Pupils and Families Experience the Science Behind Social Distancing from the Palm of Their Hands 

To help children of all ages understand social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Discovery Education today announced the launch of a new application for iOS products called Social Distance Training. This new app, available now at no cost in the Apple App store here, provides important educational information about safe and healthy social distancing through the power of augmented reality. 

Developed by Discovery Education, creators of award-winning digital resources such as Discovery Education Espresso and Discovery Education Coding, Social Distance Training offers a hands-on way to virtually engage children in the importance of social distancing. Accessed via the camera on a tablet or smartphone, the app places a holographic person in front of the user, enabling them to practice standing at a safe distance, with helpful prompts from the interactive app.

Complete with timely information about the health crisis, Social Distance Training provides a virtual understanding of what safe distance looks by leveraging augmented reality. While in the application, users can also access the latest information on COVID-19 from the NHS website.

The app has been developed by Discovery Education in partnership with The Afterschool Alliance, a leading US education nonprofit.

“Social Distance Training is another component of Discovery Education’s robust response to this global health emergency,” said Pete Weir, Chief Product Officer at Discovery Education. “Now, from the palms of their hands, students and teachers around the world can understand the power and benefits of social distancing and what it looks like.”

“Getting a true sense of safe social distancing can be challenging, especially for young students,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “The Afterschool Alliance proudly partners with Discovery Education to provide students an effective and cool way to see what social distancing looks like, all from the safety of their homes.”

Social Distance Training by Discovery Education can be found in the App Store here and will soon be available for Android products via Google Play.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Discovery Education is offering UK schools access to a range of free home learning resources. Visit www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/free-resources to access engaging resources for pupils at Foundation Stage to Upper Key Stage 2, including: videos, interactive activities, quizzes and worksheets along with free programmes such as Active Kids Do Better.

If you are in need of some isolation inspiration why not get creative and make a stop motion animation! This is a perfect activity for all the family to enjoy yet simple enough for children to use independently.  Make amazing movies and share them with friends and family online.

Cloud Stop Motion is free to use and allows you to create stop motion animations quickly and easily, all you need is a phone or tablet (or a computer and webcam) and something to animate. Just go to cloudstopmotion.com capture your pictures, record some dialogue, add some music and sound effects, then create titles and credits to finish your film. You can then export your finished film as a video file (MP4) and share it with your friends and family and us! A fun and creative way to spend some time!

Closed Schools If your school is currently closed we would like to offer teachers a free 50GB organisation account, with unlimited student accounts. Students can create their animations within their student account, teachers can then watch, edit and export all their student’s animations from their organisation admin area. Teachers please do get in touch with us on animate@cloudstopmotion.com to request your free school account.    Everyone else, please do help us spread the word to schools and teachers about this free offer, we would like to help where we can in this uncertain time.

The impact of Coronavirus is affecting people in many ways. Duty of care and safeguarding training specialists, EduCare, recognise the impact that school closures will have on the safeguarding of children and young people, and have made a number of their courses and resources available for free online. 

The courses and resources, which are usually only available to customers, can now be accessed for free via EduCare’s recently launched Coronavirus Hub. 

Amongst these resources is information from EduCare’s owner TES, which will support teachers, schools and students during this time. This includes revision material, home packs and self-guided study material.

In addition to the free courses and resources, the Hub also contains the latest news and recommendations for good practice relating to the Coronavirus and children and young people whilst away from education.

Understanding that remote training will be vital to schools over the coming months, EduCare has also made seven online CPD courses available for free. These are: 

• “Effective Health & Safety for Children with SEND and ASN”
• “Parental Responsibility in Schools”
• “Search, Screen and Confiscate for Schools”
• “Risk Assessments for School Trips”
• “Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption”
• “Cyber Security”
• “Working with Display Screen Equipment”

Also available for free are wellbeing resources from EduCare’s EduSafe resource library. Designed for the community of parents and carers, and children and young people, EduSafe resources have been written with leading experts including Winston’s Wish, Karma Nirvana, YoungMinds, Mentor and The Children’s Society.

