'Digital Days' Aims To Keep Kids And Local Businesses Connected During Pandemic

Keeping children engaged during the coronavirus pandemic hasn't been easy, but a unique collaboration in one California school district is giving students an opportunity to learn something new outside of regular course work.

The Roseville City School District Foundation has teamed up with local businesses to create Digital Days, a new weekly live streaming interactive teaching series on YouTube.

Each Thursday at 4 p.m., students can tune in to learn coding, fitness, science, cooking and more. The goal is to connect students with a creative outlet and engage them in new ways to uncover a passion or interest that inspires them.

"Before COVID we had two huge events that would bring the business community and school community together. We had Run for Roseville Schools and the Comfort Food Cookoff," RCSD Foundation Vice President Renee Perez told CBS Sacramento.

But now the RCSD Foundation is offering a wide variety of activities from making pizzas to science experiments and a chance to learn yoga while giving businesses exposure and families something to do.

"Students can log in and interact and they learn a little nugget of knowledge," Perez said.

In some cases, businesses are able to showcase more online than in person. Mad Science, which is known for elaborate school presentations and parties, is now to do experiments that might be too big to transport or not safe to do when kids are around.

The goal is to maintain a virtual connection while everyone stays physically apart.

"I hope we provide a little value and something educational that's still fun for the students," Perez said