Livestreamed kids’ show helps ease isolation of staying at home
When the COVID-19 pandemic pushed people to isolate in their homes, Crispi Lord decided to create a livestreamed children’s morning show for the people of Saskatoon.
Between running Wide Open Children’s Theatre and having three children of her own at home, she felt she knew what both kids and parents need right now.
“Kids don’t need to have mile-aminute entertainment,” she said. “It’s fine to just read them a story, to listen to the same song ... they enjoy that.”
Prior to the social gathering restrictions laid out by the provincial and federal governments as a way to slow the spread of the COVID -19 virus, Lord also hosted children’s programs through the Saskatoon Public Library. Those gatherings were often the only time parents would get the chance to see other adults for the whole day or perhaps week — and they offered a “slower-paced” outlet for the kids, she said.
Lord’s show, Toddler Storytime, on Wide Open Theatre’s Facebook page, lasts for 30 minutes on weekdays at 10 a.m. The Facebook Live show currently involves Lord singing, playing her ukulele, and going through activities and stories with her young audience.
Even in difficult times like these, Lord said it feels good to reach out to her community and remind people about the good of the arts.
“One of the reason’s I’m doing it is just to keep the arts and storytelling in the forefront of our lives,” she said. “That is what brings meaning to all these situations and deal with our everyday ... once this is all over, then maybe these new viewers will bring their children out to see stories in person.”
The show caught the attention of Sylvia Chave, another children’s entertainer in Saskatoon. Through her music brand, Singing with Sylvia, Chave has released multiple CDS both physically and online. She reached out to Lord with an offer to alternate mornings with her for the livestreamed show, which Chave said Lord generously accepted.
Chave, who sings and performs with children on a weekly basis at a Saskatoon daycare, said she hoped that they’d be able to put out shows the whole family could watch together.
“When you have isolation ... you do have the opportunity, with your children, to sit down and enjoy the arts that you can’t go to because they don’t work with your schedule,” she said.
The way the entertainment is presented in the live shows will likely evolve — Lord said she was hoping to figure out a way for her and Chave to livestream shows simultaneously, and that she wants to bring in more puppets that Wide Open Children’s Theatre is best known for. But for now, the 10 a.m. show will continue on a regular basis.
As Chave puts it, there’s never been a better time for people to be reminded that they’re not alone.
“It was such a great feeling, you know, that even in isolation we were together and having fun,” she said.