EduCare is communicating the message that whilst safeguarding has always been everyone’s responsibility, with school closures this will be more relevant than ever. Schools will soon lose day to day contact with their pupils and so our communities will need to act together to support children and young people.

The intention of the EduSafe resource library is to ensure that the community can access the same level of high-quality information as education staff receive as part of their training. 

EduSafe is split into two banks of resources – resources that are specifically designed for parents & carers, and resources that are specifically designed for children & young people. 

Topics covered within EduSafe include:

• Mental health
• Substance misuse
• Dealing with bereavement and loss
• Honour-based abuse and forced marriage

More directly related to immediate issues presented by the Coronavirus pandemic, EduCare’s Coronavirus Hub also includes free resources and information relating to the virus itself and preventing its spread. Within this section, there is also the most up-to-date news from TES editorial team, as the situation develops.

To find out more, access EduCare’s Coronavirus Hub at https://www.educare.co.uk/coronavirus 

Due to the current situation, many people are finding themselves working from home for the first time. It’s a big change if you’re used to working in a busy office. Setting strict office hours, staying in regular contact with your colleagues and the right home office furniture can all make a big difference. Here are some tips from AJ Products to help you stay productive and keep your spirits up while working remotely.

1. Keep in touch with your co-workers. Use the phone, online video conferencing, instant messaging tools, etc. to talk to your colleagues throughout the workday. There are a lot of tools available to ensure you can continue working as a team, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams. A daily team catch up will keep you focused on common goals and boost morale.
2. Stick to a routine. Working from home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a defined workday. If you have kids at home, you may need to adjust your work hours to accommodate childcare but try to stick to normal office hours as much as possible. Get up, get dressed and start your day at the same time as normal. At the end of the workday, turn off your computer, sign out of work emails and enjoy your free time.
3. Separate your work and home life. Try to create a home office space where you can focus on your work. If you have kids or pets at home, try to separate your workspace from the rest of the house to prevent distractions: close the door if you can or set a schedule so that everyone knows when you need to concentrate or join a conference call. Set aside break times to spend with the kids where they know they have your full attention. Clear boundaries make it easier for everyone.
4. Set up a proper work area. While it may be tempting to sit back on your sofa with your laptop balanced on your knees, that’s not a healthy way to work. Not only does it put you in the wrong frame of mind for working effectively, it is also really bad for your posture and can lead to back and neck pain. Ideally, you should sit up properly at a desk on an ergonomic office chair. If this isn’t possible, sit up at the dining table or breakfast bar. You should be able to sit with your wrists and forearms flat on the desktop with your elbows at 90° and the top of your screen at eye level. Investing in a good office chair will give you the right support and help you sit in an ergonomic position in order to prevent back pain, circulation issues and other health complaints. If you want to go one step further, set up a standing workstation. Sit-stand desks give you greater flexibility in the way you work and allow you to change your position throughout the day to reduce the health risks associated with sitting for long hours. If you’re going to be working remotely for a while, it’s important to be comfortable both for the sake of your long-term health and your productivity.
5. Take regular breaks. Don’t stay glued to your screen all day. It’s important to take regular screen breaks where you get up from your desk and move around. People take natural screen breaks in the office to talk to colleagues, get a coffee or walk over to the printer; at home make the effort to take those same short breaks. There is no need to feel guilty about doing this; you’re still putting in the hours required of you and you’ll be more focused when you get back to your desk.
6. Don’t work in complete silence. If you’re used to working in a busy office, you may find it hard to concentrate if it’s too quiet so put some music or the radio on in the background. Remember you’re trying to create a productive work environment so don’t put on anything that distracts you.
7. Go for a walk. Take the time that would usually be your lunch break and go for a short walk. Getting out for some fresh air and a change of scenery will be good for both your physical and mental health, so you can get back to work refreshed. (If you are going outside, be sure to follow all government guidelines and stay a safe two metres away from anyone not in your household.)
8. Exercise. Boost your energy levels by doing a mini workout. This could be as simple as incorporating basic exercises into your workday, such as sitting down and standing up ten times in a row or running up and down the stairs. If you want to get your heart rate up, do a fitness video in your lunch break or a 10-minute high-intensity workout on an exercise bike if you have one. Not only is exercise good for your body, it can also help you stay alert and focused.
9. Make sure you know what is expected of you. One of the biggest worries people have about working from home is how your company will know you’re working as hard as you would in the office. Keep in regular contact with your manager and ensure you are clear on what they expect you to achieve and how they would like you to report back to them. Don’t worry: your results will speak for themselves.
10. Ask for help. If you’re struggling to work effectively away from the office, share your concerns with your colleagues and manager. They can share their experiences and help you come up with strategies for staying focused and productive.

