Katie Mueller, Homer, NE

We are asking rural communities to share how COVID-19 is impacting them and how teachers and teacher-leaders are adapting in the face of nationwide school closures. Read below for a great story from Katie Mueller of Homer, NE. | Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association | Homer Community School

"I Zoom each week with my third graders. It is a great way for us to stay connected, have some laughs, and be there for each other during this unique time. It almost feels like we are still together in our classroom, even though we are on a screen. It gives the kids something to look forward to each week and creates a small sense of normalcy. Each week, we do a different activity for fun. These are the activities I have done so far:

Everyone wore their pajamas and told us about them; Show and tell - pick an item and explain it to us; Show and tell about your pet (could be farm animals); Scavenger hunt - I give students an item and they go run around their house trying to find it. The first one to bring the item back and show me on the screen wins that round. They have really loved this! A few things we have hunted for: a purple crayon, a red hat, a trophy, an apple, a rubber duck, a sibling, a remote, sunglasses, a mug, etc. I also give each child a chance to give the rest of us an object to hunt for; Drawing vocabulary words of the week- I explain a vocabulary word to the students. They draw a picture representation of that word and then hold it up for us all to see. We discuss each picture; Easter bingo. I mailed them an Easter bingo card, and we are all played it next Monday!