The mysterious children’s inflammation; finding 10,000 animals; time to forgive?
|  | Sunday, May 17, 2020 | | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY SEVERIN SCHWEIGER / GETTY IMAGES | | By Rachel Buchholz, KIDS AND FAMILY Editor in Chief
When your kid dreams about being super late for a big test, you know she’s likely stressing about something major coming up in her life. Being unable to move while an elephant charges? You can probably figure out your child’s trying to make an important decision.
But what about being covered in dirt?
Like adults, kids are having dreams affected by their own worries and fears surrounding COVID-19. The extra stress and anxiety they’re feeling because of the pandemic is resulting in more vivid, intense dreams that they actually remember. Luckily they’re not necessarily nightmares. “They’re just anxious dreams,” neuroscientist Dierdre Barrett tells Nat Geo’s Rebecca Renner in this article about kids’ pandemic dreams.
But anxious dreams often result in restless shut-eye for children, whose good sleep patterns are crucial to mental and physical development. And though coronavirus dreams likely aren’t going anywhere for a while, parents can help minimize the disruption.
First, wear them out, either inside or outdoors. A dream box—in which kids can draw upsetting sleep memories and stash them away before bedtime—can help them feel in control, as can starting a dream journal.
But the most important thing parents can do is reassure kids that things will be all right, that they’re safe. In other words, just keep doing what you’re doing: You’ve got this.
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 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY JUPITERIMAGES, GETTY IMAGES | | Check the tech. So you’ve heard all the advice about not stressing too much over your kid’s reliance on screen time during stay-at-home orders. (And maybe your own reliance as well.) But that doesn’t mean that alternatives to get kids back IRL don’t exist. Whatever your child’s tech obsession is, Nat Geo’s C.M. Tomlin has a few ideas on how to swap them out for something more creative. (Liking real photos? That’s unheard of!)
Reassuring news: You may have heard of a mysterious inflammatory disease affecting children that may be linked to COVID-19. While little is known about the disease, it is treatable, USA Today reports. Symptoms include prolonged fever, a rash, conjunctivitis, swelling of the palms or soles of the feet, sometimes peeling of the skin in those areas and lymph node enlargement. It is usually treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and sometimes steroids, followed by aspirin, the report says. Parents are advised to check with a physician or take their children to an emergency room if their fever persists for more than 2-3 days, especially if other symptoms appear.
We asked, you answered: You didn’t hesitate to jump in with ideas for calm music to settle family nerves. Reader Mary Kathryn Steel says she often plays Renee & Jeremy at bedtime with their 10-month-old son (here’s their version of Coldplay’s Yellow); Marilyn Bodle suggested Yanni or 7 and 5; Anjali Pancholy suggested this compilation of Indian flute music. Or, simply classical music—or the best classical versions of popular songs.
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 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY SAKKARIN SAPU, SHUTTERSTOCK | |
Dear coronavirus: You stink. This might be sentiment of children all over the world as they grapple with absent friends, closed schools, and the possibility of a canceled summer. That’s why Nat Geo editor at large Peter Gwin recommends that kids try journaling. “Journaling provides a place for an active mind to store ideas and an outlet for pent up intellectual energy and emotions,” he tells Ruth Musgrave in this article about giving children a place to write about their frustrations and concerns. (Another recommendation: Respect your kid’s privacy!)
Time to forgive? For some, this has become a time to prioritize reconciling with family members. Kristen Simpson, an illustrator from Georgia, just made peace after years of estrangement from her father. “We don’t know how much time we have to make things right in this coronavirus,” Simpson told the Christian Science Monitor. She is not alone. Have you buried the hatchet with a family member? Let us know!
Family discussion: We know that your cooped-up, animal-loving kid is eager to show affection if a wild thing is encountered outdoors, but how do you balance that love with respect—or even a touch of fear? Here’s a guide on behavior around wild animals. If this discussion turns into a downer, our Animals editor, Rachael Bale, suggests this webcam of just-born baby eaglets in a nest in Decorah, Iowa. (Occasionally, amid the chirps, you’ll hear a tractor, too, tilling nearby fields.) | | | |
| TRY THIS: BOREDOM BUSTERS FOR KIDS | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY GINA HENDRICK, SHUTTERSTOCK | | Keep kids’ brains active: Wednesday marks the anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s 1932 solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Inspire your young explorers with this article and graphic comic of the fearless female. Then keep their heads in the clouds with this photo gallery of amazing birds (like the cute burrowing owls above) and a video on how to make their own paper airplanes. (Kids can be a different kind of pilot with this construction kit that lets them send marbles flying.)
10,000 animal species: On Friday, Nat Geo photographer Joel Sartore added the image of the 10,000th vulnerable animal species he has photographed for his Photo Ark project. Here are some of the animals he has photographed. Watch him talk about the project; he says he’s going for 15,000 species!
Beam me up: If you have young science fiction fans at home, this short video shows how Zoom began as a sci-fi idea more than a century before video calls were developed. With cameos by Charlie Chaplin and William Shatner (and his transponder).
Looking for more learning? Check out NatGeo@Home to keep kids educated and engaged at home. This week, we’ve got a fun game about ancient Greece, tips to take outdoor photographs, a gallery of cute baby animal images, and an article about teaching science through cooking.
This newsletter was edited and curated by David Beard and Rachel Buchholz. Let us know if you have any stories about your children’s coronavirus dreams (or yours). Have a healthy and a sane (as possible) week ahead!
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