The Kid Should See This

Coronavirus COVID-19: What is social distancing?

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Schools are out, playdates are being postponed, playgrounds are off-limits, sports events are on hiatus, and Disneyland has closed its gates. The reason: Social distancing. But what is social distancing? This CBC Kids News video offers a kid-friendly explanation for why everyone is staying home during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

The summary from CBC Kids News’ Saara Chaudry: “Social distancing will help slow down the spread of the virus.”

Excellent resources for kids:

From NPR’s Malaka Gharib, check out Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus. There’s also a zine version of this comic that you can print and fold.

Next, from The New York Times: Why Soap Works by Ferris Jabr.

When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. The hydrophobic tails of the free-floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge themselves into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses, prying them apart…

soap and viruses

In tandem, some soap molecules disrupt the chemical bonds that allow bacteria, viruses and grime to stick to surfaces, lifting them off the skin. Micelles can also form around particles of dirt and fragments of viruses and bacteria, suspending them in floating cages. When you rinse your hands, all the microorganisms that have been damaged, trapped and killed by soap molecules are washed away.

On the whole, hand sanitizers are not as reliable as soap.

And this coronavirus simulator from The Washington Post also makes for a clarifying interactive lesson: Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to β€œflatten the curve”.

Coronavirus Podcasts for Kids:

Then listen to these excellent and not scary(!) episodes about coronavirus from three of our favorite podcasts for kids. (Adults will feel better listening to them, too.) First, from our friends at Brains On!: Understanding coronavirus and how germs spread:

Next, from Vermont Public Radio’s But Why? podcast for curious kids: Explaining Coronavirus To Kids, And The Science Of Soap:

And from our friends at Tumble Science Podcast for Kids: Answering Kids’ Coronavirus Questions:

Watch more videos about viruses on TKSST: Flu Attack! How A Virus Invades Your Body and Cell vs. virus: A battle for health.

And don’t forget the hero of this story: SOAP. Watch and make Soap Powered Boats and practice Proper Handwashing.

Thanks for the vid, @blytheannebutler.

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