A message from QuanTâm founder (March 2020)

Dear Neighbor, My name is Lan Nguyen Chaplin. I am a college professor who has studied child development and happiness for the last 20 years. I am also a champion for children and a mom to two kids—Thi (age 10) and Willhelm (age 14). Their school closed on March 16, 2020 and I don’t know when it will reopen. Like you, I’m trying to find fun ways to keep my kids moving, learning, and reaching for the stars.

Although I know what’s good for children during these difficult times from the perspectives of an educator and a parent, my children and alumni from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) know what’s fun. Together, we’ve scoured the internet for you and developed a unique activity book that will get your children thinking, moving and laughing. Don’t be shy in moving with them (I’m doing those push-ups too!) and laughing with them as you figure out the riddles together.

This book begins with a section called “Happy Me” where your children are encouraged to think about the many ways that make them special, and ends with a section full of riddles to keep them (and you) guessing and giggling throughout the day. In between, you’ll find brain teasers, exercise routines, snack suggestions, and links to the online resources we used to create this book. Your children are future leaders of the world so we must not let these difficult times stifle their creativity, curb their learning, hinder their ability to move around, or forget that THERE IS A VERY BRIGHT STAR WITH THEIR NAME ON IT! Please share this book with all of your neighbors with kids at home. We’re all in this together! Stay safe. Stay healthy. Treasure this time with your kids—they grow up fast!

Warmly,

Lan Nguyen Chaplin, Ph.D.