In this time of pandemic pandemonium, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and stressed out about transitioning to distance learning. I get it. No one ever prepared us for massive stay-at-home orders and global shutdowns!

Most of us also never prepared to teach our students over the internet. We expected to be with them in a classroom setting. But the virtual world is a bit different. That's why I created this toolkit. I want to make sure you have ways to support your kids with engaging and fun educational activities while they are at home. Because if you’re relaxed, so are they.

As a certified online instructional designer, learning theorist, and STEM educator, I'll show you how to plan for and introduce distance learning resources to your families without overwhelming them (or you) with information. In the toolkit, you will find:

• Short tutorials (15 min or less) to to guide you as you create and implement your distance learning plan.
• Tools and tips to cut down on your planning time, and to help you make the most out of your distance learning resources.
• A distance learning lesson template to help you simplify planning and to avoid overwhelm (yours and theirs).
• Sample distance learning lessons that you can use right away.
• Vetted online resources that educate and engage students with meaningful content, while freeing up time for families to work from home.
• Offline, equitable resources that you can print into packets to distribute to students without Internet access. 
• Self-directed games and activities to engage children while parents and guardians work from home.

We organized everything so that these resources will be easy to find and use, and we'll continue to update this guide on a weekly basis so that you receive the most current available resources.

Because we understand that everyone is under extreme duress due to all the sudden changes that are happening around us, we want to ease that stress by giving you the guide for free. No pressure at all, because goodness, we've got enough on our plates, already!

I made this guide because I want to make your job easier. Teaching is hard enough. Now, with the pandemic, you are being asked to do so much more than you ever signed up for. Everything is going to be okay, because you are not alone.

I've got you. I'm going to save you time and money by giving you quality resources so that you don't have to comb the Internet for them. I'll save you from being overwhelmed by sharing tips on how to teach and how to introduce these resources to your families. I've even included a section on educational games to keep your students engaged while families are working from home. You'll get help with rebuilding your learning communities at a distance, and you'll have plenty of support from me along the way.

In addition to receiving the guide, I invite you to join our Facebook community, where you can collaborate with other teachers for ideas and inspiration. When you join the group, you will also have a direct line to me, should you have any questions about distance learning. 

Thank you for everything you do, and thank you for this opportunity to serve you. We'll get through this together!

Warmly,

Yen and the STEAM Café Team