Are you looking for some educational things to do online for the kids? Maybe you’re wondering what you’re going to do with the kids now that some of us are embarking on a new adventure with home-based learning. Or, maybe your elementary-age child is under quarantine for COVID-19 exposure at school, and you need some quality things to keep them busy. Or, maybe you just need something fun and different to look at with the kids. Either way, we are here to help.
Kidding Around’s Melanie has gathered together many of the online resources the kids use regularly at school, plus some additional educational programs you can use to supplement and keep things rolling. She’s also included a list of fun virtual field trips to places like Yellowstone National Park that you can take right from your computer.
Keeping Greenville County Parents Informed – Greenville County Schools News and Updates, Greenville, SC
This article includes:
Online Programs Upstate Kids Use at School
Educational Websites
Staying Active Indoors
Amazing Virtual Field Trips
Helping Kids Cope
Programs and Websites Students Use at School
Have you become an unintentional home-based, or homeschooling family? Did you just get the call from the school nurse that your child needs to be at home due to COVID-19 exposure?
Take a deep breath, we can do this. Your child’s online curriculum, supplemented with online learning activities and hands-on fun will keep them on track for when they go back to school.
Plenty of families do this all year round, and they’ve survived. Together – we can get through this.
If your child is distance learning through their home school district, these are the online learning programs they regularly use. Let’s talk about a few of them, so you know what to expect when you see their assignments. There are also several programs that can be used without needing a school-sponsored account.
- Brain Pop – Video-based lessons with companion quizzes, for several different subjects. Free access for students through school accounts, or subscription-based for the public.
- Epic – Digital library of books. Students can access this site for free through their student account. Families can subscribe, and a free trial is offered.
- Extra Math – A free online math learning resource that is available to everyone.
- i-Ready – The most frequently used online resource for students. This program offers math and reading lessons and diagnostic tests for students. It is self-guided and they typically need to log a certain number of minutes per week in both reading and math. This program is not available to the general public.
- Khan Academy – Short lessons in the form of videos for English and math. These lessons are available online, free of charge to anyone.
- Prodigy – A game platform that teaches children math. Free access for students through school accounts, or subscription-based for the public.
- Quavers Wonderful World of Music – An online music education resource, provided for free through school access. Families can subscribe for $24 a school year.
- Quizlet – Teachers create study guides and practice tests for the current curriculum being studied. This is not available to the general public.
- Seesaw – Teachers create an activity library of assignments for students to complete. Students then use tools to take photos, make videos, and draw to complete those assignments. This is not available to the general public.
There are more resources included on Clever, the online portal that students use, but these are the most commonly used.
More Educational Websites You Can Use at Home
If you are looking for ways to supplement schoolwork, there are lots of online options. We’ve listed some of the more affordable and popular options.
Multiple Subject Resources
- Miacademy Learning – Lessons for multiple subjects offered. Subscription-based with a $1.99 first month trial.
- ABC Mouse – Math, art, science, reading & color lessons for ages 2-8.
- Adventure Academy – Math, art, science & reading for ages 8-13.
- Scholastic – A free resource for students pre-k through middle grades. A daily list of four new activities.
- SCETV – Offering pre-k through 12th-grade resources three days a week from 8 am – 6 pm.
ELA Resources
- Reading Eggs – Reading lessons for children ages 2 through 13. Subscription-based with a free 2-week trial.
- Teach Your Monster To Read – 100% free online phonics and reading lessons.
- Night Zoo Keeper – A Creative writing community for kids. Subscription-based with a free trial.
- Reading IQ – Reading assessments and digital library of books for ages preschool (2 years old) through 8th grade. FREE access during the school closures by using a code provided by your child’s school.
Math Resources
- Dragon Box – Online and App-based Math lessons for ages 4-9.
- Zearn – An online math lesson resource that is typically subscription-based, it is now available for free during the cancellation of school because of COVID-19.
- Math Help – Provides math tutorials for grades 5 – 12.
- Cool Math Games – Fun math games for grades 1-5.
Science Resources
- Next Generation Science – Science videos, vocabulary, discussion questions, and more. Subscription-based with a free trial.
