A lot of parents are about to find out how hard it is to home school, with all the schools around the nation closing. Teachers have sent home curriculum worksheets to follow, but there are a lot of hours and the day and not enough patience to go around.
There are some great websites to feed their brains too. Check these out:
- Fun Brain. Ideal for preschoolers through eighth grade, there are leveled educational games for math and reading, and even online books.
- Sesame Street. This site has hundreds of video clips and games that help with the preschool skill sets of colors, numbers, letters, and emotional development.
- Starfall. This awesome site has a large variety of educational activities and is well known among parents who are looking for quality online activities. Besides fun games for preschoolers, Starfall.com also offers a variety of reading activities for older kids through plays, nonfiction, and comics.
- CoolMath. CoolMath.com makes learning fun with its virtual “amusement park of math” activities. CoolMath.com was created for kids ages 13 and up and addresses grade level math skills.CoolMath4Kids.com was created for developmental ages three through twelve, while CoolMath-Games.com is for preschoolers.
- How Stuff Works. Is your kid interested in knowing how, why, what, when, and where? How Stuff Works break down subjects into kid-friendly, easily understood explanations on everything from weather to cars to money. This site is also full of games and videos for interactive fun.
- 4-H Stem Lab. Science experiments abound at this 4-H website, where everything is marked by grade level. Find activities for biology, chemistry, math, and even engineering. Secondary perks of these experiments are that they are step-by-step and also coded for level of messiness and the length of time needed to complete them.
(source: Charlotte On The Cheap )
My wife is dealing with this, as a stay at home mom, too. She found some great "virtual feild trips" to take your kids on too! These look pretty fun.
Discovery Education - Soar with birds, experience the Tundra with polar bears, or see how science powers our lives
San Diego Zoo: Lions and Tigers and bears.... no matter where you live! Exciting animal facts, explore exhibits in real time, and play fun games and activities.
Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China: Ever seen the Great Wall of China?How bout a panoramic tour through one of the oldest and most historically significant wonders of the world from your living room.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: You've been to the Georgia Aquarium, how bout this virtual tour with a deep-sea adventure through exhibit webcams that allow students to watch sea creatures in real time.
Virtual Farm Tours: Farms are fun. I grew up near a bunch. Take your kids on an agriculture tour with this panoramic tour of farms in Ontario. Your students can learn how dairy products are made, see farmers harvest fruit or eggs, and even explore specialty farms like an emu or deer ranch.
Take a Virtual Walk on Mars: Space... it's always a mystery. NASA’s Curiosity rover allows you to explore the surface of Mars in a 360-degree view.
Hope this all helps you kills some time and find ways to use these moments for bonding!
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(photo credit: Getty Images)