By Sumay and Joseph
WEquil School hosted a roundtable for educators and parents on January 2, 2021 to discuss remote learning ideas. We shared ten ideas from our own experiences during the 2020 pandemic. You can find them below along with relevant links to our blogs, app and YouTube channel. Feel free to share your own!
1. Stand up comedy routine
Sumay performed a standup comedy routine called "Having Fun?" on why girls are better at having fun then boys and grownups. She gave this on July 4th when most everyone was still wearing masks. By performing outside we were able to safely share her jokes in front of a live audience.
2. Survey data analysis
We wanted to learn more about Plant Based Meat so we bought several varieties. We then conducted a blind test survey of neighbors using real and plant based meats. The results were quite interesting and our daughters learned about the new technologies involved as well as how to conduct a survey and analyze the data.
3. Programing games in Minecraft
To learn programming we used Java Script to make our own games in Minecraft. This allowed our daughters to learn programming while having fun and spending time with friends and family. Minecraft is particularly flexible and easy making it a great way for kids without programming experience to get started.
4. Build your own app
Each morning our daughters spend some time building their app WEquil.App. A neighbor friend named Benjamin and their grandfather join them via Zoom. Apps are a great way for kids to learn how to take their ideas and make them a reality they can share with others.
5. Create Entertainment
Our daughters created two videos about ways to entertain themselves at home. The first is about substitute activities for Six Flags. The second is a list of reasons why they shouldn't have to go outside. Learning to entertain yourself and others is a valuable skill that comes in handy...especially during a lockdown.
6. Know Thyself
Our family each took a personality test called Myers Briggs. We then wrote summaries (links below) about them for our blog www.WEquil.com and so we could better understand each other. We found the experience so helpful that we shared the links with friends and family. Blogging is a great way to learn more about yourself.
Personality Type Articles
7. Learn to think on your feet
We published 23 episodes of our own live TV show called FroN’Girls. Each episode began with a simultaneous sip of our favorite morning beverage, I like coffee, followed by a question. Our daughters would share the question and we would discuss it on Periscope and Facebook Live. We published our favorite episodes on YouTube and watched them together to learn more about how we can improve our presentation and communication skills.
8. Exercise Routine
We built out an organic exercise routine during the pandemic. By "organic" we mean that it does not require buying anything. Our daughters learned a lot about health and wellness. We also did a lot of cooking.
Link: Organic Exercise Routine
9. Design and create objects with 3D Printing
We bought a 3D Printer and have written several articles (links below) about 3D Printing to teach Sumay and Aila about hardware. This new technology is great for kids which is one reason for its growing popularity. If your kids want to get started they may want to check out these articles.
10. Discover new technologies like genomics
There is a lot of cool technology being developed out there. Sumay wrote a few articles this year about genomics for WEquil School. Breakthroughs like CRISPR are allowing scientists to fix genetic diseases. We even have Salmon now that grow 30% faster and and taste exactly the same because of breakthroughs in genomics. Kids love learning about tech. It's also a great way to prepare them for the future.
Conclusion
We love coming up with creative and powerful ways to help educate and excite young people. That's why we launched our own virtual learning platform called WEquil School. Our mission is to empower young people to achieve their potential. We do this through a Creative Learning Process that cultivates each student's unique strengths and interests. We have found this approach to be very effective in growing each child's natural curiosity so they want to learn and create value for other people.
If you want to discover more remote learning ideas feel free to check us out at...
Sincerely,
Sumay and Joseph