Tips for Kids Returning to School After Lockdown

Yesterday’s craft idea was from Mrs. Mactivity, so I spent some time over on her website and there I learned that kids in the UK are starting to go back to school in June.

No matter when kids start returning to school after they’ve been home for an extended period, there is going to be a big transition, bigger than changing grades normally is. There will be more anxiety and excitement for kids and parents alike, as well as worries that kids might have fallen behind while at home.

The key is to approach the situation with calmness and grace, knowing that kids are resilient and will catch up to where they need to be if they aren’t already there.

I mention all this not only because of her article on the topic of kids returning to school after lockdown, but also because she has some great printable activities to help kids capture memories and reactions to this period they’ve just gone through.

(Her printables are through a membership website that costs £19.97 a year for unlimited access to worksheets, printables and activities.)

My favorite is the lockdown reflection jar, which gives kids space to write and draw about things they learned, something funny that happened and their favorite moment of being home.

There are other designs that use puzzle pieces and other shapes, even printable certificates to celebrate successful completion of lockdown.

[Photo: Mrs. Mactivity.]

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The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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