Welcome to the Brain Chase Quarantine Challenge! This is unlike any Brain Chase program we’ve ever hosted – we normally have plenty of time to get the word out, and several months to prepare. But there’s never been a greater need for at-home enrichment, and we’re delighted that you’ll be joining us on this adventure. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of Brain Chase during the quarantine:
1) Build a schedule of electives that works for your circumstances
Many school districts are currently racing to get curriculum online and in the hands of students virtually. We applaud their efforts. If your children have already received online tasks from teachers, we encourage you to select non-academic electives, such as Cooking, Engineering, Art, Photography, and others.
If your school has not provided online resources for your children, you might instead choose some of the core Brain Chase electives like Math, Writing, Book Club, and others.
There are several ways you could incorporate Brain Chase into your daily schedule; we recommend something like the following:
2) Adventures can be messy, so don’t be afraid to improvise
Several Brain Chase challenges require a few supplies or ingredients that can normally be found around the home. But times are far from normal. If you are missing some supplies or ingredients, please don’t worry. Do the best you can under your circumstances. Use substitutes. Simplify. Or if necessary, do a different project altogether.
At the same time, we would ask that you please pardon our dust as we race to host this program. Some of you will have more supplies around the house than others, and it’s definitely not our intention to send anyone out on trips to the store. If a supply-intensive challenge has slipped through our filters, please forgive us. Let’s work together to enrich our children without placing any undue burdens on families.
3) Distance yourselves physically, but not socially
Adventure loves company, and in these trying times, we hope that Brain Chase can in some small way help to bring families and friends together. While the expectation is that the kids will take the lead with the electives, we encourage families and friends to work together on the Bonus Challenges and treasure hunt.
In the past, we’ve seen families create Facebook groups to let distant relatives contribute to the code breaking. We’ve also added the “leaderboard” to let you keep tabs on each other’s guesses. What about doing the electives as “team challenges” with friends over Skype? What about using Zoom to review the clues with Grandpa? Be creative! We’d love to hear how you’re using Brain Chase to bring families closer together in a time when distancing is the norm.
4) Above all else, have fun
Our hope is that the world can look a little less scary when you’re searching it for buried treasure. Please help us keep Brain Chase fun. If you’re not loving one of the electives, switch it out for another one. If you’re having technical issues, send us an email. If there’s something we can do to make the program work better for you, please let us know. We want this to be a magical experience for you and your family – because as Tate Grayson would probably say in times like these, “There’s no quarantine for adventure!”
On a lighter note, here’s a video that made us laugh this morning (after our kids have already been home for one week). Parents around the world, we feel your pain:
Good luck!
Allan and Team Brain Chase