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What Living Through a Pandemic Is Like for Kids

Thanks to coronavirus-induced isolation, countless kids are at home right now, trying along with the rest of us to make sense of what’s going on around them. Many children were asked to write about what they’re feeling, what their days are like, what they’re afraid of, and what they miss about school.

Sam Cook, age 9, Maplewood, N.J.                                              

All this stuff about the coronavirus is really weird. A couple of days ago I was walking with my mom and I saw someone wearing a mask even though there aren’t any cases in my town (yet). My dad came in from a run and said, “There’s nobody out on the streets.” I feel like it’s getting very chaotic, you know, everything closing. My parents are worried that the stores and restaurants we like will go out of business. I’m really annoyed that we have to take two-hour classes on our Chromes at home. Some family friends of ours have to take classes all day on Skype, so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. I’m not anti-screens, don’t get me wrong, but I would rather see my friends all day. Well, uh, bye.

Harry Cook, age 11, Maplewood, N.J.

My friend just texted me that the schools are closing! Yesssssssssssss noooooooooooooo. I don’t know how to feel about it. On the one hand, ThIs Is EvErY yOuNg BoYs DrEaM! But on the other hand, I’ll have to occupy myself for two weeks. I know that everybody hates school, but whether you like school or not, it still occupies a kid for six hours of the day. So if my calculations are correct (robot voice calculating. X x Y + A = G), school occupies around 25 percent of your day, depending on how long your school day is. And sleep takes up anywhere from eight to 11 hours of your day, which is somewhere around 45 percent of your day. Which leaves you with somewhere between three to five hours to occupy yourself, not including weekends, half days, delayed openings, etc. I’m still upset at my parents though. They won’t let me listen to music with bad words in it. I’m in sixth grade! MIDDLE SCHOOL.

Julia P., age 10, Chevy Chase, Md.

 I did learn something new about the word corona. “Corona” means crown in Latin. Crowns sound so cheerful, but it’s just because the virus looks like a crown. That just goes to show you, you learn something new every day, even when there’s a health crisis at hand.

Here are the three things I’m feeling most: curious, bored, and annoyed. You probably couldn’t imagine how many times people constantly tell me, “Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and stay away from people who look sick or are coughing.” Like I don’t know to do these things.

Madeleine P., age 8, Chevy Chase, Md.

I miss my friends so much. There’s so much to tell them! I am so used to going to school, so I can tell my friends everything I’ve done over the weekends or at my house. And in addition to that, they are always telling me things as well. These are my feelings about the coronavirus. Now, let’s move onto what I’m doing. The first two days were cuckoo, so we made a schedule. At 8:30, our mom will wake us up. At 9, it is time for breakfast. At 9:30, a walk to get our blood pumping. At 10:05, we will practice our piano and do some schoolwork. 12:00 is lunch. 12:30 is the real activity of the day—an outdoor activity. 2:30 is FREE TIME. 4:00 is tea in the parlor and reading. 4:45 to 5:10 is helping with dinner (or you can just nap). 5:10 to 6 is outdoor play. 6 or 6:30 is dinner. 7:15 is take a shower or bath to wash up after a long day. At 7:45, maybe a movie. Last, it is bedtime. Now I am starting to feel more relaxed. Overall, I feel OK about this break that we are having because of the coronavirus.

Who do you identify with the most???

Let´s share some experiences before you dive into the written activities…..