TV School? It's a thing, and it's good. REALLY good.

Public school, nationally broadcast every weekday for kids grades 1-9?
I was skeptical: something thrown together in a month would be either super boring (where I would be hounding the kids to pay attention, sit still, stop picking lint out of their toes), or be glorified educational cartoons, also known as screen time.

I am humbled.

Story Time!
All Portuguese programming is accompanied by sign language (see bottom right on the TV)

Up until the start of mandatory TV school (April 20), the kids were getting daily assignments from their teachers, taking about an hour's worth of time.  If we had questions, we were invited to email or call their teachers. We did not have to hand in assignments. It was quick (aka, relatively painless).

The big, anticipated day arrived.  We were ready in our dining room/living room/classroom/office (only room in the house with a TV and wi-fi). It went something like this:

• Catarina, not interested in the "school work" I made for her, and upset that her siblings were not available to play, cried incessantly for 2 hours.
• Gabi kept yelling that she couldn't hear the TV through her sister's sobs.
• Jonty, working on an assignment waiting for his classes to start, lost 3 erasers in a matter of 3 minutes, then his pencil, then his list of workbook pages...and kept calling me to help.
• Mark sat wincing at his desk, trying to work during the chaos.
• Lunch got burnt because I got distracted.

I cracked a beer at 11:15am.

Doing abstract art together.
See Mark working in the background? So much physical closeness!

But, 2 weeks in, we are in a good place, and seem to have found our groove. Whew.

So what does TV school look like? 

• Broadcast on a public channel available to anyone with a TV, as well as streamed live and on demand online, TV school is flexible. JACKPOT: we sleep in, so our kids do their classes simultaneously a little later, one on the TV and the other on the laptop with headphones.
• There is a schedule of 30 minute classes from 9am-6pm every weekday, with 10 minute breaks in between. 
• Grade specific classes are grouped in twos, e.g. grades 1&2 together, grades 3&4 together, etc.
• My kids each have 3-4 classes a day, depending on the day of the week.
• Subjects specific to their grade grouping are: Portuguese, Math, Reading Hour (literacy), Social Studies, English (I don't make them do this class) and Physical Education.
• Artistic Expression (15 minutes a week each of art, dance, music and theatre) is for all grades.
• Gabi and Jonty also have Portuguese as a Second Language class, as it's not their mother tongue.

Tuesday's TV School Schedule

Grade 1&2 classes centre around one book a week.
E.g. Last week it was a story about animals going to the fly's house for cake.
Portuguese class looked at new vocabulary, masculine/feminine, singular/plural, number of syllables, etc using words from the book; Math worked on "ordinal numbers", based on the order guests arrived in the story and the ingredients added to the cake; Social Studies looked at animal classification; Phys. Ed included moving like the animals and squeezing into the little doorway.

The TV teachers are great--they ask questions and pause for answers, offer ideas for organizing work, and give positive feedback throughout the class. The activities have Gabi using the TV like a smart board, connecting responses with her finger, circling answers, breaking apart words into syllables, etc. It runs at a good pace, and feels like an actual class.  When I don't think she understands, I can pause the program, review with her, or get her items she needs. For her age group, I feel an adult still has to be present, but can multi-task.

TV kinda works like a Smart Board

It works for Math too!

Grade 3&4: Jonty sits on the laptop with headphones, with a notebook and pencil at the ready to participate in class. He is 100% independent with his classes. I hear him yelling out answers, and see him working out math problems or writing things down as directed by the TV teacher.

Jonty occasionally has an audience.

Both kids are engaged in their lessons for the duration, which blows me away.  At the end of each class, TV teachers give optional ideas to reinforce learnings at home. We don't do them.

Doing a science experiment about states of matter, along with the TV teacher

Gym Class: They each have one gym class a week. The TV teachers are sensitive to the space and equipment limitations kids would have at home. Gabi needed a skipping rope and a ball this week; Jonty, toilet paper and a ball. For those without, alternatives were suggested: tie 2 long sleeve shirts together to make a rope, and roll together some socks for a ball.
Both kids pause for water breaks, and get out of breath in our little living room.

