These plant-based activities will teach kids about springtime science.

Remote learning, the loss of sports and activities and social isolation have caused an increase in anxiety and depression for children of all ages over the past year.

The pandemic has led more kids to ask about such topics as loneliness, isolation, boredom, illness and death. When the Seattle schools closed this spring, I began continuing the philosophy sessions I lead in elementary school classrooms on Zoom, with small groups of children with whom I’ve been working this year.

As parents, we tend to want to make things better for our kids. But the seriousness of the novel coronavirus has forced us to talk to our children seriously about their safety and the safety of others.