Wondering what to do with your kids while they're out of school? Here are some ideas

With elementary and high schools shut down in Saskatchewan, possibly until September, parents may be wondering what productive activities to do with their children at home.

Claire Miller, the founder of Wildernook Fresh Air Learning, has some healthy ideas for families. Her company focuses on "nature play care" with a strong focus on the environment around you.

Miller said heading outside is best.

"There's plenty of opportunity with just a few of the loose items that you find in nature, such as logs or sticks, to create an obstacle course, pretend the ground is lava, or make art out of found objects," Miller said. 

She said that as parents and caregivers, you can provide prompts that connect kids with nature while still allowing them to maintain social distance. 

"You could be playing camouflage if you've got multiple kids. That really encourages kids to get out and spread out and have that direct contact with the natural world but still be spaced out and not directly near each other."

Miller advised avoiding touching and tagging type games and focusing instead on individual exploration. 

She said it is important to realize how many opportunities there are within cities and the nature spaces they have.

Sharing Indigenous knowledge online

Since universities have ceased in-person classes, many professors are turning to technology to help students stay educated. One of them is Chris Scribe, director of the Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) at the University of Saskatchewan. 

Scribe said he will teach one half-hour class each day for elementary students stuck at home via Facebook live video.

Classes are from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. CST every day for students in Grade 1 to Grade 8. Topics will include Cree language and storytelling.

Scribe is encouraging his fellow ITEP graduates to donate their time to do the same and said the response has been great.

"There's been so much uptake from community and people are just super pumped about participating and it's not only in Saskatchewan," Scribe said.

He said people have tuned in from as far as Oklahoma, British Columbia, Manitoba and Alberta.

Scribe said that while his courses focus on Indigenous subject matter, they are not specifically for Indigenous people.

"It's open to everybody, because we can all learn all of those things that are important to Indigenous people."