Confinement has reduced our fitness level...this kid suddenly needs breaks!

After building the door into the fly's house, the animals crawl inside using different movements.

Artistic Expression is my favourite class. I marvel at how the TV teachers make the content appeal to kids ages 6-14. Catarina and I join the other two for these classes. Last week we clapped out a rhythm while reading "sheet" music, danced to Tchaikovsky with brooms, made abstract art from squiggles, and acted out emotions from a folk tale.

Abstract art to Vivaldi music--very cool.

Dancing with brooms in dance class:
my ceilings and floors were a little less dusty!

So what do their actual teachers do?
I think it's similar to what teachers back in Canada are doing: Every week, I am sent a schedule of work. Its about an hour's worth of work a day, with deadlines for photo submission. Jonty's teacher calls him twice a week on WhatsApp to check in, answer his questions, and give him feedback on his work (he gets so nervous!). Gabi has a one hour Google Classroom meet-up with half her class twice a week. Here, they take turns reading and presenting projects, and today did a craft together. She loves seeing her friends.

Connecting with friends and her teacher - a bi-weekly highlight

On top of this, their favourite teacher, who teaches them Portuguese as a Second Language, has a weekly one-on-one ZOOM call to keep developing their Portuguese.  They miss her--the TV teacher for this class lacks Professora Nani's touch.

What do the kids think?
Hands down, they would rather be at school. But, Jonty says he likes TV school because he gets to decide when to do classes and in what order.
He misses friends, recess with friends and school lunches.

Gabi says she likes TV school because she can sleep in (used to start class at 8:15am).
She misses her friends.

What do I think?
TV school is busy. It takes us from about 10am-2:30pm everyday with a break for lunch. But the kids are doing it, not complaining too much, and still being exposed to and reading/writing/speaking lots of Portuguese. It's a decent alternative and I am thankful.
Now fingers crossed Catarina (in "pre-school") goes back to school June 1 as anticipated!

I think TV school works here (and maybe reasons it is not feasible in Canada) because:

• there is one curriculum for the entire country
• there are national manuals and workbooks for each child (at a cost according to income); we were given a time slot to go to the school to pick them up, as they didn't all come home when schools first closed
• all teachers use the same manuals, similar teaching materials, and workbooks and follow the same order of curriculum concepts (i.e. most children are at about the same place in the curriculum at the start of term 3, which started after Easter break).

If you're curious, check out their TV school: 

https://www.rtp.pt/play/estudoemcasa

A sample page from Gabi's math workbook -
comes in full colour, with stickers at the back to place throughout!

COVID19 Update:

Portugal is considered to be doing well (April 29, 2020): 

• a new case increase rate of 0.7%; 
• 24,000 total cases, 948 deaths 
• in the last 24 hours: 295 new cases and 20 deaths

The State of Emergency has not been renewed; it will be down-graded to a State of Calamity (!) on May 3.  The government announced the "reintegration plan" tonight--a 3-phase plan to be rolled out over the next 6 weeks.  Schools will not reopen. :(
Phase 1 (May 4): Masks are mandatory in all public places (shops, schools, banks, etc). Small shops with entrances to the street open, with limits on #s inside. The beach opens for nautical sports only (Mark will no longer be dodging the police for his swims across the bay!). Children can once again frolic outside.
Funny, how just this feels like SO MUCH freedom right now! 

Canada, comparatively:

• 50,026 total cases, 2,859 deaths
• in the last 24 hours:1,526 new cases and 152 deaths

Ambulance ride? NOT on the bucket list.

I woke up late Saturday morning, uninspired. Here we go again, groundhog day number...?  I don't even know anymore. The morning went by as expected: slowly.

Not on the trip itinerary, but a first for us both

After lunch we went for a hike, the trailhead a 3 minute drive up the hill.  The kids found an awesome climbing tree, a massive pine growing sideways out of the mountain.

