Flashback to one week ago: families, couples, individuals were ecstatic about their planned international or domestic vacations, road trips. It is currently Spring Break in Canada, and no one that I know is travelling abroad. There are school closures all over the world, and it seems that everything is at a collective stand still. Everyone I know is being socially conscious and staying put, living it up in the luxury of self-care, and parents are beginning to feel jittery and uncertain about what to do with their kids at home.
I had previously posted a "Shape of the Day" for parents to use, and following the success of that, I did more research to find other education resources I could provide to ease the stress that some households may be feeling at this time. I have made my own version inspired by the one that was circulating on the internet. Condensed it into something easier, made the colours a bit more calm. I hope it brings a sense of ease into your household!
Ultimately, we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to stay at home. My heart truly is so thankful to those who are nurses, doctors, medical care workers, researchers, etc., essentially everyone who is doing something to enhance the cause.
The "C-word" (no, not that word), is one that I don't want to write in this post. We don't need more anxiety in our lives. What we do need is more of the local and global communities coming together to help and bond and get us through this. So though I have been on a hiatus from teaching for the past couple months, I wanted to compile some resources that I used in my classroom, and for my outside tutoring lessons in order to lessen the burden for parents at home: STRUCTURE.
Note: Just because you are providing structure at home, it doesn't mean that you are being "un-fun" or your child will hate you. I don't know why parents often feel that if they push boundaries, their child will resent them. That is completely false. When you provide proper structure, your child will feel safer with you because they will see YOU as the Alpha --their leader, which YOU. ARE.
THE WEBSITES:
I have combed the internet and have compiled a plethora of websites that will allow you to SIGN UP FREE OF CHARGE, while also assisting you with keeping your child entertained, and won't let their brain go to complete mush. Some are purely academic, and some really allow your child to push his or her creativity. I used so many of these apps in my own classroom, and the kids always had an amazing time using them --and best of all they were on task and completely independent. These little guys are fast learners when they are engaged!
FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Here is a list of education companies and channels that are providing free subscriptions. There are so many different sites that appeal to different subjects, interests and skills. This is a god-send because apps and subscriptions are so costly. Some are outrageously expensive and require a year's commitment, while most are merely a couple of dollars here and there, it is still money and it all adds up!
Please follow the linked sites below. Once you leave my website follow the instructions as stated. Please note that some are only accessible in the US.
A-K:
ABCmouse.com® Early Learning Academy, is a comprehensive, research-validated curriculum for preschool through second grade, available on all major digital platforms and used by tens of millions of children to date.
ChemMatters Teacher's Guides include sample questions, reading strategies, background information on article topics, and connections to chemistry concepts and science standards. Available with each issue, the guides provide teachers with extensive information on feature articles along with tools for building lesson plans and broadening knowledge about chemistry.
"Meet Boardmaker Activities-to-Go! Free, printable activities for students in K-12. Whether you are an educator, speech language pathologist, behavior specialist, or parent, start teaching today.
Level A - Use these activities with your youngest students or most beginning learners.
Level B - Use these activities with your middle grade students or students ready to engage more deeply.
Level C - Use these activities with your high school students or students with some independent skills."
"Firstly, we’d like to offer everyone the ability to collaborate together on books in real-time. This is a premium feature that is usually only available with a paid subscription, but we’re offering 90 days free use of this tool, to help keep students and teachers connected. Secondly, we’ve pulled together a list of ideas for using Book Creator for remote learning – ideas that you can put in place today to help keep kids engaged whilst unable to attend school." Resources are also listed at the bottom of this compilation.
(Em Megan Recommended) I personally used this in my classroom all the time to introduce or reinforce topics. Comprehensive videos break down subjects from Math, English, Socials, Science. I highly recommend this site for elementary-aged students. There are quizzes and activities that they can also complete to follow up and enhance their knowledge.
"We’ve put together a collection of digital games that students can play at home. Students can click on any game and start playing! Math and Science focus for elementary-aged students."
