Keeping Minds Sharp
LOTS of parents and caregivers have suddenly found themselves home with their kiddos for an extended period of time. Over the next several weeks, remember that this is a PERFECT time to make memories with your children and learn things beyond “normal” math and reading.
This is a great time to really help your child dig in and spend hours doing or learning something that they love or are passionate about.
Don’t forget that there are SO MANY documentaries on the streaming services that they might enjoy and learn a lot from.
Below are links to an abundance of free fun learning options for all ages from toddlers to AP students to adults. Some are always free and some are only free during this current situation. Check out the sites below and keep your mind sharp while many families are staying home over the next several weeks:
Virtual Tours:
- Tour the San Diego Zoo: videos, activities, and games. https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/
- Tour Yellowstone National Park! https://www.nps.gov/…/lea…/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
- Alaskan Wildlife cams http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewing.webcams
- Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs. https://www.farmfood360.ca/
- Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre: https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
- Tour the Great Wall of China: https://www.thechinaguide.com/destinati…/great-wall-of-china
- Discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies at an iconic museum located in the heart of London. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
- Travel to the National Smithsonian Learning Lab https://www.si.edu/kids
- Smithsonian Museum takes a deep dive into ocean life https://ocean.si.edu/
Resources to Keep Active
- Kid-friendly workouts https://app.sworkit.com/collections/kids-workouts
- Free at-home kids yoga lesson plans https://littletwistersyoga.com/online-store/
- Over 900 videos to help your child learn at home and burn off some extra energy https://fluencyandfitness.com/register/school-closures/
Crafts & Cooking
- Crafts, projects, recipes for young children https://www.funology.com/
- Fun games, recipes, crafts, activities https://www.highlightskids.com/
- Illustrated recipes designed to help kids age 2-12 cook with their grown-ups. Recipes encourage culinary skills, literacy, math, and science. https://www.nomsterchef.com/nomster-recipe-library
- Quick & easy at home projects for kids 2 and up https://www.kiwico.com/kids-at-home
- Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/…/learnathome.html
Games
- Online jigsaw puzzles, from 6 – 1000+ https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/
- Tons and tons: some for learning & some just fun https://www.crazygames.com/
- Online digital coloring pages https://www.thecolor.com/
- Printable board games & activities https://dogonalogbooks.com/printables/
- Indoor Activities for busy toddlers https://busytoddler.com/2020/03/indoor-activities/…
- Play games and learn all about animals https://switchzoo.com/
- Play with fave show characters and learn too https://pbskids.org/
- Crafts, activities, mazes, dot to dot, etc, https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/
- Compete in fast-paced races with up to 5 typers from around the world. https://www.nitrotype.com/
- Play games and find out how to turn coin collecting into a hobby https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids
- Play instruments online, including the guitar, piano and drums https://www.virtualmusicalinstruments.com/
- Math and Reading games https://www.funbrain.com/
- Crafts, activities, bulletin board designs, and finger plays to use with kids. http://www.preschoolexpress.com/
- Fun songs to teach preschool and kindergarten students https://www.songsforteaching.com/preschoolkindergarten.htm
Math Resources
- Math and logic problems for ages 5 and up https://www.aplusclick.org/
- Play basic games to reinforce math skills https://www.mangahigh.com/en-us/
- Math Games, Logic Puzzles and Brain Builders https://www.mathplayground.com/
- Math games galore https://gridclub.com/
- Math Videos with lessons, real life uses of math, famous actors https://www.hmhco.com/math-at-work
- Fractions practice http://www.mathchimp.com/freddysfractions.php
- Math practice from counting to algebra and geometry http://www.mathscore.com/
- Math and reading games https://www.abcya.com/
- Math as a fun part of your daily family routine http://bedtimemath.org/
- Elem Math games, logic puzzles and educational resources https://www.mathplayground.com/
Reading & Typing Resources
- Favorite kids books read by famous people https://www.storylineonline.net/