- Supercharged Science – Online science lessons and experiments. Free content, and premium membership-based content.
- This Paleontologist has online lessons for kids
Related Arts Resources
- DuoLingo – A free app that offers kid-friendly language lessons, including Spanish, German, and more.
- McHarper Manor – Free daily live art & craft tutorials.
- Kinder Art – Art lessons for grades PreK – 8th grade. Free and fee-based lessons available online.
- Wild, Free & Crafty – Free art lessons online.
- ASL Nook – Video lesson teaching kids American Sign Language
- Disney Imagineers – A series of interactive lessons in park design and engineering, designed to give a behind the scenes peek into Disney’s development process.
- Draw with Captain Underpants author and illustrator Dav Pilkey
Staying Active Indoors
- Cosmic Kids Yoga – Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation for kids 3 and over.
- Go Noodle – Kid-friendly videos to get your kids up and moving around.
- Dr. Jean and Friends – Song about math, reading and more that your kids can sing and dance to.
- BOKS – Free online physical fitness program for kids
Virtual Storytimes
- Sally Lloyd-Jones – Storytime, Q&A, and more
- TCMU Spartanburg – Reading of “Mr. Sherman’s Cloud”
- Operation ASL Storytime – Reading aloud and ASL of “Groovy Joe Ice Cream and Dinosaurs
- Social Stories – Corona Virus Social Story
- Goodnight with Dolly – Dolly Parton reads select stories from her Imagination Library.
- Story Time From Space -Watch astronauts read books in Outerspace.
Free Printables
- Play With CMYK – Local resource for free imaginative play printables.
- Teachers Pay Teachers – Worksheets and lessons created by teachers for use at home or in the classroom. Lessons available for free and for a small fee.
Virtual Field Trips
Take an exciting trip to a faraway place, even while you need to stay home. These virtual field trips can be something the whole family can enjoy together.
If you’d like to schedule live virtual field trip where students can interact with experts on site, check out this list of Live Virtual Field Trip Options from venues in the Upstate and beyond.
- Join Wilderness Week at the Great Smoky Mountains (videos always available)
- Take a Trip to the San Diego Zoo
- Watch the animals at the Georgia Aquarium
- Watch a Live Stream of Polar Bear in the Tundra
- Visit Yellowstone National Park
- Visit the Louvre Museum in France
- Take a trip to China and explore The Great Wall Of China
- Take in an opera at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC
- Admire all of Van Gogh’s work at The Van Gough Museum in Amsterdam
- Visit over 500 Museums and Art Galleries all over the world
- Take a tour of a dairy farm
- Go on a “Home Safari” with the Cincinnati Zoo
- Take your kids on virtual rides at Disney
- Riverbanks Zoo broadcasts can be accessed on the Riverbanks Zoo Facebook page
Helping Your Kids Get Through An Unexpected Vacation From FriendsÂ
- Reach out to classmates families for virtual playdates using facetime
- Create a private classroom Youtube channel for students & to use for taking turns making storytime videos to share with past, and current classmates.Â
- Practice the old fashioned art of having a pen-pal.Â
- Check out How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus
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Thanks so much for this list. So many great ideas. Could you please provide a little more info on/clarify the free access to ABC Mouse & Adventure Academy? I’m not sure how the code works. Adventure Academy is saying I need to be a school administrator to request access. I did see a free 1 month offer on both sites, but I wasn’t sure if it’s the same thing as free access during the school closure. I often forget to unsubscribe, so I didn’t want to have to remember that in a month if there’s another way to get access.
Unfortunately, the code that was being shared virally and that we included in this article is invalid. Each school district has a code that they can provide to students for free access, you just need to contact them for it. Sorry for the confusion – it has been updated to reflect this.
The ABCmouse code does not work. It says: This code is intended for use in another school district.
Unfortunately, the code that was being shared virally and that we included in this article is invalid. Each school district has a code that they can provide to students for free access, you just need to contact them for it. Sorry for the confusion – it has been updated to reflect this.
Helping kids important because they fill like they can do it
Melanie, this is a great list. As this goes on and on, I hope you KAS has time to add more to the list. Thank you!