Kannerdoheem Virtual Space for Children's Activities Launched

Luxembourg's Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth has announced the launch of the "kannerdoheem" virtual space for children at home during the current school closures.

The "kannerdoheem" space has been added to www.schouldoheem.lu, a site launched by the Education Ministry that is dedicated to distance learning and teaching and to supporting pupils, teachers and parents while normal classes are currently cancelled.

The new “kannerdoheem” space is dedicated to children's activities in their spare time, outside the school context. Operated by the National Youth Service (Service national de la jeunesse, SNJ), this space aims to support parents in the current context by offering them a series of fun activities and ideas for the whole family.

The space presents the current situation as a voyage at sea where everyone is "in the same boat". In the past, when the captain and his crew were preparing for a long and perilous crossings, they did not always know how long it would take them to arrive safely and what adventures they should expect. Just like on a boat, the site offers tasks to be accomplished (activities) and ways of chasing away boredom by taking control manually (tutorial). The captain gives his instructions with daily tips and advice to his crew, with day-to-day events documented in a logbook.

Each day, four new "activities" are published for for children aged 1-4 and 4-12 respectively, as well as a tutorial offering different DIY ideas, advice and a fun saying to keep up morale. The whole “activities” section aims to entertain children and facilitate their passage through this difficult period while making sure to limit their screen time. For each age category, there are four modules: iwwerleeën (think), kreativ sinn (be creative), an anerer denken (think of others) and sech beweegen (move).

Given the large number of creative initiatives currently published on the internet, every day a new link will be indicated referring to other sites also offering interesting activities.

A final section of the "kannerdoheem" space is the logbook, which allows children an opportunity to note and draw their daily feelings. At the same time, this logbook will keep track of the current unprecedented crisis. The site also offers the possibility for parents to share their activity photos on Facebook or Instagram under #KannerDoheem.