Hi - some parents teamed up and put together this doc. We are not expert educators. We’re just trying to survive this relatively intact! We hope it’s useful to you. Thanks and good luck out there! - CC, Brooklyn
What is COVID-19?
- NPR Comic for Kids
- King County health department issued guidance -- 1 on 1 playdates are probably ok, but this may change as infections become more prevalent
- This one disagrees: “From a primary care physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston/ Harvard Med School: "No kid playdates, parties, sleepovers or families/friends visiting each other’s houses and apartments. This sounds extreme because it is. We are trying to create distance between family units and between individuals. It may be particularly uncomfortable for families with small children, kids with differential abilities or challenges, and for kids who simply love to play with their friends. But even if you choose only one friend to have over, you are creating new links and possibilities for the type of transmission that all of our school/work/public event closures are trying to prevent. The symptoms of coronavirus take four to five days to manifest themselves. Someone who comes over looking well can transmit the virus..."”
- Counterpoint article says you Can do playdates, but keep a close circle (like your playdate friends shouldn’t have many other playdate groups)
Some general recommendations:
- Make a schedule that the kids follow each day. LIke wake up, family short yoga/exercise routine, breakfast, reading, art, math, outside play, meditation, etc.
- Connect with other parents in your community and consider offering kids the option to do a video chat that is just for kids. Our kids will be scared and may not want to share this with adults. It’s good for them to talk to each other.
- In your parent network, consider offering resources digitally to the children in that community. For example, a drama teacher could teach a creative storytelling class once a week. This helps the kids stay connected to trusted families, and the parents feel more grounded in shared community even though we are at a distance.
- Washington Post guide to Coronavirus and parenting
- NPR guide to coronavirus and parenting
- I recently discovered this parents survival guide for working from home with kids. It’s more comprehensive than the doc you’re looking at right now, and maybe you want to just skip to that one! It has tips for parents to preserve sanity, in addition to links for kids.
ONLINE
Real time (and then can download after)
Meditation
Documentaries / learning videos
Online learning games/camps
- I got a big list of options that I’m just going to paste below rather than cluttering this area. Scroll down for more online learning / homeschooling.
- Common Sense Media for reviews and recommendations
- A guide from CK-12 on how to set up remote learning, plus a bunch of other tools
- Younger kids
- Beast Academy (math for 8-13)
- Khan Academy (math for 6 and above, other topics like a beta ELA modules)
- For those with kids 8+ who like Minecraft, the Connected Camps are about to start opening up. They normally only work in the summer and winter breaks.
Things kids can do together, virtually:
- Virtual book clubs for kids who can read - can they all pick a book, read it, and then get on a google hand out or something and tell each other about what they liked/didn’t like about the book. One parent could probably moderate that for a few households. Could also work for movies.
- Music appreciation - find a good song you think your friends would like. Make up a dance to it. Look up the artist and tell some facts about them. Film a dance and send it to your buddies and they send you one back.
- Lego extreme home makeover - build a crazy lego house for your favorite character/doll (or one that your friend gives you) and then make a video giving a tour.
Movement
OFFLINE
Links to projects that kids can do at home with limited materials
[for example, projects that require them to draw a bunch of things and work out the relationships between them, or make-at-home board games with paper, ertc]
- An on-the-fly worksheet posted by a parent on FB I know - having the kids locate and draw plants in the garden. Also a good template for similar worksheets you could make - find and draw objects in the house that have various properties.
- At home cooking club videos posted twice a week, free
- Origami projects for all skill levels ( from 3 years old on up to adult ). What’s great about this is that you can work off of a square from ANY recycled piece of paper, decorate it by painting or coloring on it, then fold it in to a creation. Origami is also a great way to teach geometry to kids.
Games at home
- Playing school - teaching the stuffed animals, I bought my kids each a clipboard and it was amazing how much power they suddenly felt they had!
