Resources for Home Learning

By Aixa Perez-Prado

The need for all of us to shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surplus of interesting, innovative and informative free online resources for home learning. The following are just a few of the many remote learning opportunities available for parents and children to access online. Many of these are tried and true websites that have been used by homeschooling families as well as educators for many years. Others are new initiatives provided by professional artists, writers, and bloggers who are volunteering their time to provide engaging and creative learning opportunities for children.

The following list includes fifteen such websites that contain instructive videos, learning resources, and interactive exercises that not only provide interesting educational information, but also activities that encourage kids to think critically and creatively. Check them out!

15 Resources for Home Learning

1. 1. 1. Mystery Doug provides short, engaging science lessons for elementary age kids and have released all of their lessons during COVID-19. https://mysteryscience.com/mini-lessons/
      2. Curiosity Stream contains hundreds of videos on all sorts of subjects designed to provide information in an engaging and informative context. Videos include science, social studies, math, language and more. This service has a small monthly fee with a free trial period. https://curiositystream.com
      3. Arree Chung of Storyteller Academy, children’s book author and illustrator is providing a free camp for kids during COVID-19. https://arree.com/camp
      4. Jarrett Lerner, children’s book writer and illustrator, is sharing drawing and writing activities on his website that are sure to inspire young writers and authors with their interactivity and humor. https://jarrettlerner.com

   

   5. 5. The Green brothers continue to provide excellent and informative YouTube crash course videos on all kinds of subjects for learners of all ages. https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
      6. Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez, STEM educator and children’s writer, of website Math is Everywhere provides a resource list for aspiring writers and illustrators as well as links to educational resources, contests, and videos connecting math and writing. https://kaitlynleannsanchez.com/resources/
      7. Khan Academy continues to provide excellent videos on all sorts of subjects, especially known for explaining difficult math concepts to learners of all levels. https://www.khanacademy.org
      8. Tara Lazar, hilarious children’s book author and blogger, offers teacher guides and fun activities on her website as well as read-alouds of her picture books on Instagram. http://taralazar.com

   

   5. 9. 9. Reimagining Migration provides resources for families interested in delving in to the history of migration told through multiple perspectives. https://reimaginingmigration.org/learn-at-home-resources/
         10. Megan and Jorge Lacera, authors of Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies! are offering art lessons and read-alouds on their Familia Lacera YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9wbm72kp6FGLW-H0_Ojvkw

      

      11. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) has put together a digital directory of remote learning resources that includes art lessons, activities, teaching guides, book readings and more. https://scbwi.org/digital-directory-for-remote-learning-resources/
      12. Amy Marson, also known as The Eclectic Homeschool Mom, has compiled this very useful document chock full of helpful links for learning at home. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zpK0WRKLNzLAIlskMq8xr_rbhDsETY4FpyfsyTVOk68/edit#heading=h.mwineo3uirdr
      13. Silvia Lopez, Cuban-American children’s book author, former librarian and educator, is providing storytelling and read-alouds of her books that include bilingual Spanish/English stories. https://www.silvialopezbooks.com/stories-and-read-alouds

   

   9. 14. Hoping to inspire kids to love reading, Brightly has put together this list of educational resources and activities for learning to love to read at home. https://www.readbrightly.com/educational-resources-activities/
      15. Bedtime Math provides fun math activities to do at home with daily math practice, games, and free apps. https://bedtimemath.org

Aixa Perez-Prado is a writer and teacher educator as well as a homeschool mom of twelve years. She teaches cross-cultural communication, diversity studies and critical and creative thinking skills to homeschoolers, their parents, and university students learning to become teachers. For more information and activities for teaching at home through creative and critical thinking approaches, check out her book: Habits of Mind for Homeschooling: A Guide for Parents and Teachers.

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