Homeschooling Tips + Activities
Our kids need our support more than ever to maintain a sense of normalcy in these trying times. So whether you’re homeschooling or looking for activities to keep your children stable and occupied, here’s our growing list of resources. Updated regularly.
275 Enriching Activities for Kids
A database of enrichment activities for students of all ages, grades, and levels with links to downloads, videos, worksheets, and more. Updated regularly.
6 Streaming Indigenous Films
There’s a massive free catalog of Indigenous films online. Here are 6 picks to get you started.
Adventure Journal Animal Cams
Anyway, if you’re cooped up inside over these coming weeks, maybe drop these cams into the old bookmark bar. Sea otter feeding time, Alaskan brown bears emerging from hibernation, European brown bears lolling about, otherworldly jellyfish, and more. This list is updated periodically.
Audible Free Books Download
For as long as schools are closed, Audible is open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids. All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet. Explore the collection, select a title and start listening. It’s that easy. No log-ins, credit card or passwords needed.
Brainfuse: One-on-One Tutoring Online
The Brooklyn Public Library offers Brainfuse: One-on-One Tutoring Online for students from elementary to high school. Brainfuse provides personalized academic assistance, academic content, and practice tests for SAT and more. Live tutoring is available 2 pm – 11 pm (EST) in English and Spanish. Videos and other content are available 24 hours a day. This resource requires a library card.
Bunny Kitty Graffiti Activities
Street artist Dave Persue offers free downloadable activities for kids and adults who want to try their hands at graffiti writing, coloring and more.
Coding Classes for Kids (Free)
It’s easy to imagine a kid learning coding being stuck in front of a computer for the rest of their lives. However, that doesn’t have to be the case! Coding allows your kid to creatively express him or herself. Your child has an idea for a game? They should make it! Your child has an idea for a website? They should design it! The possibilities are endless when it comes to coding and there are FREE apps, websites, and activities available to kids of all ages.
#ColorOurCollections Coloring Books
Calling all coloring book lovers. You can now take part in #ColorOurCollections 2017–a campaign where museums and libraries worldwide including The New York Public Library, Bodleian, Smithsonian & more made free coloring books available. Explore the collection, which you can download and continue to enjoy.
COVID-19 CAMP
Free list of resources to educate and entertain your kids during quarantine, including games, PBS programming, art, science, health, history, and other subjects.
Cursive Writing
Handwriting is at a crossroads, with many schools dropping it from their core curriculum at the same time that various new research is showing how handwriting trains the brain. Here are free, printable handwriting worksheets that provide instructions and practice on writing cursive letters, words and sentences.
Disney’s “Imagineering in a Box”
Disney is offering online resources for parents, where kids can go “behind the scenes, with the artists and engineers and see how they design and build the world’s attractions and characters for Disney parks.” With imagineering in a box, kids can learn how to build their own world, attractions and characters.
Education Companies (Free Subscriptions)
This resource features a list of education companies offering free education services to children who are at home due to COVID-19. See full list in link.
Faith Ringgold Reads Tar Beach
MoCADA favorite artist and author Faith Ringgold reads her 1991 children’s book Tar Beach.
Global Space Foundation: Storytime
If you need to mix up your bedtime story routine a little bit, the Global Space Education Foundation has just the thing for you: Story Time in Space. It’s exactly what it sounds like — astronauts on various missions in space read popular children’s books while floating about, and the videos are edited and shared with kids way down on Earth.
Google Earth Virtual Park Tours
Google Earth rolled out virtual tours of some of the most breathtaking parks in the country. The map and satellite imagery masters at Google Earth have put together a series of guided virtual tours of 31 national parks around the country, providing a stunning glimpse of the trails and vistas you can take advantage of if you visit them in real life.
Hasbro Presents G.I. Joe
Hasbro has released full episodes of from the original 80’s G.I. Joe animated series for you to watch for free on YouTube. Available now are the first three 5-part story arcs from the series, The M.A.S.S. Device, The Revenge Of Cobra and The Pyramid Of Darkness.
Homeschool Resources (Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppressive list)
Document contains information regarding anti-racist and anti-oppressive curriculum ideas and resources for families. This document also contains virtual field trip links, videos, reading lists, and a list of things to do at home when schooling is over.
IPAD Distribution from the NYC Department of Education
To keep students connected and able to learn from home, the DOE is lending 300,000 internet-enabled iPads to students. Families that want to request a device should fill out the Remote Learning Device Request form. Teachers and school staff should use this same form to request devices on behalf of their students.