AJ Products is a supplier of workplace furniture and interior solutions that focuses on ways to solve the problem of a sedentary workday. As a member of ukactive, an independent not-for-profit organisation that aims to promote active lifestyles, the company is committed to making workplaces healthier and more active through an innovative and ever-growing range of sit-stand furniture and by raising public awareness of the health risks of prolonged sitting. Find out more at ajproducts.co.uk.

Press release: UK, March 23, 2020: Moshi Twilight – the #1 sleep and mindfulness app for kids has partnered once again with Hollywood legend Goldie Hawn to launch a new ‘Brain Break’ to help families around the world improve the mental wellbeing of their kids and reduce anxiety during worrying times.

Put together by the BAFTA award-winning Moshi team, Goldie’s Brain Break is an important resource that can be used by parents to help stabilise emotional thinking and help kids refocus when there is a need to bring balance and reduce family stress.  Recorded with the Moshi team, this Brain Break is a short wind-down exercise – set to calming music – that takes heightened emotions down to a sense of calm. Want to try it out, it’s a beautifully designed experience, it’s newly launched today and free to use from the Moshi Twilight App.

Anxiety in children is continuously on the rise, affecting 30% of children and adolescents, yet 80% never get help according to Child Mind Institute. As world events create more uncertainty and stress, this growing issue affects millions of families around the world, especially during this unprecedented crisis.

Sleep expert and psychologist, Dr Azizi Seixas, who works alongside the Moshi team, says:

“Feelings can be overwhelming sometimes, especially for children who haven’t learned how to react and respond to them. Managing emotions, even more so during stressful situations, can be difficult regardless of age. This is especially true when routines are disrupted. Routines play a key role in promoting feelings of safety and security in children and when boundaries are broken they can feel more vulnerable and unsettled.”

As part of her philanthropic work, Goldie Hawn is actively committed to empowering children and families through acts of mindfulness, and has also lent her voice to a Moshi bedtime story, “Goldie the Mindful Moshling”, which has already been listened to millions of times by kids around the world.

Goldie shared the news of the launch of her Brain Break in the Moshi app with her 2.1M Instagram followers, saying: 

“In these times of uncertainty and fear, it is important to calm your brain to help reduce stress and anxiety. Please enjoy this Brain Break with your child and your family every day. Please visit @twilightmoshi to get this free Brain Break (and a really fun sleep story I narrated) on their app.”

CEO of Moshi Twilight, Ian Chambers said:

“School closures, self-isolation and quarantine is unfortunately becoming an unavoidable part of our everyday vocabulary and behaviour, and even as adults, the feelings associated with this are overwhelming.  We hope that Goldie’s Brain Break will help families achieve a sense of calm during moments of stress and anxiety.

“Against a backdrop of uncertainty, we are thrilled to be able to give this to families around the world for free via the Moshi app.”

Goldie’s Brain Break is free to use on iOS, Android and Amazon Fire and is now part of the Moshi Twilight app that has played over 75 million stories since launch. The Moshi Twilight app also includes: Moshi Stories, Guided Meditations, Moshi Moments, Music and Sounds to help kids wind down, relax, de-stress and sleep.

Ms Hawn concludes: “All children in the world are our most precious resource for a happier, healthier tomorrow. They deserve all we can give them to thrive and succeed in this sometimes challenging world.”