Suddenly, Gabi slipped and fell about a meter. She yelped, stood up, shook herself off. Mark got to her at the same time she saw the gash on her thigh, and all I heard was a shrill scream, "I can see my guts!". Yup, the fat tissue was pushing out of the 3cm tear...not for the faint of heart.

Mark scooped her up, gave me the look, and we knew we had to get to the hospital.  Arg...why during a pandemic?! As we have 2 hospitals 45 minutes away, in opposite directions, I called the equivalent of "telehealth" to find out which one to go to. They are currently doubling as Portugal's COVID19 triage system, so I got a recorded message: if you have a cough, press 1; if you have a fever, press 2...OMG!

I finally got through, and they connected me quickly to 112 (our 911). At this point we were already in the car, Mark cupping the gash with her on his lap in the front seat, me, driving standard down a one way, narrow cobblestone road back home, holding the phone talking to 112, giving details about the injury, the patient and our address. It was hectic. They sent an ambulance (we thought it excessive, but it was convenient); it arrived 2 minutes after we did. I just had enough time to grab her health card, water, snack, iPad, cellphone and face masks (new to our "go to the hospital" kit list).

The drive to Setubal through the winding roads carved through Arrabida National Park usually takes us 45 minutes. It took the ambulance 26.  Gabi was calm, playing her Pokemon Game. I, on the other hand, did all I could not to puke from motion sickness...

Ambulance ride: check.

She was happy with "extra screen time".

Gabi was the first paediatric patient these paramedics had transported since COVID19, so we pulled up to the hospital, and one hopped out to figure out protocol. No swabs for us, she got wheeled right in and was on the table quickly, getting stitched up. Place was VERY empty, only 3 other kids, each in their own room. Not like with Jonty and his broken foot. Sigh, we are getting to know this hospital well.

No one in the waiting room...
I've said it before: Paediatric emergency is an awesome concept!

Mark and the other two kids met us, and our clan opted for McDonald's (drive through only), as we were in the "big city" where there actually is one! The adventure gave us an excuse to break quarantine and leave Sesimbra, something we had not done since lockdown.

McDonald's Drive Thru for the patient and her support team

Short story, looong, she is well, hobbling and sore, but on the mend. Luckily, changing her bandages can happen at our health centre here in town, as can removing her stitches, which will happen next week. Once again, Gold Star for the health system here.

Sunday I woke up, content with groundhog day #44...

"I'm ok", she said here, cheerfully, after "surgery".
During the stitching, she pulled her facemask over her eyes to avoid seeing the gore.

What the...?!? Portuguese food and my kids

Fresh clams: devoured. Cod fish: total crowd pleaser. Bean & meat stew: a resounding YESSSSSSSS! Octopus, blood sausage, slimy sea creatures...sure, we'll try.

My kids enjoy the food here. Why?

They order vegetable soup for a snack.
Mom and dad opt for coffee and pastry.

It's not me: I am not a great cook. Being daughter #4, I always let those who "could", "do", and I cleaned up. I am very good at cleaning :)

I attribute two main reasons for my kids' ever expanding palates and willingness to try new foods:

1. Freshness: Accessible and affordable, fresh ingredients are the norm. I have yet to see a deep freeze in anyone's home! People generally shop daily: meat, fish, produce, bread. I buy fish and seafood at the market, often caught that day or the day before, and we're eating it by 1pm. Fruit is bursting with flavour--the climate is conducive. Fruit trees are everywhere, and make up part of the public landscape. On our walks, our kids have picked and eaten fruit right off trees: oranges, figs, lemons, loquats, avocados, pomegranates, apples...and we're only coming into summer now. Who knows what else we'll find?
FRESH tastes GOOD.

One of the 8 stalls in the fish market.
The fisherman sell their fish to the mongers long before we're even awake.

One of the 6 produce stalls at the market.
All grown pretty locally.

