Schools globally are closed in the wake of coronavirus with students learning from home. This can be overwhelming and daunting for children, parents and caregivers. Many online resources have surfaced to support families academically as we all move through this unprecedented time. Many online companies have made it a priority to support families and help them navigate learning from home. We've compiled a short list of companies and resources to help parents and caregivers guide learning during this time and until schools are back in session.
This is just a small list so as not to be overwhelming to help parents and caregivers as they begin to navigate learning at home and online learning. While there are many more, this list will help you begin the academic journey you will move through over the coming weeks. There are also many wonderful subscription sites. The focus here is providing FREE online education support for you and your families.
Kahn Academy is one of the most trusted resources for students and parents. It’s recommended to families in both public school and home school.
Scholastic is offering free online courses. Scholastic's learning plans cover all the subjects your student would be taking at school. According to a news release from Scholastic, the website is divided into four sections, based on grade level, and has already posted days of material and an additional 15 days of content is on the way. According to the release, Scholastic Learn At Home provides approximately three hours of learning opportunities per day, for up to four weeks of instruction, including writing and research projects based on nonfiction articles and stories, virtual field trips, reading and geography challenges, access to their new digital community for kids Scholastic Home Base, and more. Teachers can also plan virtual learning meetups to discuss and expand on any of the resources found on the site. The material is accessible on all devices. The website, according to the release, is accessible on any device that has internet and no sign up is required. It will remain free and open indefinitely.
Scholastic Classroom Magazines has also launched a collection of kid-friendly resources for learning about coronavirus.
Audible is now offering free audiobooks for kids suddenly learning from home. The audiobook service, owned by Amazon, is offering free streams on a select number of children's stories in six languages. The service will be available for as long as schools are closed.
The HeartsSmarts Adventure (free download and fully online) has been designed by the HeartMath Institute for children ages 4 to 6. The program is completely online, and offers 63 activities to get kids engaged and active, as they learn about such things as heart health and emotional well-being. Children will engage in a variety of lessons that include videos, physical exercise, coloring art, music, interviews with children, and other enjoyable learning activities.
Here is an ongoing and always developing online list of education companies offering free subscriptions to learning while school is out. It's an expansive list added to continuously by educators and parents. You can find that link here.
EdHelper.com is providing free daily learning workbooks and worksheets for teachers to provide their families while school is out. It's free access for parents and caregivers as well! Super fun and the material loads as PDF's for you to print at home. The course work runs from kinder to middle school and some high school.
Sami Kader of Sami's Circuit in Sacramento usually comes to local schools for assemblies but he's now live streaming on YouTube everyday for kids at home. He shares all his motivational messages and ways to keep moving at home.
Does your school use Google Classroom? Or, maybe your class just started using it? Here's a parents guide to Google Classroom. Click on the images or scroll up and down to continue through the tutorial.
Here's some more fun learning! Always free!
Prodigy Game is a curriculum-alligned math platform loved by students, teachers and admin. For 1st to 8th grade students. No cost ever!
Mystery Doug...Why does soap make bubbles? Can turtles live outside their shells? Why do we get goosebumps?
Kids National Geographic...science, math, history, social studies.
Squiggle Park...Squiggle Park is reading skill building for ages 3 to 8+ and Dreamscape (on the same site) is reading comprehension for 8 to 15+.
Storyline Online The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s award-winning children’s literacy website, Storyline Online, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.
Typing Club is web based and highly effective. TypingClub is (and will always be) free for both individuals and schools. There is an optional paid school edition.
History For Kids packed with articles, worksheets and a quiz on each section and games and videos.
The Educators' Spin On It rounds up some wonderful virtual fieldtrips!
Finally, Comcast has put into place two program enhancements to help low-income families who wouldn’t otherwise have online access from home. Low-income families in the Comcast service area can sign up for 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month. Also, Comcast is increasing Internet speeds for the Internet Essentials service from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps for all new and existing customers, which will be the speed of the service going forward. To sign up, applicants can visit www.internetessentials.com or call dedicated phone numbers 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
These might help you and your children move through your school day. Many of these sites can be navigated by your children by themselves which is great especially when you have multiple grade levels learning at home. You can assign something online from this page while you help other children with more difficult coursework. Or, set all your kids online as you work, prepare dinner etc, you may even be having to file for unemployment as many employers are urging people to do. It’s not an easy task. This will keep the kids busy. Think about setting them all up online and go take the shower you haven’t gotten to, sit and do nothing for thirty minutes or an hour, go in the backyard by yourself and don’t think about school. Gift yourself some quiet time.
Dean'a Kodiak KFBK Reporter/Anchor
This page will be routinely update.