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No matter what stage of parenting you are in—expecting a baby through the empty nest—each week we select, summarize, and deliver the most noteworthy and entertaining family-related news straight to your inbox. As well as book picks, expert advice, do good/feel good stories, & more!

CATCH UP/READ UP:

Disney World employees petition to keep parks closed until they are safe. More than 7,000 people have signed a petition urging Disney and the government to reconsider next month’s opening of the theme parks due to the recent spikes in Florida’s COVID-19 cases. Disney is expected to begin a phased reopening on July 11.

• Splash Mountain in both Disney World and Disneyland will be re-themed to star the characters from the 2009 animated film, The Princess and the Frog, which featured Disney’s first Black princess. CNN

FDA approves the first prescription video game to help kids with ADHD. Doctors can now prescribe the video game Endeavor-RX to help treat children 8-12 years old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here’s a video trailer showing what it’s like to play the game.

Nickelodeon is reviving ‘Nick News’ for a special on race and unity. On June 29th, Alicia Keyes will host a one-hour ‘Nick News’ special on race, inclusivity, and racial injustice, which will feature leaders and activists of the Black Lives Matter movement. The show will answer kid-submitted questions, and discuss how families can communicate positvely and effectively about race. ROMPER

SHARING YOUR STORIES:

We’ve been sharing your Quarantine Little Lessons (what you’ve learned about yourself in quarantine, in 100 words of less) on our Facebook page. Here is one of those posts:

“I always wondered what my dog did all day when I was gone. With the quarantine I learned it’s a lot of sleeping and anxiously waiting for me to come back home. It’s basically just like my living state when I’m depressed except I don’t know what I’m waiting for. I made a promise to my dog that when this is all over I will try to be as excited as he is when I come home to him. Then I called a few loved ones and made similar promises.”—By David Icenogle

WHAT’S FOR DINNER?
(Tasty recipes for families)

Double Chocolate Cookies. Easy-to-make, fudgy and absolutely delicious! (Full recipe here.)

BOOK PICK:

The Shape of the Eye, by George Estreich. A stunning meditation on raising and loving a child with Down syndrome. The beauty and lyricism of the prose, alongside Estreich’s careful attention to detail, will sink deep into your bones and pull you through the story of Laura’s diagnosis and early years, her medical challenges and successes. Never overly sentimental and always vitally honest, this memoir will stay with you long after you close the covers.

YOU ASKED/WE ANSWERED:
(Advice & tips from some of your favorite parenting experts) 

Q: What is a family quarantine pod and how does it work?

A: School is out, and with most summer activities and camps cancelled due to COVID-19, many parents are trying to find ways for their kids to regain a sense of normalcy.

One such idea is to create a family quarantine pod, in which two or three families agree to socialize only with each other and nobody else. “In a pod, families hang out together, often without regard to social distancing — but outside of the pod, they follow recommended social distancing rules,” writes Melinda Wenner Moyer for the NYT, noting that it’s important to choose a family that you trust, one that is being as careful as yours, and one that melds well with family members.

It’s a good idea to talk about the rules and parameters up front so everyone is on the same page, and the commitment timeframe, because if it doesn’t work out, you can always try another family after the requisite 14-day quarantine period.

• The Barcelona Opera filled its nearly 2,300 seats with plants for a June 22 concert. SEE
• The average length of time a visitor spends looking at Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is 54 seconds.
• Only one state in the U.S. doesn’t currently have a national park or a national monument—the country’s first state, Delaware. 

LOOK/LISTEN: 
Sesame Street and Headspace have teamed up to teach kids about meditation and mindfulness. With six animated shorts in total, this one is from Elmo, who is having trouble winding down and going to sleep. WATCH

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