Current Topics
Talking to Your Children After Traumatic Events
Supporting Students Through Racial Trauma: District 833 Resources
Resources for Talking With Kids About Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence - Center for Racial Justice in Education
Resources for Your Anti-Racist Practice - YWCA Minneapolis
Helping Kids Cope With Tragedy - Spark & Stitch Institute
31 Children's Books To Support Conversations About Race, Racism, and Resistance - Embrace Race
Discussing Traumatic Events With Youth - Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health
Traumatic Experiences - Sesame Street Workshop in Communities
COVID-19 Public Hotline: Interpretation services are available
Health questions: 651-201-3920 or 1-800-657-3903, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Schools and childcare questions: 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Woodbury Public Safety Hotline: (help with essentials like medications and food) 651-414-3499 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday
Fraser Hope Line: Free immediate consultation line with Mental Health professional 612-446-4673 (612-446-HOPE), email address: FraserHopeLine@fraser.org. Calls are answered live between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource
Child Mind Institute provides talking points to parents how to explain the coronavirus to children. This article is evidence-based and meant to help reduce the worries of children based on what they are hearing around them.
How to Keep Your Kid on Schedule During Coronavirus School Closings
The National Child Trauma Stress Network: Parent/Caregiver Guide
Just for Kids: A Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus: This link offers a workbook with comic based visual to help kids to understand the virus and reduce worries based on what they might be hearing around them. It was created by Tara Powell at the University of Illinois School of Social Work, Joy Osofsky at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and Krystal Lewis at the National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Bruce Perry Videos:
NN COVID Series: 1 - Patterns of Stress determine Risk & Resilience
NN COVID Series: 2 - Understanding State-dependent Functioning
NN COVID Series: 3 - Emotional Contagion
Woodbury Public Safety Department Helpline - Assistance with essentials like medications and food | 651-414-3499 | 9 AM - 3 PM | Monday-Friday
FOOD
>> START HERE >> District 833 Emergency Meal Registration and Pick Up
School Lunches & Food Packs - please reach out to your Lake School Counselor for resources! We are happy to help your family during your time of need.
Woodbury YMCA, 2175 Radio Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125 - The Woodbury YMCA (as well as other Y’s throughout the county and nearby counties) have free meals from 12-2pm M-F that families can pick up.
Free Meals For Kids App - uses GPS and shows locations of schools/other sites that are providing meals and meal packs with days and hours of distribution.
Community Thread – access to services such as check-in phone calls, food and medical supplies/medication delivery, and transportation to essential medical appointments.
Valley Outreach – food delivery, financial assistance, and other basic needs
United Way – assistance accessing food, paying housing bills, or other essential services: Dial 2-1-1 or text the letters MNCOVID to 898-211
St. Croix Family Resource Center - helps youth and families with sustainable housing, financial stability, and healthy community connections
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) - Formally known as Food Stamps, can help you stretch your food budget and buy healthy food. For help with eligibility assistance and applications contact Emily, through 2nd Harvest, at 651-307-9033 or email ebowman@2harvest.org.
Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf - Open to Woodbury Residents. Located at 8264 4th Street North, Oakdale. Contact 651-233-1296. More information online at ccefs.org. Open Mondays 12-4 pm, Thursdays 3-7 pm, Fridays 9 am-1:30 pm
Free/Reduced Lunch Form (When School is in Session)
HOUSING
St. Croix Family Resource Center - helps youth and families with sustainable housing, financial stability, and healthy community connections
INTERNET
Families may access the internet using the following options:
Comcast is offering two months free to new Internet Essentials customers in response to anticipated emergency measures associated with the COVID-19.
Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots, and then launch a browser.
CenturyLink offers Lifeline, a low-cost internet service, to individuals who qualify.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Please reach out to your Lake School Counselor for resources! We are happy to help your family during your time of need.
COUNTY & LOCAL RESOURCES
Activities for Families and Students:
Compiled by the MN School Social Workers Association and LMS School Counselors
Things to Watch
Common Sense Media (reviews for what your kids want to watch before they watch it)
Go Zen: Go Zen Videos on Youtube
Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video)
TED-Ed Video Playlist - Sorted by categories
Netflix Party Chrome extension - a Chrome extension for watching Netflix remotely with friends
Storyline - Streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations
15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home
Stick Figure Art YouTube channel
11 Amazing Places Around New York That You Can Virtually Travel To Without Ever Leaving Your Home
Met to launch “Nightly Met Opera Streams” - A free series of encore Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website during the coronavirus closure
Things to Do
De-stress together with meditation apps for kids and families.
Get the blood flowing and elevate the mood with these 25 dance games (you might need to buy a special control from Amazon).
Cosmic Kids Yoga - free yoga resources for young children
Go Noodle - short videos to get kids moving.
Mark Kanemura Virtual Dance Parties, a former backup dancer with Lady Gaga and contestant on "So You Think You Can Dance," is offering virtual dance parties on Instagram.
Virtual Field Trips - Over 30 virtual field trips with links
Apps, websites, and video games that inspire running, jumping, and more to stay active.
Don’t forget to enjoy a device-free dinner or two.
Smiling Mind App: Guided Relaxations
Downdogapp.com: Fitness App
Stop, Breathe & Think: Meditation & Mindfulness: Free app, also on YouTube
Time for Kids (K-6)
ByrdseedTV (Educational Videos)
Epic! Digital Book Library (for kids 12 and under) (there is a cost - $7.99/month)
Write notes, letters, draw pictures to send or drop off at local nursing homes - the elderly in nursing homes aren’t allowed to have visitors right now and it will brighten their day!
Scratch Jr. - Coding is the new literacy! With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) can program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer
Code.org - Learn computer science
Kodable - Programming for kids
Hello Ruby - Hello Ruby is the world's most whimsical way to learn about computers, technology and programming. The story started with a book, and now Ruby continues her adventures in exercises, activities and videos. It’s suited for kids age 5 years and older (but even adults might learn something new)
450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free
Emotional ABCs - We teach children ages 4-11 how to figure out WHAT they are feeling, WHY they are having that emotion, and HOW to make better choices
NASA has made their entire media library - images, sounds, and video - public
Mix.com - formerly stumbleupon, Mix is a social content curation site that allows you to collect articles, and content about specific interests or topics that you like. When you curate and add to your collections, your content is shared with friends and made discoverable to others on Mix who share similar interests.
Things to Read
Public libraries - many public libraries have digital books you can rent for free on their websites, along with other resources
Unite for Literacy - free online audiobooks
This is a great starting point if you are looking for a therapist or mental health supports.
View helpful information regarding social media, bullying, self-harm, and more!
