COVID Recovery Iowa Reminds Parents & Kids to Breathe Like a Bear

For more than a year now we've all been dealing with the pandemic and we'd like to think that, as adults, we all are pretty good at having our own coping mechanisms to help us deal with stress. But, sometimes our children get "over-looked" and we forget that "kids are people too".

If you think about it, being a kid is rough. They have to deal with the worries of the pandemic, many of them have adjusted to on-line learning, and on top of that, there's many more kids who've had to deal the derecho storm damage. That's why, COVID Recovery Iowa wants to teach parents and kids how to breathe like a bear. It's also this week's topic of discussion for the group's weekly Facebook live broadcast, Parenting in a Pandemic.

Just go to Covid Recovery Iowa's Facebook page on Tuesday, April 20th at 10 a.m.  to participate. According to a press release, the University of Northern Iowa's College of Education's Kim Miller will join the discussion to talk about the impact the pandemic has had on education, the importance of reading and give parents tips on how to help kids learn to love reading.

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Miller will also be reading from the book "Breathe Like a Bear, a book about inner calm, by Kira Wiley. Miller will demonstrate simple breathing techniques that parents can use to help themselves and their children stay calm during stressful situations. Anyone tuning in to the broadcast will also have a chance to win in a free book giveaway.

COVID Recovery Iowa is for anyone who has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and living in the aftermath of the derecho. The program offers free and confidential virtual counseling, online support groups, personal support, fun activities and referrals.

Iowans in need of personal support can contact the Iowa Concern Hotline at 800-447-1985 (24 x 7) or go to: covidrecoveryiowa.org.