As the enormity of the Covid-19 situation began to sink in and school moved to online learning, the kids seemed to adjust fairly well. They were mostly excited at the thought of "home school" and working on their curriculum at their own pace on their own schedule. However, when Kaitlynn realized that she would miss her Watch Dog Dad day with Jeff, that was when some strong emotions set in for her. Watch Dog Dad is a nationwide program promoting fathers' involvement with their kids at school, and it has always been a treasured memory for the kids to share with their Dad. When Jeff has participated in the past, he would spend a lot of time in the classroom, enjoy lunch and recess with the kids' classes, and conduct various other school activities like perimeter checks and errands. After missing this event for 2 years while we were in Dubai, Kaitlynn was super excited for her upcoming Watch Dog Dad day on March 25. But then Covid-19 hit.
When we broke the news to Kaitlynn that she would sadly miss this special day at school, we made sure to tell her that we had a backup plan. Her Watch DOG Dad day would indeed go on; we would simply change it to the "at home" edition. She was disappointed but made the most of it by making a checklist of all the activities she could do with Jeff throughout the day at home. She planned out their entire day and was ready to spend quality time with her Watch Dog Dad.
When the morning arrived, Jeff made sure to wear his all important Watch Dog Dad t-shirt. We have really gotten our $20 out of that shirt, which has seen year after year of elementary school enjoyment for both kids! To kick off their school day, Kaitlynn and Jeff watched the online morning announcements and then jumped right into their checklist for the day. They welcomed fellow students "arriving" at school (Connor, haha), participated in schoolwork, worked on a craft project, conducted perimeter checks and errands, and had lunch together. I made sure to capture pictures along the way. Even though it wasn't exactly the day that Kaitlynn had been anticipating, she and her Sweet Daddy made the most of her very last elementary school Watch Dog Dad day - at home.
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