FREE Virtual Resources for You and Your Students
As more kitchen tables become classrooms, the need for resources and realistic, educational things to do at home becomes even greater. We can help our students and families supplement and enrich while keeping kids busy after their lessons are done.
So...
Free online resources for you and your students with [a few] ideas for extending offline.
Authors, Books, Art, Illustrators + Literacy
Draw LIVE online with Mo Willems daily HERE
- When you're done, extend your drawing with more characters or a setting and write a story to go with your drawing.
Hear Peter Reynolds read aloud LIVE daily at 12:00pm EST on his Facebook page. HERE
- Draw a picture of one character from the story.
- Hear a story read by a celebrity. Storyline Online or search for the book you want read aloud on YouTube. It's probably there.
Check out your favorite author's pages online. Here's a few: Dan Gutman Jan Brett Dave Pilkey Rick Riordan Beverly Cleary Kate DiCamillo Pam Munoz Ryan Eric Carle Jessica Day George Lauren Child Tomie DePaolo
Enjoy art online at Paris Museums [100,000 new images online this week] HERE
- Find one piece of art you really like and look up more information on the artist, the art work and/or the time period. Draw your own version of this piece.
- Find 3 self portraits and study them for ideas. Then, get a mirror and make your own.
Join NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Program and write a novel. HERE
Scholastic Student Activities Here and Learn At Home Lessons by grade level HERE
Science, Making + Inventing + History
Weekly Makers Space Challenge
Imagineering in a Box: Disney and Khan Academy Project Based Learning HERE
Put out a weekly challenge. Give your students a topic or a project and see what they create. For example: space or make a trap for a toy prey.
Wonderopolus HERE
Seeds + Plants
Plant some seeds of your own indoors or outside.
NASA has made their ENTIRE media library accessible online and copyright FREE HERE
Enjoys the Georgia Aquarium's LIVE underwater cameras online. [many other aquariums have this too] HERE
Cincinnati Zoo Facebook LIVE at 3:00pm EST Daily HERE
Monterey Bay Aquarium HERE
Elmwood Park Zoo in Pennsylvania Zoo School HERE
Smithsonian Zoo LIVE Panda Cam HERE
Wild Earth LIVE from South Africa HERE
Houston Zoo LIVE HERE
Visit the San Diego Zoo Online [animal info, live cams and more] HERE
A list of educational shows on Netflix HERE
Virtual Science Labs HERE
Virtual Tours HERE
Social Studies Interactive Simulations HERE
Mystery Science has free stuff right now. HERE and Free Membership HERE
Stem Scopes Summer Activity Pack HERE
Math, Critical Thinking + Strategy
Play a game with 2 dice or use numbered cards out of a deck of cards. Practice adding as you play. [Clue, Sorry, Trouble, Snakes and Ladders, Candyland...]
Play Double War: Turn over 2 cards at a time [face cards are 10 and aces are 1] and either add or multiply. The rest of the rules of War are the same from there.
Printable Logic Puzzles for Kids
Of course, there's always indoor fort building, baking together, board games, writing letters, making puppets and putting on a puppet show, paper airplane design, making slime, going for a nature walk, make a vision board and so much more.
Honestly, I could go on and on. There's so much more. I hope you find something here that sparks excitement for learning virtually in you and your students.
P.S. You can also grab all my free printables here.