Picking loquats just behind our building

2. School lunches: Baptism by fire--my kids dove into the cultural gastronomy via school lunches. They were exposed to lots of new foods surrounded by friends: anything they were not familiar with, well, positive peer pressure nudged them to try it.  Boiled potatoes? They love them, drizzled with olive oil. Baked fish? I'm told they ask for seconds. Vegetable soups daily? Thrice now, when I've ordered coffee and pastry for afternoon snack, they request the cafe's vegetable bean soup. Who are these children?!

So, OK: Jonty has always been an adventurous eater. For his 8th birthday (back in Canada), he requested roast lamb, roast potatoes & onions, and brussel sprouts(!).  But our girls came with pretty typical Canadian food preferences.  We are pleased and proud: not all food is a hit, but they are willing to try try new, foreign foods.  I'm good with that!

Interesting note: you won't find baby carrots, mini cucumbers, goldfish crackers: do you think it has to do with universal school lunches? And seedless grapes are harder to find. Seeded grapes and my kids, NOT a match!

Portuguese Gastronomy:

Portugal has been a nation for over 900 years. Centuries of battles and rule by monarchy and dictatorship kept the majority of people poor. Because of this, the food is very simple, made from inexpensive, basic ingredients, readily available. Not like, for example, the rich French cuisine, made with elaborate ingredients.  Most main dishes have, as a base: onion, garlic, lemon and cilantro, and either fish, beans or meat. Desserts are made from: eggs, flour, sugar.

As a "foreigner" trying to cook new Portuguese dishes, I find it very helpful that Portugal is a mono-culture: ie, everyone knows how make it all.  When I want to make "feijoada" (the bean and meat stew my family SO loves), I tell the butcher what I'm making, and he knows what meats I need, and how I need them cut.  Blood sausage, chourico sausage, pork ribs, back bacon, pig's snout & feet (I have yet to add those to my pot!)...

And despite being such a small country, each town/region has a nationally recognized dish and/or dessert. So wherever we go, we try to eat what that town is known for. The variety is remarkable, and we have not been disappointed yet.

When we eat out, we generally order a few different desserts to expand our horizons.
Yes, it's a hard life.

Meal times:

This took a little getting used to, but we're as close as we're gonna get!  Oi, just in time to transition back to our Canadian schedule...

My favourite breakfast: fresh cheese, warm bun, and a latte.
We plan to make the cheese ourselves when we get back

• Breakfast is when we're up: milk, fresh bread with fresh cheese, fruit. Our kids still love porridge.
• Lunch is the main meal here, and typically eaten around 1pm. Soup, main (fish, meat or beans), dessert, fruit, wine. 
• Lanche is afternoon snack, usually around 5pm. Yogurt, fruit, sandwiches, pastries...anything goes, but it's light.
• Supper is around 7/8pm. Soup is a staple.  A light meal, which we love--makes the evening more relaxed for sure.

Now, this photo collage does not do justice to the many wonders of the Portuguese gastronomy, but it's a start. You'll have to come here to taste it for yourself!

So simple, yet, so good! The makings of seafood stew.

Portuguese sausage, presunto, lots of types of cheese (goat and cow) and fresh bread.
Perfect for supper on a hot day!

Razor Clams - a first for us all.
Google how they're caught, it's cool!

I'm married to a foodie.
He makes a delicious Arroz de Tamboril - Monkfish Rice.

Grilled Octopus - chewy, yet satisfying.

Baked Corvina - fresh from Sesimbra.
Grilled fish is our favourite weekend lunch! 

Seafood rice in Alcacer do Sal
The rice is grown about 20m from the restaurant, and the seafood caught a short drive away.

Name that fruit
Quince, sugar-apple and persimmon.
Trying new foods.

Hmmm, maybe our view contributes to the enjoyment of our food?
Yeah, maybe.

