Last week's newsletter had lots of resources for you if you needed support - from counseling to food and lots more besides.

This time round the tips start at a less serious need level. Some are a little light-hearted - for example the posters. Even if you don't use the posters they may still bring a smile.

Posters for Parents Working From Home:

We're all in this together but let's face it, it's not always easy trying to work from home and care for your children at the same time.

It's a daily struggle to balance your time between making sure your work gets done vs being a parent/teacher/chef to your kids.

It can be particularly hard when you have an important Zoom meeting to attend and you need to keep your children out of the room. Here are a few different versions of a sign you can stick to the door to help keep your children (and their continuous questions) at bay.

Taking it up a level, this poster/notice serves two purposes - providing the necessary warning AND occupying your child while they get the message and you do the Zoom.

A Few Activities for Fun and Learning - if you have finished everything your teacher has set for you:

Arts and Craft:

Art for Kids Hub: These videos show you how to draw anything step-by-step. Try a Baby Shark or a Pop-up Icecream!

Word Art: This is an easy-to-use fun art tool where you can create art using words. Just click "Create Now" and start creating!

Created with the Word Art website

Pixel Art: Create pictures using pixels and lots of different tools.

Mini Mad Things: There are some beautiful art projects to get stuck into here.

Glen Jones Art: Download and print colouring and craft pages like this paua shell.

Podcasts:

Smash Boom Best: A fun debate podcast that takes two things that kids love, eg. fairies vs giants, and debates which one is best.

History Storytime: Stories of history told in a fun and engaging way by two children and their Dad.

Educational:

Hour of Code: This site is amazing for kids who are interested in beginners coding. My son particularly enjoys the "Dance Party" coding. The first hour is free and from then on you can join online classes.

Top Marks: This site has loads of educational resources and games in all subjects. You can choose what year your child is in at school and hit "Go"!

Nano Girl: You can access hundreds of STEM videos with Nano Girl, including easy science projects that you can do at home with everyday materials.

Fun Brain: Play educational games and read books on this site.

National Geographic Kids: Read articles, watch videos and play games.

Young Ocean Explorers: Learn about the ocean with fun activities and videos.

Twinkl: This has a huge number of educational resources, many of which your children will be familiar with from school (choose the ones marked "Free Resource").

Exercise and Movement:

Go Noodle: Get moving with exercise, dances and songs that the kids will love.

Cosmic Kids: Try yoga for kids with Jaime. You can find all types of kids-themed yoga here. Check out Harry Potter Yoga or Minecraft Yoga (yes it is a thing!).

The Body Coach TV: Joe Wicks takes you through all types of home workouts from beginner to advanced.

Koo Koo Kangaroo: This song is hilarious, but warning... it will get stuck in your head for the rest of the day...

On a more serious note

0800 WHAT'S UP provides free counselling and resources for your child or teen.

How Are You Feeling?

It's not always easy for children to describe how they are feeling, especially in challenging times such as these. This resource can be helpful for children, rather than having to come up with the words to explain their emotions.

Lifeline

If you need to talk to someone, ring 0800 543 354 for support from a trained counsellor. Look after your mental health during this time and reach out.

Visionwest operates at all Alert Levels

Our emergency food response continues to be in full swing.Last week, Visionwest's Pātaka Kai (Foodbank) operated as a contactless drive through for whānau to pick up Emergency Food Parcels.

In addition, our support workers delivered parcels to whānau at home. We also supplied other agencies with food parcels to distribute. In this way we distributed 1,100 parcels in a single week.

This week we will no longer be operating the drive-through service and will instead be changing to a full delivery model.

This means whānau who are struggling, and don't have enough food, can contact Visionwest about an Emergency Food Parcel by phone or email and we will deliver to their home.

For full details on how to access this emergency food support visit our website here.

Stay safe, and if you do need support, please get in touch using the details on our website - we are here to help.

Fathers' Day Story number two - maybe don't follow the advice in this book this Sunday...

Humour