- Novel Effect makes story time a little more fun for kids (and grown-ups too!) As you read out loud from print books (or ebooks!) music, sound effects, and character voices play at just the right moment. https://noveleffect.com/
- Keyboarding practice https://www.typingclub.com/ or https://www.typing.com/
- Children can listen to the magazine being read to them as they follow along with the highlighted text https://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/index.html
- Interactive games based on the book series https://www.magictreehouse.com/
- Games to get “into the book” https://reading.ecb.org/
- Sight reading and sight singing practice exercises https://www.sightreadingfactory.com/
- Free stories online ages 3-12 https://www.freechildrenstories.com/
- Spelling 1-4 grade https://www.spellingtraining.com/
- Phonics and learning to read https://readingeggs.com/
- Phonics worksheets for kids https://www.funfonix.com/
- Carefully crafted spelling adventure. https://brainbox.games/
Science Resources
- K-5th Science lessons https://mysteryscience.com/
- Science and math labs and simulations https://phet.colorado.edu/
- At home science activities https://elementalscience.com/…/n…/80-free-science-activities
- Learn all about cells https://www.cellsalive.com/
- Space science for kiddos https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html
- Explore, have fun, and learn some science along the way https://thehappyscientist.com/
- Science podcasts for kids https://medium.com/…/19-great-science-podcasts-you-can-list…
- Tons of science experiments that you can do at home https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/
Art, Music & Theater Education Resources
- A wonderful, endlessly detailed way to get kids engaged in the world of art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/
- NGAkids offer an entertaining and informative introduction to art and art history. https://www.nga.gov/education/kids.html
- Music is for everyone https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Experiments
- Helps kids learn to appreciate the arts by providing them with the opportunity to play games, conduct investigations, and explore different forms of art. https://artsology.com/
Foreign Language
- Foreign languages https://www.duolingo.com/
- Music Based Spanish Learning https://rockalingua.com/
- Vocabulary, grammar and games in Spanish https://conjuguemos.com/
Geography & History Resources
- Geography and animals https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
- Learn all about earthquakes https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/
- Interactive video earth science based curriculum https://www.everyday-earth.com/
- Content on the cultures and countries of the world https://www.countryreports.org/
- Games, quizzes and fact sheets take kids on a journey through time. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/
- An interactive way to learn history https://www.mission-us.org/
- Free videos from around the world from grade 3-12 https://www.projectexplorer.org/
Coding & Engineering
- Learn coding with Star Wars https://studio.code.org/courses
- Learn to code https://www.codecademy.com/
- Coding for ages 4-10 https://www.kodable.com/
- Engineering challenges with things you have at home https://thehomeschoolscientist.com/paper-structures-engine…/
Toddler Sites
- Educational resources and activities https://preschoolinspirations.com/
- Build skills in children through movement and play https://www.theottoolbox.com/
Other Education Sites/Resources
- Farmer’s almanac for kids… Date, weather, moon phase, etc. https://www.almanac.com/kids
- Guide to gardening for kids https://web.extension.illinois.edu/firstgarden/
- News and more for kids https://www.youngzine.org/
- Immerse yourself in cryptography https://www.cryptoclub.org/
- Learn all about weather from rainbows to tornadoes http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
- Educational videos, pictures, quizzes, downloadable worksheets, and infographics to learn about geography, history, science, animals, and even the human body. https://www.coolkidfacts.com/
- This interactive website allows your child to see the ins and outs of the U.S. government https://bensguide.gpo.gov/
- This NASA initiative covers a wide range of topics including weather, climate, atmosphere, water, energy, plants, and animals. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/
- Kids can explore design careers http://www.kidsthinkdesign.org/
- Inner-body exploration https://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html
- Amphibian studies https://premeditatedleftovers.com/…/amphibians-unit-study-…/
- Educational topics for kids https://www.ducksters.com