COVID19 Update - April 22, 2020

• Portugal is dubbed Europe's "little miracle" for it's quick flattening of the curve and containment of the virus
• Portugal's number of recovered patients (912) surpasses the number of deaths (785)
• Portugal's peak is considered to have passed (having happened on March 23-25)
• Portugal leads the world in testing - 31,000 tests/million population; Canada is at 17,000
• Canada (population 3X that of Portugal) sits at 40,190 cases and 1,974 deaths; Portugal sits at 21,982 and 785 respectively
• United States hits 48,000 deaths--doubling the deaths in the former epi-centres of the pandemic of Italy (25,085) and Spain (21,717)

the COVID Conundrum: do we stay or do we go?

No school. No restaurants. No sightseeing. No family gatherings. And as of 9 days ago, no beach.

Really? Um, those are most of the reasons we're here.

This pandemic has impacted everyone's life, and altered so, so many plans. Humanity does what it has to, there is no alternative. But Mark and I do have a choice--where we live out this quarantine.

Our favourite chicken take out place is selling homemade masks.

Food and PPE? Bonus!

Back in March, when Prime Minister Trudeau urged Canadians abroad to return home, we had 4.5 months left in Portugal, with return flights booked end of July. We opted to stay, figuring:

• we are safe in our quiet village
• there's lots of food,
• this climate is amazing, 
• we are not ready to call this off, 
• this should pass by then (and worse case scenario, we can stay indefinitely--Mark with his 5 year residency permit and us as Portuguese citizens), 
• school might re-open, 
• plus, our home back in Canada is occupied. 

Now, a month later, all direct flights Lisbon-Toronto are cancelled (our carrier has grounded its entire fleet, so although there are multi-city flight options, we'd need new tickets and we'd risk cancelations), quarantine is likely extended to at least the summer, and we know that the kids will not go back to school this year.
What do we do now?

The reality is, regardless where we are, our  day-to-day would be pretty similar: us at home with the kids, and online schooling. In talking to friends, following Canadian social media and CBC, here are some differences I see between quarantine in the two countries:

Quarantine Restrictions:
It seems Canada is more relaxed on this, with "quarantine" defined on an individual level.

• Yes, like here, schools, parks and green spaces are closed, as are non-essential businesses. Social distancing is followed when out in public. But unlike Canada (where you can enjoy pleasure walks and bike rides, drive anywhere, shop whenever), Portugal has significant restrictions for everyone on being out of home.  There is obvious police presence, tickets for "crimes of disobedience" and fines to match.  They are out patrolling regularly, and sound their loud speakers with "Return Home" when passing pedestrians.  We've been stopped twice by police and sent home (very politely, mind you).  Once we were out for a family walk on the beach before its' official closure and once playing/hanging out on the sidewalk in front of our building. You are allowed out to exercise, but raised eyebrows and head shakes when we pass with our little people is unsettling, and likely explains why the streets are void of children. I mostly see adults out with a grocery bag--picking up essentials. As a mom of young kids: Canada and our Peterborough backyard are looking pretty good...
• In true Canuck fashion, Canadians were politely encouraged to stay home this Easter weekend. In Portugal there was a full-on enforced ban, with police out on the highways stopping all drivers. The message was clear: people cannot leave home/be out of their constituency without proof of a valid reason (i.e. essential service worker or taking care of elderly family).  For the 5 days of Easter weekend, the airports were closed, and all vehicles on highways were monitored.  Meanwhile, back home, it seems like cottage visits and small gatherings were common. Perhaps justifiable because there is so much more space in Canada?  Canada's case numbers are lower per million? Canada is that much farther from ravaged Spain? Would have been nice to have a change of scenery!

Our beachfront walk--fully blocked off :(

The yellow sign kindly encourages us to return home--put up late March.
The white sign prohibits entry and cites civic law to enforce it (put up a week later).
Portugal is clear about quarantine.

The town garden...not as inviting as it once was.

Luckily for us, Sesimbra is full of hiking paths in the woods and up the mountains.
We see a handful of people on the trails, but its easy to steer clear of each other.
Sometimes we pass police on the way home--as long as we are moving, we get a friendly nod.