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center has launched science lessons on Facebook Live. “We are giving lessons on rocketry, from the Saturn 5 center. We’re teaching people how to make rockets at home from recycled materials that are probably lying around the house.”
LeVar Burton’s Skybrary
Now your child can have unlimited reading and storytime with LeVar Burton’s Skybrary! Skybrary is a carefully curated, ever expanding interactive library of digital books and video explorations designed to engage young readers and foster a love of learning. Try it on the Web, iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, and Android tablets. Or explore the world through the pages of more than 600 books. Want a physical copy of your favorite read? Click the cover, choose a retailer, and ship it anywhere.
Mama Afia’s Rhythm N Flow Virtual Classroom
With over 40 years of experience teaching, guiding, and preparing young minds, Mama Afia has gathered all of her materials to create the perfect lesson plans for your children. With original songs and poems, and some of great classic stories from around the world, learn and grow with world-renowned instructor, Mama Afia, anytime, anyplace! Enroll your kids in the Mama Afia’s virtual classroom, which will kindle the fires within them to harness the power to utilize their innate gifts.
- 5 Live Sessions Weekly
- Homework Packages
- Access to Online Recorded Sessions
- One-on-One Sessions
NASA Media Library
No matter if you enjoy taking or just watching images of space, NASA has a treat for you. They have made their entire collection of images, sounds, and video available and publicly searchable online. It’s 140,000 photos and other resources available for you to see, or even download and use it any way you like.
NASA STEM @ Home (Grades K-4)
NASA wants to help the kids all over the country who are out of school and cooped up at home. The agency posted tutorials on different STEM activities you and your children can do at home. The activities range from building a moon habitat, or your own edible spacecraft to different puzzles and even different rockets you can build in your backyard.
NYC Department of Education Remote Learning Tools
To help students stay connected during emergencies, the DOE is lending internet-enabled iPads to support remote learning for students. If you would like to request a device for a NYC student in your family, please fill out the form below. The DOE will use the contact information you provide to get in touch with you to discuss when and where you can pick up a device. Priority will be given to students most in need, and all devices are granted on a temporary basis and will later need to be returned.
NYC Guide to Child Care & Food Services
List of childcare resources and food resources. Email violetsyn75@gmail.com for more information.
NY Public Library’s SimplyE
The New York Public Library has an app that allows anyone with a library card (and an iOS or Android phone) to “borrow” any of the 300,000 e-books in the collection. It’s called SimplyE and will allow you to read books on your phone, but beware, there might be a wait list for some popular titles, including the Game of Thrones and Harry Potter series.
Online Resources for Black Children (List)
BK Reader offers a list of 13 online activities specifically geared towards Black children. Activities range from Black history puzzles to lessons on loving your hair.
Refurbished computers (low cost)
A list of refurbished computers currently for sale at low cost.
Schedule Maker Template for Kids Staying Home
Mercury News offers a free template for parents to create daily schedules for their children amid COVID-19 school closures. With this template, parents can outline a schedule for learning, eating, and play time. This is a helpful tool for parents who aren’t used to having their children home during the day.
Scholastic
Scholastic launched a “Learn at Home” resource for pre-K through 6th grade students. They are working on having 20 days worth of lessons available, five are available so far. This resource is free and open indefinitely.
SCOPE OF WORK (SOW)’s Drawing Bored Coloring Book
Scope Of Work (SOW) commissioned 20 SOW Members to create a digital coloring book to both motivate and inspire as society reimagines new systems of support, new methods of problem-solving, and new ways to care for one another. It’s time to go back to the drawing board. DRAWING BORED was designed by SOW Member, Rey Carlson.
Storytime in Spanish
Well-known children’s stories translated into Spanish and spoken by a native Spanish speaker. Great for kids… and adults too! Read along in Spanish or English.
Subscriptions, Extended List for Kids
The entire list of children’s education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings.
Think Indigenous (Online Education Grades K-8)
Indigenous educators are volunteering their time to help educate students online as schools in many provinces and territories are closing in efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
YMCA 360
YMCA 360 offers free online health, fitness, and sports classes for all ages. This way, kids and adults can stay healthy from home. Browse videos on the YMCA website to find a class that is right for you and your child!
Zinn Education Project “People’s History” Teaching Guide
Find close to two dozen young readers’ editions of social justice and people’s history classic texts. Expect to find lessons to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of U.S. history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula.
