Today marks the start of week three of remote learning.  Two weeks done – and we survived!  Last Friday, we celebrated the end of week two with a curbside pickup order of milkshakes from a local shop here in St. Thomas (disclaimer: the milkshakes were our lunch – a complete meal 😊).   It’s all about marking the little wins right now.  Every day seems to bring a new… adventure, challenge, surprise… you fill in the blank.  If we can tag the day with a happy memory, soon we’ll have a week strung together and then a month.

If you are a parent or grandparent trying to embrace learning from home, or if you are a student missing your in class lessons, or a teacher interacting with your students through a screen – we have a few ideas on how to celebrate this week’s little wins.

photo@emily.k.lewis

        1. Treat yourself.  Find a local business following all the safety protocols, one you feel comfortable with, and order yourself something nice.  For us, it was a milkshake.  For you, it might be a new houseplant like a sweet string of turtles and a new pot (bonus when you can order and pick it up the same day!)
        2.  Surprise someone you love.  Kids respond to little rewards and adults remember small acts of kindness.  No one knows when the light at the end of the ‘lockdown tunnel’ will get brighter.  In the meantime, a little haworthia in a colourful orange camel planter can bring a smile and a happy balance of responsibility for a youngster.  An umbrella plant in a square tribal pot with our new “I Will Survive” reminder is a fun pick me up for a friend or colleague.
        3. Make your learning and teaching spaces somewhere you want to be.  Proper lighting – either natural or artificial, keeps the area bright and warm.  Organized supplies and an accessible trash can will keep your area tidy.  Teachers: include plants in your screen backgrounds for class meetings to provide a fresh, professional and calm setting.  A great start or addition would be a fiddle leaf fig. Parents and students: plants have been proven to lower stress and improve brain function when they are included in the areas that we live and learn in.  Check out #plantsdothat Where we Learn for the science behind improved learning habits with plants and fill those spaces with low maintenance, living plants like snake plants.

We are surviving.  And with a few treats and surprises along the way, we can do it with happiness and integrity.  Take a break, wander through the online greenhouse here, and spread some cheer with plants.  Click on what you want, schedule your pickup date and time (one hour later up to five days out), and we’ll take care of the rest!

Remember, three things will last forever: faith, hope and love.

Jacklyn