Sesimbra's police cavalry monitoring pedestrian activity.
We love hearing the clip clop outside our window.

Grocery shopping:
Panic buying is not a thing here. Maybe because houses and fridges here can't handle bulk purchasing? Maybe people are more socialist by nature, taking only what they need? The gastronomy calls for fresh food, which you can't hoard? Maybe Portuguese are more confident in the supply chain?  Can't explain it, but going grocery shopping continues to be such a pleasant, mostly daily, experience.  Aside from having to wait my turn outside the grocery store/the butcher/the market/the bakery/the fish monger, and staff now wearing masks, nothing has changed.
And I love it.  Portugal for the win.

Our local grocery shop. Shelves fully stocked. Three people allowed in at a time.
What used to take 5 minutes now takes 20, but standing in the sunshine chatting with friendly folks, 2m apart, makes it fun.

The Portuguese love their fresh bread and pastries--the daily ritual remains, even in quarantine.
The ladies in the shop know me as the "Portuguese foreigner" and make me smile every day.

Mass Safety Precautions:
I haven't heard or seen footage that Canada has started spraying/disinfecting sidewalks/public spaces.  Here, they do it regularly.  My verdict is double-edged: the spraying must help with containment, however, it heightens the sense of alarm and seriousness.

Long story short: We'll stay here for a while yet.

A balcony of hope.

Post "kids bedtime" therapy!

We wanted more family time on this trip, and we're getting it!
Perhaps not in the anticipated doses, but we're good :)

COVID19 Comparison
Canada is about a week behind Portugal.  As of April 13, 2020:

• Portugal is at 1,661 total cases/million population and 52 deaths/million population
• Canada is at 646 total cases/million and 19 deaths/million population 
• Sesimbra "county" has 17 cases, population 50,000; Peterborough County has 53 cases, population 121,000
• Tests/million population: Portugal: 20,000; Canada: 12,000

Both countries seem to be containing its' spread well and "flattening the curve" (a now common term for us all). We are watching each's numbers closely and rooting for both, hoping things improve in the next couple of months and make it possible for us to salvage some summer holidays, wherever we are!

Easter in Quarantine--the best one yet?

Gabi thinks so.

In the words of my 6-year old: "It was a wonderful day! Easter in Portugal is better than in Canada. Here, the "Coelho de Pascoa" gives you presents and WAY more candy!"
Yeah, because she has no where else to spend her cash!

A glimpse of our day:

We awoke to a gorgeous, sunny day to discover
Portugal's Easter Bunny made it to our apartment.
We were relieved to hear she was deemed an essential service.   

The Easter Bunny left us a scavenger hunt in Portuguese.
And we nailed it!

The hunt took us through our building
(even emptier now with the ban on all travel out of constituency this Easter weekend).

Jonty teaching Catarina how to eat a candy necklace.
Important life skill.

Breakfast was bacon, eggs, and "folar", a traditional Portuguese Easter Bread.
Only mom liked it...

After skipping and playing racquetball in the courtyard, we had a ZOOM call with Portuguese family.
We'd never done that before!

We ate lunch on our balcony. The sun was shining, the beach deserted, there was no wind.
The ocean was many shades of majestic blue.

Everyone had a say in the lunch menu.
Jonty - lamb & tomatoes; Gabi - chicken & juice; Catarina: carrots & french fries;
Mom: Sangria; Dad...he got to BBQ in the hot sun!

Honestly, it felt like we were at a private resort in the Caribbean. 26C on our balcony!
Despite the Quarantine, somehow it still feels like we're on holiday.

We couldn't go to the beach today, so the girls improvised.
At least the sound of the waves was real!

We finished the day with a 2 hour hike in the woods behind our apartment.
We found a waterfall and followed it down to the ocean.
This was taken the day before on the other side of the mountain (today we had no phones). 

 Feliz Pascoa!