'cause fun is good for the soul.

 What we have been continually reminded of during this quarantine is that fun and laughter makes everything better.  The sadness, despair, and tears that our children displayed from the shock of drastic change was disheartening. In addition to the trauma of  the COVID-19 pandemic, police brutality and political unrest, our lifestyles no longer felt normal.  For the lovers of neuroscience, we know that structure and routine is a neurological signal of safety. Since 2020 has been so incredibly unpredictable, it has triggered stress and fear for everyone, especially children. 

Children have not been able to go to school, which is their home away from home. We also had to cancel all of their fun extracurricular activities as well. No track meets, no music, no basketball, no field trips, no book club, no book fair, no planetarium, no soccer, no swimming, no road trips, no, no, no, no! For a 7 year old and a 4 year old, it was depressing. In fact, we were all depressed at some point during this ongoing twilight zone called 2020. As parents, we had to re-set the tone, renew our spirits, count our blessings and put Romans 12:2 on repeat, especially after watching the news.  

And as we renewed our thinking as parents, we renewed Xav and Xan’s spirit as well. When the crankiness and puppy dog eyes emerged, we found simple yet  safe and innovative opportunities for them to learn and explore. And, when we did, their eyes lit up at the sight of new activities, new bike trails, new languages, new math facts, new books, new letter sounds, new words, new robots, and new creations. Their mood shifted immediately at the sight of familiar faces on zoom and their smiles were wide and wild when they discovered how to make their newly coded robot, Ozobot, dance around their homemade obstacle course during virtual coding class. We knew, but confirmed, that fun was very good for their soul. Our boys, Xavier and Xander, have been exclaiming "this is fun!," particularly after moments when they've experienced success after struggle in reading, math or bey blade battles. On their own, they've started to associate learning with fun and this development of grit and a growth mindset is motivating. So, we're excited to ride this wave with them as they lead and design  videos for all of the other SOULKAREKIDS in the world. Xav and Xan want to join their peers in relishing in the fact that “learning is fun, reading is fun, math is fun, science is fun, traveling is fun, exercise is fun, robotics is fun, dancing is fun, doing cartwheels is fun and fun is good for the soul.” 

Neuroscientists would agree that fun is indeed good for the soul. And when we nourish our soul, we stimulate our minds and unleash the confidence and motivation necessary to seek excellence at every stage of our lives. 

Unfortunately, there are far too many systemic issues that continue to oppress and depress black and brown communities. So, as parents and educators, we are committed to getting creative and intentional in our efforts to increase access, resources and funding towards  SOULKARE for our KIDS, ourselves and for our village at large because a healthy, happy soul begets a healthy mind that is intrinsically motivated to live, learn, laugh and love, from conception to career. 

#ittakesavillage #generationalhealth #generationalwealth #nourishthesoul #stimulatethemind #unleashpotential #conceptiontocareer #soulkarekids