Zoom Social Ideas: Keeping Lower School Students Connected While Remote

Mug Cake Bake-Along, Show & Tell, + Pictionary!

How have our Lower School teachers been facilitating student social time during remote learning? Get an inside lookinto a few recent socials they've been hosting on Zoom!

Mug Cake Bake-Along

As we approach a holiday season where many of us are trying to figure out safe ways to celebrate together remotely, I wanted to share one funremote social my ELA 3 class did this week. We had a Zoom bake along!

Inspired by a Zoom playgroup one of my friends planned for her kids, I decided to host this as a just-for-fun optional activity for my class. The planning process was simple.

I found a time after school where most of my students were available,emailed out the ingredients list & a Google Calendar invite2 weeks ahead of time, and used this simple recipe to lead my 8-year-old students through making a mug cake.

I purposely picked a recipe that used a microwave rather than an oven, so evenstudents who didn't have grown-ups around at that time could participate. Some students did have adults or siblings buzzing around the kitchen helping them, but others were able to make the whole recipe on their own.

It was definitely more chaotic than one of our regular Zoom lessons, but I was surprised by what a good time we had. We got to peek into each others' kitchens, practiceour measurement skills, and eventually ended up with atasty treat. The kids are already asking when we can do it again, so please let me know if you have any kid-friendly recipes we should try next. We're open to suggestions!

Show & Tell + Pictionary

This is just one of the many fun Zoom social activities happening within KLS. IL3 has been doing fun social activities like Pictionary and show & tell over Zoom, while ELA 2 stays connected byreading aloudsilly storiesfrom Wayside School to end the day.

These ideas can work whether you're organizing a Zoom social for your class or just your family. In fact, my own family was inspired byIL3's show & tell idea and is now using it to add structure to our Thanksgiving family Zoom. We asked each of my cousins to bring something they're grateful to a Zoom show & tell on Thanksgiving morning.

Do you have other ideas for fun Zoom socials? Leave them in the comments so we can try them for ourselves!