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alright observations after a week of wearing a mask 4-6 hrs per day & enforcing kids wearing them too:
1. find masks that fit & are comfortable for you. This sounds obvious but there& #39;s HUGE variety in styles/shapes/fits of masks, esp w some being homemade versus store bought, etc. personally i don& #39;t like the trifold ones (tighter across the face) and prefer a nose strip (stay in
place AND don& #39;t fog glasses). figure out what works for you & GET THOSE. it makes a world of difference
2. you will get used to them. even within the span of one week it got much easier to handle wearing one for a long span of time!
3. the way kids react to them will differ based on what they& #39;re hearing at home.
4. the younger kids (on our case at least) were better than the older ones. little ones can conceptualize that there& #39;s two sets of rules for two different places; older ones sometimes set their mind against the very concept of it.
5. with that in mind, most kids will wear a mask well and do their best to keep it up, with some unconcious messing with it & the occasional pull to the side for a breath.
6. on the opposite side, some kids will just need to be constantly reminded. there were some who removed their masks every time they thought we weren& #39;t watching. that problem continued throughout the week.
7. there& #39;s going to need to be some sort of rules/standard for what counts as a face covering. even in our small sample size we had a few show up in gaiters that were plainly see-thru or just straight-up lace--schools etc will need clear-cut policy details on this
8. give kids ownership! this isn& #39;t all doom and gloom. we handed out plain white fabric masks and MULTIPLE kids brought them back with sharpied drawings all proud to show them off. smiles, animal faces, designs of all sorts--they were thrilled to be wearing their own work!!
besides even this, there are SO many fun designs--every pattern & color you can think of! they come in super common kids& #39; characters & you can find some on etsy for any fandom you can possibly think of. i& #39;m trying to collect a variety of colors to match lots of outfits!
i think of it as similar to glasses--they& #39;re technically a corrective device and not always great to wear, but lots of kids are taught to see them as a fun accessory they get to choose! it& #39;s all in how it& #39;s approached & presented by adults.
9. hand washing. it needs to be made a habit many extra times a day & possibly monitored, depending on the age level--our kids were really good at the beginning about washing them every time they came in, went out, wanted to eat something, or had eaten, but after a while the
habit seemed less important & i suspect it began to slip.
(this policy was in place 5 weeks, before masks were even required)
(this policy was in place 5 weeks, before masks were even required)
10. as for washing MASKS--this is a point that seems to have been kind of neglected in public health literature? (i think) guidance is they shouldn& #39;t be reworn until they& #39;re washed--i did NOT see this happening, & that should probably be examined
11. masks are worse in hot air--you& #39;ll already know this if you& #39;ve walked from a cool grocery store into a blazing summer day. hope your school is air conditioned!!
12. also....they get kinda sweaty/gross if you& #39;re doing any sort of physical or stressful activity, esp in hot air or for long periods of time. there are loopholes in many mask mandates for intensive activities but it& #39;s just something schools etc should be aware of! one teacher
i talked to is planning on bringing two for the day & swapping them at lunch.
13. i miss smiling at people! our kids did so well & i had to result to different sorts of physicality (thumbs up, heart hands, pumped fists) to show my support & appreciation.
14. w/r/t 13: clear front masks exist to solve this problem, but they fog & gather condensation! our kids wore this sort for a portion of the program, and they also noted that this plastic-fronted kind were harder to breathe in. wiping them down with shaving cream helped
de-fog the screens, but it isn& #39;t a perfect solution & they still collected condensation. note--this was a musical theatre program so possibly that only happened due to the singing/stage light heat, but it& #39;s still worth being aware of!
15. mask acne. yikes.
16. it will be okay. it WILL be okay. people adjust. the kids learn. it gets easier to wear the masks, & it IS possible to find ones that fit well & sit nicely on your face. you can do this!!!
