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I hope all is well. Regardless of where you are in the world right now, you most likely have been affected in some capacity by the current Coronavirus pandemic.

This might have left you with many hours of trying to homeschool your children and wondering what to do to fill the extra time. 

Regardless if you have kids or not, I am certain you can use some of this info for yourself, or use what I write (and recorded in video format) in an interaction with kids in the future. And let me clarify: kids could mean anyone younger than you or older than you and may run through an age limit of 25!

We are home and the school day, which is hours long, is no longer hours long. Instead, this time is composed of trips to the kitchen out of boredom, trips to the pantry for a ganache, trips to the couch for a Netflix binge, or to your next zoom meeting for work.

It is important to fill the day and to use the time to learn new skills,

kind of like what was done in the early 1900’s when kids were home the majority of the day.

I see a MASSIVE disconnect where people are training on one skill set and never exploring or training on other skills that would better them at their current job, prepare them for a new job, or be a relief from their daily world of work.

Trust me, because it happened to me. For years I learnt every intricate detail about the plumbing, heating, and cooling worlds, and no skill sets on team building, sales, or marketing. In turn, so many people I could have helped missed out only to find me years later. They say they wish they knew me and my company, now called Moes CAMS, sooner.

You can hear from elders that in the “early days”, parents used to teach girls to sow and bake while the boys went to learn to chop wood for heat or work the fields. Yes, this is 2020, and I don’t want to be sexist, so take those skills (or more relevant skills listed below), and use them for everyone. After all, guys should know how to cook, and gals should know a thing or two about filling the wood stove.

Here are a few things to teach kids or teens to help them gain new skill sets, to keep you sane, and to help them cross-train for their life and future careers: 

• 2-4years: Teach them how to close the door with one hand on their chest and the other hand on the door knob to avoid fingers getting caught in the door. Teach them how to safely pull a younger sibling away from danger without hurting them.
• 4-7years: Teach safety skills: Never to open doors to strangers and what to do in the case of a fire.
• 7-15years: Teach building skills, crafts, etc. Allow them to create new things and dive into STEM activities at home. 
• 15-18years: Teach them life skills like how to fill a gas tank, change a spare tire, fill windshield washer fluid, check tire pressure, do taxes, and publicly speak.
• 18+ years: Cross-train. If they are in or are interested in sales, teach them to think about important questions like: How does the product work? If it breaks how can it be repaired? What problem can this product help to solve? If they are in or are interested in the trades, teach them how to sell the product they know everything about. The skill set of selling themselves and their product adds a dynamic others don’t have.

As always I appreciate you reading!

Reply back here or call the office with any questions, concerns, or comments about ANYTHING we can do for you. We would like to help you out especially during this time where life could be more stressful than normal.