A new YouTube series gives families access to digital daycare opportunities for their military kids.
School closings and mandated stay-at-home orders have put online education resources for kids in high demand. The Fab Lab with Crazy Aunt Lindsey developed an innovative solution that educates, engages and entertains students virtually through its new Digital Daycare™.
Between the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST, families can participate in livestream learning with Lindsey Murphy, creator of The Fab Lab. This supplementary educational programming is ideal for children k-5.
Air Force spouse Bianca Reed, a mother of three, has been streaming the Digital Daycare™ for her school-aged children.
“I think when you hear ‘digital daycare’ you’re like, ‘how is this happening? How are you making this work?’ I was real impressed with the educational content. It’s resonating with a wide range — not just one age group,” she said.
Reed isn’t new to Crazy Aunt Lindsey. As the head of client development and marketing with Rain the Growth Agency, she’s worked closely with Murphy. She’s also been a subscriber to Murphy’s popular YouTube channel for about three years. As a mother, Reed is conscious about the role models she puts in front of her kids.
“There’s not a lot of diversity in STEM, so we’re always looking for ways to engage our children there,” she explained.
Michelle Cardinal, co-founder and CEO of Rain the Growth Agency, is proud to be a sponsor for this project. Murphy is the Artist in Residence at the advertising agency. Being located in the Pacific Northwest, Cardinal’s company is always in disaster planning mode. While they were able to quickly deploy technology to allow their 240 employees to work remotely, she never considered what it would mean for parents being stuck at home working with their children. They needed a solution that would support parents on a day-to-day basis.
“A few weeks ago, she (Murphy) and I got on the phone and talked about the need that we were having in our company. She came up with the idea of Digital Daycare™,” Cardinal said.
The idea was green lighted and Murphy had it all ready to go within three days.
Here are some of the activities that will be covered during The Fab Lab with Crazy Aunt Lindsey:
- Easy DIY STEM projects,
- American Sign Language,
- Kids fitness,
- Yoga,
- Snack ideas, and
- Storytime.
And there are a few ingredients that set The Fab Lab apart from other online educational programs too.
Reed says, “The kids aren’t getting bored because she’s constantly changing content. I also feel as though she’s an educator. Sometimes you have an entertainment factor that outweighs the education. She does a good job of balancing both.”
Murphy also has guest appearances from professionals who talk about their careers from companies like Microsoft and Nike. Reed’s husband, newly-promoted Master Sgt. Reed, will soon be on to teach kids how to perform military emergency CPR.
For families who can’t catch the program during its livestream hours, there is another alternative. Each Digital Daycare™ episode is uploaded to the Fab Lab’s YouTube page. Viewers can also enjoy previous content like Murphy’s DIY science projects that were featured in a summer series on Portland Today news.
Parents can look forward to having added help in the home when their kids are with Crazy Aunt Lindsey. Although the activities are designed to be done with the whole family to encourage bonding, adult interaction is not always necessary. Most projects are safe and easy.
“She does science that’s safe for kids to engage on their own and parents can supervise,” Reed said. “My four-year-old can participate in about 60% of it without adult help.”
For parents, like Reed, who are working remotely from home this is a significant help.
Access Crazy Aunt Lindsey’s Digital Daycare at https://www.facebook.com/TheFabLabHQ.
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