Unexpectedly homeschooling because of Coronavirus school closures? Overwhelmed by the unrealistic Instagram posts of people’s daily schedules? Deep breath. You can totally do this! A Fine Parent has compiled a list of 110+ awesome free educational resources to make this super easy. Organized by subject and age level, there’s something for every kid, not matter the age!
FunBrain offers hundreds of games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in math, reading, problem-solving and literacy for Pre-K through 8th grade. Visit the FunBrain website to read books, play games, and watch videos – all while learning!
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Air and Space Anywhere webpage provides virtual tours of the museum, and educational podcasts, games and activities about aircraft and spacecraft. And educators can turn to the museum’s K-12 learning resources for STEM lessons, activities and videos on topics such as flight, planetary science, space, and engineering and technology.
As the world asks more of families and teachers, TIME for Kids is in the unique position to help kids understand this unprecedented moment. The magazine is offering free access to a library of four grade-specific digital editions of TIME for Kids and Your $ financial literacy magazine – register for grades K-6 editions here. Turnkey teaching tools, with worksheets and quizzes for families or teachers are available here.
PBS Kids is offering tools to help support learning at home, including educational videos and games from favorite series, and related skill-building offline activities. Sign up here for their weekday newsletter that offers activities and tips you can use to help kids play and learn at home.
Learn how to sound out your name in hieroglyphs, just like a scribe in Ancient Egypt! Targeted towards ages 8+, kids (and adults!) can learn to write their names in Egyptian hieroglyphs with this one-hour activity.
The children’s magazine of the National Wildlife Federation, Ranger Rick, is making its website free to all visitors through the end of June. Free Ranger Rick Educator’s Guides and Ranger Rick Jr. Parent Reading Guides are also available to parents and educators. And here’s a tip for parents: We hope you’ll take advantage of the activity ideas and student pages in our free monthly Ranger Rick Educator’s Guides and Ranger Rick Jr. Parent Reading Guides.
Visit the Harry Potter At Home hub to find all the latest magical treats to keep you occupied – including special contributions from Bloomsbury and Scholastic, nifty magical craft videos (teach your friends how to draw a Niffler!), fun articles, quizzes, puzzles and plenty more for first-time readers, as well as those already familiar with the wizarding world. They’re casting a Banishing Charm on boredom!
The Smithsonian is committed to supporting teachers and their students around the globe as they face unprecedented new learning challenges. On the Learning Lab, teachers (and parents) have access to millions of digital resources from across the Smithsonian’s museums, research centers, libraries, archives, and more. You will also find pre-packaged collections that contain lessons, activities, and recommended resources made by Smithsonian museum educators as well as thousands of classroom teachers.
Students can continue to learn at home while schools are closed. Take a Code Break with Code.org, and view resources for students, parents, and teachers – including videos, fun tutorials, and projects! The course catalog includes options for K-12 and beyond. Younger kids can make games, apps, and drawings, while older kids can learn to build apps and websites using blocks, JavaScript, CSS, HTML and more. If you’re short on time, they even offer hour of code tutorials for all ages.