Small Hands Interactive Distance Education (SHIDE)

 Small Hands Interactive Distance Education (SHIDE) is not an ordinary distance education. Our teachers have adapted the EYFS Early Childhood Education Curriculum into Distance Education. It is interactive, lively, and uses materials that have been prepared by our teachers, nothing ready made by others. 

Our biggest priority here is to keep the children’s sense of community and then their routine and structure. We feel it is pivotal to create a sense of emotional safety and consistency for them, and have seen that this is indeed possible, even online. Here, parents play a huge role, of course, in maintaining that children wake at the same time, have breakfast as a family, then get ready for their online class with their friends and teachers. Parents need to help with this until children have learned to use our Online Education platform to mute/unmute, etc. on their own.

Our second goal is to continue their development and keep their learning, creativity, and motivation going. Our weekly programme initially prepares children to use the computer and videoconferencing. It also incorporates a variety of activities that involve movement (e.g getting vegetables from the fridge to make a salad together, finding green clothes in her/his room etc.). Our programme includes a mixture of Circle Time, Activity Time and One-on-One time with teachers. 

During SHIDE, we continue to have communication with parents using an online linkbook. We also send weekly lesson plans that include activity suggestions for parents.