"Your students will receive access to thousands of CENTURY's learning resources in English, maths and science. Their learning will be supported by our AI engine that creates a personalized learning path for each student, identifies gaps in knowledge and remedies misconception."
"CheckMath is the first automatic checker of step-by-step handwritten steps to a math problem. It is build to empower students in their logic, skills and confidence by providing immediate feedback."
"You are the key to your child's success! Circletime shows you how. The National Education Association confirms that family engagement is profoundly impactful in children’s long-term educational achievements. It finds that the most significant type of involvement is what parents do at home. With Circletime, families create healthy learning habits and routines that will take them beyond the early years into their children’s formal educational journey. Circletime educators will do fun activities with you and your child and show you more activities that your child can do offline. All without breaking the bank.
"We'll walk you through how to use our deeply interactive digital textbooks and find engaging content on our platform for online learning during school closures."
"A brand new site from Classroom Secrets packed full of activities for children to use independently."
"A novel, world-class, online, interactive high school computer science curriculum that is entirely free."
"CommonLit is a nonprofit education technology organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, especially students in Title I schools, graduate with the reading, writing, communication, and problem-solving skills they need to be successful in college and beyond. We believe in providing teachers with all the resources they need to set their students up for success, while also encouraging best practices in the classroom. That’s why the CommonLit Literacy Model is built on a foundation of over 2,000 high-quality free reading passages for grades 3-12, complemented by aligned interim assessments, growth-oriented data, and expert-led teacher development."
"Conjuguemos was started in 2000 by me, a Spanish teacher in Weston HS, (Weston, MA). I wasn't a fan of teaching verb conjugations and figured a computer program could do this task better than me and a bunch of worksheets. So I started CONJUGUEMOS as a hobby and have kept at it for many years. I still work in the same school, and over the years have helped teachers add a lot of content to this site."
"A community for teaching and learning. Share and explore high quality K-12 content. Arts, career and technical education, computer science, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies."
"The Dyslexia-Academy is an online dyslexia school of support for Parents, Teachers and Pupils."
(Em Megan Recommended) I LOVE this app. My students loved it too. There are short stories, novels, picture books available at the tip of your finger! You can track your little reader's progress, the type of books they enjoy, and best of all the kids actually love reading! It's amazing that this has the opportunity to be free because I pay for the annual subscription.
(Em Megan Recommended) This is a resource that I have personally used to check in on a child's understanding. The student can make his or her own videos independently, I would use it for math (demonstrating a skill) or for reading comprehension. There are so many ways to use this tool for education or creative purposes!
"There are so many resources on this channel: history and social science, science and math, and language. Within each category there are hundreds of resources available."
"E-learning modules give learners access to print and audio versions of the Fluency Matters Comprehension-based™ reader, and in the case of E-courses, also provide learners with hours of additional CI via engaging activities and quizzes. Teachers will get automatic grade reports and have the ability to track student progress throughout the course.
"Maths and English Made Easy! Loved by kids, backed by teachers. Computer, tablet or mobile. Quality assured content. Short, engaging lessons. Follows National Curriculum. Feedback for parents. Interactive exercises. Multi award-winning platform."
7000 free videos in 13 subject areas for Middle School to College: Math, Natural Science, Social Science, Humanities Kahoot
(Em Megan Recommended) The kids love this when we use it in the classroom. They are always fully engaged, having a ton of fun, and still learning as they complete quizzes. Parents can create their own "kahoots". I've even seen people do one for weddings! It brings people together, and it's fun and easy.
(Em Megan Recommended) The OG Online Learning Resource.
And more...
And EVEN more...
This list was complied by sifting through Amazing Educational Resources, and picked by me.
I hope that this list of resources gives parents a sense of calm amidst all this anxiety. Thank you to all those who are doing their part to keep the virus contained, and I hope that we continue to have ever-growing patience and understanding during such a tumultuous global time.
Please share this post with your friends if you know that they are curious for educational resources.
Enjoy, and keep safe!
