Magma

March 26, 2020

The climactic scene in Journey to the Centre of the Earth finds its heroes clinging to a log raft on a river that's turned to lava, shooting upward in the dark through the shaft of an active volcano. Their compass has gone haywire, they're worried their possessions might slip off at any moment, and they have no idea where and in what shape they will emerge at the end of the story.

I feel rather like those guys these days. You, too? Part of me desperately wants to know the end of this pandemic story...I want to be on the other side of it right now...but only if it turns out that the last scene has me eating grapes on a gently-sunlit Italian mountainside.

In the meantime, "pivoting" has become the word of the month. Two weeks ago, our editorial team started creating content geared toward helping you make the best most of your time with your family. And our technology team created (in three days!) a brand-new day-by-day online events calendar that will give you an almost-literal window into experiences all over the world. (Any organization providing online family-friendly content during this crisis can post it to KidsOutAndAbout's online events calendar for free.) Our data team has been busy interacting with these organizations and loading these opportunities into our new calendars.

Last week I encouraged you to think about what story you and your kids want to tell in the upcoming weeks, months, and decades... and then use that vision to craft your story that way, on purpose. We used the same strategy here at KidsOutAndAbout: We wanted our story to include how we were able to pivot quickly to provide new, valued content; how we were able to keep our wonderful community organizations on your radar so that down the road they can make up for lost revenue; and how we continually reinvented ourselves to fit the changing circumstances. I'm happy to report that readership to KidsOutAndAbout has increased—after all, you're all online rather than "out and about"—and we're getting great feedback about our new pages.

Soon, we will be sending you a daily digest of online activities each morning to inspire you with something different, something positive, each and every day. In the meantime, here are your magic links:

• 250+ Ways to Keep Your Family Sane during the COVID-19 Crisis
• Surprise, You're Homeschooling! Here are some great tips
• Master page of upcoming LIVE online events
• 24/7 fun and engaging online experiences (tours, concerts, activities, etc.)
• All kinds of classes your kids and families can take online

Sending many virtual hugs.