Adapting to our new homeschool way of life requires flexibility, perseverance, and patience, but a great big list of reading, spelling, and writing apps is helpful, too! With children facing at-home learning for the foreseeable future and parents eager to keep them on track academically, we'll need some creative teaching tools to get us through. So, we've collected 19 reading, spelling, and writing apps to lend a hand in your kitchen table classroom.

If you need more help with the 123s than the ABCs, we've also culled the internet for the best math apps for kids. And, when you're feeling truly overwhelmed, be sure to check out our Realistic Guide to Homeschooling for Busy Parents.

Normally, our job at Mommy Poppins is to clue parents in to where to have fun with kids around Connecticut. But as coronavirus spreads through our community, we're also here to tell you where not to go. Here are the schools, museums, zoos, indoor play spaces, libraries, and stages we know to be temporarily closed around Connecticut. Please visit and comment on our Facebook page to let us know what other closures we are missing and should know about. 

Stuck at home? Look to our Mommy Poppins Coronavirus Guide for Parents for hundreds of ideas for games, crafts, and activities, as well insider tips and takes for keeping kids safe and healthy at home and beyond. All the best from our families to yours.

Soon, sugar houses all across the state get to work on the process of collecting and evaporating clear watery sap into tasty, golden syrup. The traditional maple sugaring season extends from February until late March, though that depends greatly on the weather (freezing nights and warm, sunny days are necessary to provide good sap yields). If you and the kids are interested in learning more about this sweet New England tradition, head to a maple syrup or sugaring festival or tour in Litchfield, Hartford, Fairfield, and New Haven counties. Some sugar houses invite you to stop in anytime the evaporator is running (but call before heading out).