Digital Learning Resources to Educate and Entertain Kids at Home

To make learning easier, despite the distance, we've made this list of resources for educating and entertaining kids at home. 

For Students:

Training courses, tips, guides, and tools that will help you reach your goals regardless of where you are in this journey of remote learning.

Online Reading 

• Epic - A digital reading platform for kids 12 and under. It has 40,000 books, audiobooks, learning videos, quizzes, and more. Available in English and Spanish.

• Flocabulary - Punctuation is as important as vocabulary. Flocabulary helps you convey your message in the best and most comprehensible way.cmcrae@lyle.k12.mn.us

• Jumpstart - Develop your child’s bilingual cognitive advantage through Jumpstart. Choose from a vast selection of songs, stories, and activities while learning vocabulary in both English and Spanish. 

• Kidlit - For ages 5-18 yrs. old, KidLit TV has shows, radio, crafts and activities, book read-alongs for kids. Some of the TV shows include Storymakers, a talk show that highlights authors and illustrators, Read Out Loud, when the authors at KidLit TV do read-alongs, and Young at Art, where kids can learn art skills used in book illustrations. 

• Newsela - Reading materials on current events that support social-emotional learning. It has lessons and activities that support reading comprehension.

• PBS Learning Media - Have an interactive approach on storytelling with PBS Learning Media. Learn and explore story structure and elements through performance, art, and many more.

• Time For Kids - Great for ages 5-13 years old. Time For Kids offers a wide selection of articles from kindergarten until the 6th grade level. Choose from the various topics that cater to your child’s interests for a quick reading practice.

• Wonderopolis - Feed your curiosity about the world and beyond! Wonderopolis has the answer to your every burning question. Try out their activities, play and learn!

Practicing Math and Coding

• CK-12 - Learning is made easy with the wide variety of resources on math, science, and more, categorized by grade level on CK-12. Organize your lessons by customizing with Flexbooks. 

• Code.org - No experience required! Introduce the fascinating world of coding to your child through Code.org. Learn in the comfort of your home through at-home learning or the Hour of Code activities.

• Dreme Family Math - Dreme Family Math offers an innovative, engaging approach to learning math with the family. Scholars and professionals have put together activities catering to different learning styles, such as incorporating math to daily household tasks.

• Mangahigh - Learning Math has never been this fun! Mangahigh covers a wide range of math topics which you can learn through live streams, games, or practice exercises.

• Mathigon - Browse through a multitude of math lessons made interactive and available by Mathigon. Personalize your courses and learn at your own pace, with the assistance of a virtual personal tutor. Learning Math has never been more engaging until Mathigon.

• Prodigy Math - A very engaging online math platform that reinforces math skills through video game-style play. Fit for grades 1-8.

• Zearn - Get Zearning! Zearn provides a structured math program, built to develop a daily habit of learning math.

Experimenting Science

• American Chemical Society - Free online lesson plans for grades K-8. Despite the school closures, you can nurture your child’s inquisitive mind through fun chemistry lessons and activities online, thanks to the initiative of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

• Knowledge On The Go - With over a thousand video lessons available, learning never stops on Knowledge On The Go. Select your grade level and get access to high-quality, coherent instructional materials created by teachers and teacher-writers.

• NASA - For kids in elementary school, NASA Kids’ Club has games and activities they can engage with independently. For a deeper exploration of space, check out NASA for Educators to browse STEM resources for K-12.

• NOVA Education - Real-world science learning for grades 7 to 13. It contains over 1500 resources that educators can use in their lessons to spark and enrich student knowledge of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics). 

• Science Buddies - Science Buddies is a great resource for your science project ideas for school or home. Find guides on conducting experiments and explore the intriguing world of science!

• Science Fun for Everyone - Instructional videos of simple science experiments you can do at home with your children. Complete with jokes and trivia!

For Parents:

You can find the help you need to keep the learning going for your children, at the same time keeping them engaged, connected, and on track in life. With these resources, you can support your children as they go through learning from home.

Fun Activities To Do At Home

• CosmicKids Yoga - Destress and do yoga… with the kids? It’s possible with CosmicKids Yoga! Have an enjoyable and relaxing time through easy-to-follow guides on poses and mindfulness.

• GoNoodle - Great for ages 3-12 years old. Look after your child’s physical health the fun way. GoNoodle’s got you covered on that. Bust out those dance moves or do some stretches for five minutes, even longer! 

• Monterey Bay Aquarium - Discover a list of guided activities for parents, caregivers and educators to support children’s learning at home. From spotting otters to exploring the extreme depths of the ocean.

• National Geographic Kids - Kids can view science explainers and experiments, watch people make “elephant toothpaste,” investigate rocks, and more. There’s a wide-variety of experiments to replicate at home —  bottling eggs, coating candy, dropping dye in white paint and other school science fair stuff. 

• PE With Joe  -  Although your kids have to forgo their school gym classes for now, they can burn some energy at home using trainer Joe Wicks's virtual PE classes. 

• The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids - Access to free stories and links to fun activities for stuck-at-home families everywhere.

• Typing Game - Use this free, standout typing program to learn, practice, and vastly improve your kids’ typing speed and accuracy. Parents can try it, too!

Recipes You Can Try With Your Kids

• Chopchop Family - Making veggie pizza is a piece a’ cake, especially with the whole family around to help. Chopchop Family provides easy recipes that are fun to try at home with the family.

• Encantos - Join Issa in her adventures in the kitchen as she discovers the wonders of cooking and nutrition with her mom, chef Aliya LeeKong. Learn new recipes that are not only flavorful, but also good for your health.

• Kids Cooking Activities - Helps children learn to cook simple recipes, including easy meals, cooking crafts, and more. They hold food science experiments to teach kids about science in the kitchen.

• Kids’ Table - A virtual cooking party sounds like a lot of fun, most especially when you gather ‘round the Kids’ Table! Let your kids take over the kitchen as they learn life skills early on. The young chefs get to create delicious dishes with the help of our skilled instructors.

For Educators:

In this list below, you can find the right tools and resources you’ll need to successfully keep your students engaged while learning from their own homes. Whether teaching with the latest technology is new to you or you’ve done it for years, these strategies and resources will help you to create an online classroom that supports every student. You can also find tools where you can collaborate with parents and team-up for each child’s success.

List of Learning Management Systems 

• Edmodo - This platform provides a collaborative space where students and teachers can share documents and discuss assignments. Edmodo is always free for teachers, parents, and students.

• Moodle - Used for distance education and for blended learning. Moodle is a learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators, and learners with a single robust, secure, and integrated system to create personalized learning environments.
  
  

Virtual Teaching Platforms

• Explain Everything Whiteboard - Real-time tools that help you create interactive lessons and collaborative spaces for your online classroom.

• Hapara - You can get the most out of Google Classroom and other Google tools with this platform. They offer webinars and other resources to help teachers create and manage the best online classrooms.

• SmartMusic - Keep your music students practicing at home with this online music classroom. You can track student progress, and they’ll get instant feedback from the online tools. 

• FlipGrid - Facilitate asynchronous video discussions with your classes. Raise questions or topics, and your students can create video responses. Also compatible with  your smartphone. It's a creative way to drive engagement in your classes.