Homeschool 101:

Things to Remember:

It’s not going to be perfect, and that’s ok. Maybe you have a day where you need to throw in the towel and let them run around outside. Perfectly acceptable!
It may be important for you to create a daily schedule in order to keep your sanity. To be honest, this may not work for your child. Do what works best for your family and don’t stress about it being perfect.
Don’t feel like you need to stick to an 8 hour day like your kids do in school. They are getting a lot more individualized attention at home, and this is a great time to let them rest and let their imaginations play. Most homeschoolers do 5-6 hour school days.
When in doubt, just let them read! You can find our e-book collection here.
When I was a kid being homeschooled, my mom used to read out loud to us while we created art, played quietly, or just sat and listened. Read aloud or stream an audiobook to let them listen to while you work from home or get other things done. Listening to a book activates the same areas of the brain that reading does.
Now is the time for hands-on learning. Maybe your child is interested in gardening? Let them dig up some dirt in the backyard. Perhaps they are interested in architecture and physics? Let them go wild building a sturdy bridge with LEGO bricks or wooden blocks.
Some homeschool families do project-based learning. Let your child pick a topic they are interested in and let them research that. Have them study a person, topic, or historical event. Posters, re-enactments, videos, songs, and poems are all be ways for them to express what they learned. The Michigan eLibrary has some amazing resources, like encyclopedias and ebooks, for children in grades K-12.

General Resources- All Subjects

Parent Toolkit –NBC News put together this comprehensive resource on child development, which includes core competencies as well as social and emotional development. This might be a great tool to start your planning.

Remote learning with Khan Academy during school closures –Khan Academy has put together a resource page for those who are just starting to teach from home and would like to use Khan Academy as a starting point for teaching their children in grades K-12.

Amazing Educational Resources –Some educational resources cost money, but because we are experiencing a global pandemic, they are offering their resources for free during this time. This is a long document! Use the search feature on your browser in order to find what you are looking for.

Teaching Remotely for Grades K – 12 | Free Resources and Strategies –Scholastic has a unit-based curriculum for K-12 students, including activities you can do at home.

Sheppard Software: Fun free online learning games and activities for kids. –This website has free games on a variety of subjects and grade levels, including games for college students and adults.

How to Find Great Learning Resources for Your Students During School Closures -Common Sense Media has put together a comprehensive list to help caregivers prepare to teach at home.

National Geographic Kids –From First Ladies to adorable animals to science experiments, National Geographic Kids has a range of different resources on their website including games and quizzes.

Entertain Kids on a Dime –Just looking for some fun activities to keep your kids busy? Entertain Kids on a Dime has 100 activities to get you started.

World Book Encyclopedia (and more!) – World book has offered free access to their resources through April. There is also a distance learning support page for parents.

MSU Extention -Educational resources for school closure. Topics for all ages

Art

Art at Home –If you are looking to do some art at home, but have had enough of scrolling through Pinterest, take a look at this document which provides a wide range of resources.

History

History for Kids – Fun Facts and Social Studies –Articles, quizzes, and worksheets help kids put what they have learned to the test as they step back in time. You might want to avoid the lesson on the Bubonic Plague!

Science

Mystery Science –This resource was quickly prepared for closed schools. Dozens of lessons for children in grades K-5 are available through this website.

Math

Prodigy: Math Learning Platform –Prodigy turns math into an interactive game for children in grades 1st-8th. This resource is free, although a premium subscription option is available.

Documentaries and Educational Videos:

Screen time doesn’t have to be all cartoons and sitcoms! Give your kids a break by showing them some educational videos, or introducing them to a documentary.

Bringing TED to the Classroom –Many people are familiar with TedxTalks, but you may not know that they have lesson plans and videos for kids!

Kanopy Films/Documentaries and Great Courses –Kanopy is a streaming service you have access to with your library card. Enjoy many classic films, selections from the Criterion Collection, award-winning documentaries, and even the Great Courses series.

Disney Plus Documentary List –Perhaps you subscribed to Disney Plus to re-watch your favorite movies and tv shows? Well you might not know that there are a plethora of documentaries on the service as well. This one is not free but is wonderful if you are already a subscriber.

Computer Science/ Information Literacy:

This is a fantastic opportunity to help your children become computer literate. You could even learn a new skill yourself.

Typing Club –This website has 684 lessons to help your child learn to type. This one works for any age, as long as their fingers can reach the keys.

Typing.com –Keyboarding, Digital Literacy, Coding and more!

Scratch Coding –Scratch is a very simple coding language to teach students the principles of coding and help them start building their own games and projects.

Vidcode -Virtual coding club drop-in sessions every Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm EST

GCFGlobal Lessons –Students can take courses in everything from Powerpoint, online safety, Google Sheets and basic graphic design. Best for tweens and teens.

Lynda.com –Lynda is a website available with your library card that has access to thousands of lessons on different technologies.

Language Learning

Perhaps your child was already learning Spanish and French at skill and you want to keep their knowledge fresh? Or maybe you want to give them the opportunity to learn something new.

Pronunciator–Pronunciator is available with your library card and features lessons for 163 languages including a new COVID-19 language course in 101 languages.

Duolingo –Duolingo is a free resource available to everyone with courses for 35 different languages.

Exploraciones |PBS LearningMedia –Exploraciones is a collection of resources for teaching Spanish in the elementary grades.

GrammarCheck -Check your spelling and punctuation with this free grammar checker.

News:

The news cycle these days churns fast, especially with the ever-changing reports about COVID-19. All of these student-friendly resources can help your teens read and interpret the news at their developmental level.

Student News Daily

PBS Newshour Daily News Story

Common Sense Media’s Compilation of best news websites for students