Hey friends!
I’m Tasia and this video will highlight some cool free apps, websites and resources
to keep your kids busy and learning while schools are closed.
So I know you’re probably inundated with a ton of videos and articles on activities
for your kids while schools are closed, so I’m going to focus only on educational tech-based
learning activities and resources.
There are a ton of options, so I’ll try to keep these as organized as possible for
you and of course I will link to everything in the description below.
First up: let’s talk about virtual tours.
There are so many virtual tours right now, you just have to know where to find them.
You can tour museums like The Louvre, Guggenheim, Getty, Van Gogh, MoMA, The Vatican Museum,
just to name a few.
Zoos and aquariums are jumping in on the fun too, with many featuring live cams.
So here’s an example of the Monterey Bay Aquarium live cam options.
There are 10 to choose from - frankly this is one of the best aquariums in the world
- so pick a camera or pick them all one-by one and take a moment to teach the kids some
cool facts about their habitats.
OMG so cute.
Walt Disney World has some virtual tours as well, and there are a lot of unofficial YouTube
videos where you can feel you’re on some famous rides.
There is a great Good Housekeeping article that has all the links in one spot for ya.
So I’ve linked to it in the description below - make sure to bookmark it.
Another idea is to step up your video chatting game and schedule a virtual show and tell
for your kids and their friends.
Have them make something, find something around the house, or write a story about what they
did today, and take turns sharing it with their friends via Facetime, whatsapp, google
hangout, skype, zoom, whatever video chat service you prefer.
Okay, next up is what I’m calling the Web-based learning and entertainment options.
These are great resources for everything from math to reading, to science, to social studies
and more.
First, I want to start with Amazon.
Typically, you need an Amazon Prime account to access all their great movies and shows.
However, they are offering free kids programming right now through an online portal, which
I’ve linked to below.
They have everything organized by age group and series and movies.
How cool is that?
BusyToddler.com is a blog that has some ideas for play and learning activities for your
kids.
These are all ideas you can do easily around the house with items you probably have lying
around.
Mad Science has an at home experiments section.
This is a science focused site where you and your kids can try different experiments with
everyday objects you have at home.
You can download a PDF or watch a video tutorial on how to expertly oversee your experiment.
Nat Geo Kids has great resources as well when it comes to science experiments, video explainers,
and even homework help resources.
BrainPOP.com is offering free access to their suite of learning resources.
It’s an animated site that features movies and games on topics like English, Arts, Social
Studies, and more.
Plus they have a great resource section for parents too.
CoolMath4Kids is, as the name would suggest, a great site to find all kinds of math games.
They offer brain teasers and the ability to sort by topics like addition or subtraction.
You can take quizzes and also complete full lessons here too.
Prodigy is another site that offers curriculum-based math games, ranging from grades 1 through
8.
Scholastic has created something they call Learning Journeys, for pre-kindergarten up
through grade 9.
There are a ton of subjects to choose from, all organized by daily activities, which is
really helpful for creating a schedule for your kids.
Plus they also offer helpful resources for families and teachers.
Raz-kids.com is another great site for reading resources for kids from kindergarten to grade
5.
They are also offering free access for the rest of the school year.
National Literacy Trust has created the Family Zone, featuring reading, writing, and language
development activities and resources for kids up to age 12.
Khan Academy, the wonderful nonprofit educational organization, has upped their offerings for
kids while schools are closed.
These resources are for students ages 4-18.
They offer schedules as well as parent and teacher resources.
Subjects run the gamut here, everything from math to engineering, to the arts.
Finally, everyone may be familiar with Ted Talks, well TedED has a special TedEd@home,
offering free video-based lessons from elementary school through university.
Their subjects are also diverse, and include psychology, tech, design, philosophy, religion,
and more.
So last but not least, let’s talk about apps.
I want to dive in with the YouTube app, and highlight some really cool educational channels.
As a side note here, you guys may want to consider using YouTube Kids in order to better
control their experience and keep tabs on what they can and can’t watch on the app.
First things first, YouTube has created Stay Home #withme.
So if you head to YouTube’s YouTube Channel, that's right, YouTube's YouTube Channel, they
have curated some great content by topic.
This one is great for the whole family and especially you moms and dads that need a little
break.
You can scroll through to see all their playlists, but there are jam sessions, hangouts with
celebs, workouts, craft sessions, and so much more.
The Kennedy Center has a YouTube series called Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems.
Mo is the Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence and he is inviting you into his studio to
learn how to draw, doodle, and explore new ways of writing.
They will post new episodes every single day for the next few weeks at 1pm ET.
You can download the corresponding worksheets via their YouTube descriptions.
Plus your family can interact with Mo by posting their completed art with the #MoLunchDoodles.
Another cool YouTube Channel for the art lover is Wild Free and Crafty.
They have drawing tutorials and arts and craft ideas.
Some of the sites I mentioned above also have great companion YouTube Channels as well.
So, I’d recommend the Khan Academy and Nat Geo Kids.
Moving on, another great app is the Endless Reader app, available on iOS, Android, and
Windows Phone.
The app is free, but they offer in-app purchases.
It’s great for early readers as it uses "sight words", that are the most commonly
used words in schools, libraries, and children's books.
This developer also makes some other great apps for early childhood education, so be
sure to check them out in the app store.
Quick Math Jr is a great math app for kids aged 4-8.
It has 12 different math games that feature fundamental math skills and concepts, and
is available on iOS.
There is a cool coding app called Lightbot: Code Hour and it’s great for kids 8 and
up.
It focuses on coding and computer programming and it’s available on iOS and Android.
Another coding app that is actually developed by Apple is the Swift Playgrounds app for
iOS.
Your kids age 9 and up - and you - can learn the basics of coding language through puzzles,
lessons, and cool visuals.
Now onto Facebook.
My Canadian friends, you’ll remember Sharon, Lois, and Bram.
Hello Skinnamarinkydinkydink!
Well Sharon has started a Facebook Live sing-a-long called #skinnamarink.
Head to facebook.com/sharonloisbram for a sing-a-long that all preschool kids (and who
are we kidding all of us fans) will love.
Moving onto Instagram - Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams have teamed up with Save the Children
and No Kid Hungry for #SaveWithStories mission.
Their goal is to ensure that children around the world have the resources and food they
need.
So they’ve enlisted the help of all their celeb friends to livestream book readings
of their favorite children’s books.
There are multiple readings a day and to view all of them easily, just search the #savewithstories
on Instagram.
Something similar is happening on Twitter as well.
Josh Gad, who voices Olaf from Frozen, has started the Gad Book Club where he does a
livestream book reading daily.
Another thing to mention here is that a lot of singers and musicians are live streaming
at-home concerts.
Some of these are saved and some are not, depending on the platform.
So, be sure to check Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to see if any of your
favorite performers are giving a free concert.
I’ve watched Jann Arden, Chris Martin, Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello - it’s pretty
cool and uplifting during these challenging times.
A couple other quick ideas before we wrap up: look at your local YMCA, and see the schedule
they have, and if all else fails, utilize your smart speakers and have a dance party!
Now I want to hear from you.
If you guys know of any other great resources for kids and parents while schools are closed,
please leave those in the comments below.
It's greatly appreciated.
Just like I said last week, we are all in this together.
So please, stay home if you can to help protect our communities.
I’m once again sending you all a giant virtual hug to wherever you are in the world.
Can you feel it?
So be well, stay healthy and safe, and I’ll see ya next time.