- Making comic books - lots of free printable to be found on Pinterest
- Old game/new rules - my kids love taking existing board games and making up new rules for them. The easiest way to start is to try and figure out how to make a game collaborative instead of competitive. Just down on bickering as well.
- Make me laugh videos - usually this is one kid filming the other kid as they try and make eachother laugh. And then the rewatch the videos and launch all over again. But they usually get pretty elaborate in the lengths they’ll go to for a giggle
- Coziest bed ever - make the other person the most cozy, cuddly bed ever, in a non-bed spot. Often results in napping
- Art project: watch Bob Ross online videos regarding how to paint and painting along with him.
- Make a marble/small run: take all paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls and other cardboard type items and tape them to the wall to make a maze.
- Improv games
- World of Dance - a family game based off of the NBC series. Kids choose a song, make up a dance to it and rehearse it ( costumes encouraged). After 5-20 minutes of prep, each child performs their piece for the audience/judges ( usually the parents). After all performances have ended, the judges confer, and “lock in their scores”. All contestants receive feedback on performance aspects such as facial expressions, choreography, musicality, and technical skills. Each contestant is given a score, and the one with the highest total wins the round.
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Additional homeschooling resources:
(this list apparently compiled by a british person)
BBC Learning
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/coursesearch/
This site is old and no longer updated and yet there's so much still available, from language learning to BBC Bitesize for revision. No TV licence required except for content on BBC iPlayer.
Futurelearn
https://www.futurelearn.com
Free to access 100s of courses, only pay to upgrade if you need a certificate in your name (own account from age 14+ but younger learners can use a parent account).
Openlearn
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/
Free taster courses aimed at those considering Open University but everyone can access it. Adult level, but some e.g. nature and environment courses could well be of interest to young people.
Blockly
https://blockly.games
Learn computer programming skills - fun and free.
Scratch
https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/games
Creative computer programming
Ted Ed
https://ed.ted.com
All sorts of engaging educational videos
National Geographic Kids
https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/
Activities and quizzes for younger kids.
Duolingo
https://www.duolingo.com
Learn languages for free. Web or app.
Mystery Science
https://mysteryscience.com
Free science lessons
The Kids Should See This
https://thekidshouldseethis.com
Wide range of cool educational videos
Crash Course
https://thecrashcourse.com
You Tube videos on many subjects
Crash Course Kids
https://m.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids
As above for a younger audience
Crest Awards
https://www.crestawards.org
Science awards you can complete from home.
iDEA Awards
https://idea.org.uk
Digital enterprise award scheme you can complete online.
Paw Print Badges
https://www.pawprintbadges.co.uk
Free challenge packs and other downloads. Many activities can be completed indoors. Badges cost but are optional.
Tinkercad
https://www.tinkercad.com
All kinds of making.
Prodigy Maths
https://www.prodigygame.com
Is in U.S. grades, but good for UK Primary age.
Cbeebies Radio
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio
Listening activities for the younger ones.
Nature Detectives
https://naturedetectives.woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetect…/
A lot of these can be done in a garden, or if you can get to a remote forest location!
British Council
https://www.britishcouncil.org/school-resources/find
Resources for English language learning
Oxford Owl for Home
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/
Lots of free resources for Primary age
Big History Project
https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home
Aimed at Secondary age. Multi disciplinary activities.
Blue Peter Badges
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/about-blue-peter-badges
If you have a stamp and a nearby post box.
The Artful Parent
https://www.facebook.com/artfulparent/
Good, free art activities
Red Ted Art
https://www.redtedart.com
Easy arts and crafts for little ones
The Imagination Tree
https://theimaginationtree.com
Creative art and craft activities for the very youngest.
Toy Theater
https://toytheater.com/
Educational online games
DK Find Out
https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/…
Activities and quizzes
Twinkl
https://www.twinkl.co.uk
This is more for printouts, and usually at a fee, but they are offering a month of free access to parents in the event of school closures.
Geography Games
https://world-geography-games.com/world.html
Geography gaming!