-regular meetings via video conferencing. They can’t do the regular activities like capture the flag or outdoor cooking over a flame. But they can do scavenger hunts at home. It has become an exciting feature of our daily routine. The counselor picks random objects that the kids must find around the apartment. The Hebrew Scout Movement in Israel is a co-ed s

Coronavirus creativity: Country cubes

Sharing my work space with 3 colleagues under the age of 12

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 25, 2020
1 min

Sharing my work space with 3 colleagues under the age of 12

The coronavirus changed my work from home schedule to include three kids as my new WFH colleagues. Water-cooler talk is usually about them. No, it's always about them. In the years before a deadly disease was lurking invisibly outside, the kids would set off to school in the morning and only return home after after-school activities. My work space at home was mine. On March 13, 2020, when Israel shuttered schools, my work space became shared work space. The good points: I

Outlawed Playgrounds

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 20, 2020
1 min

Outlawed Playgrounds

Police tape at the playground. Slides, swings, seesaw, monkey bars. All cordoned off. You know the situation is serious when local playgrounds are vacant and look like crime scenes. And especially in Israel. One of the most child-friendly societies. This is the country teeming with family-oriented activities at every turn. The outdoor play areas here are amazingly fun. The tempting playgrounds supply adrenaline. Even during rocket attacks and wars, families bring their kids f