Online educational resources can help parents homeschool

Your kids might be thrilled school is out for the near future in the surrounding counties, but the Augusta University College of Education knows kids need and benefit from continuing education.

We have compiled a list of some of our favorite online free resources for remote learning and virtual experiences that will keep your kids loving learning for the rest of the school year — and beyond!

Find additional homeschooling tips here.

Dr. Jaclyn Murray, assistant professor of education, specializes in science education. So, it’s no surprise she chose to share resources of learning in physics and math.

Physics Girl: Dianna Cowern is a science communicator known as Physics Girl. She is a YouTuber who uploads videos explaining various physical phenomena to the PBS Digital Studios. She investigates ordinary phenomenon at a basic and in-depth level. Also, she makes science interesting. Her channel is a scaled-down version of MythBusters and focuses more on science than engineering.

Wolfram Mathematica Applets: With Wolfram Mathematica Applets, students can manipulate variables and identify patterns that emerge. There are over 1,000 applets where students can ask questions, plan and carryout scientific investigations, and analyze and interpret data.

Dr. Christi Pace, assistant professor of education, specializes in language and literacy education, and recommends a source that tackles those Lexile levels.

Newsela: I love Newsela as a resource for students because it provides high-interest articles at various Lexile levels with topics that cut across a variety of content areas. If I have a student reading at the third-grade level, one at the sixth-grade level, and one at the ninth-grade level, I can select an article and access it at each of these Lexile levels. Right now, Newsela is making their readings available for free through the remainder of the school year. Usually, you have to pay a subscription fee to access the articles.

Dr. Stacie Pettit, associate professor of education, holds teacher certifications that include middle school mathematics, Language Arts, K-12 gifted and English to Speakers of Other Languages. She chose to share a popular language learning app.

Duolingo: I like resources that take students beyond just skill-and-drill and provide a meaningful learning experience. 

Dr. Nai-Cheng Kuo, associate professor of education, specializes in special education and is concerned about vulnerable students who need extra support. She recommends parents use two sites to dig into opportunities to advocate for their child’s needs.

Council for Exceptional Children: The Council for Exceptional Children is a professional association of educators dedicated to advancing the success of children with exceptionalities. They have professional learning webinars on their site, including a series of high-leverage practices, the essential strategies special education teachers need to support all of their students.

Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Webinar about Online Education and Accessibility: The Office for Civil Rights presents this short webinar on online education and website accessibility.

Below are more resources for home school and distance learning. Topics include science, technology, math, art, history, culture, literature and more.

1. Amazing Educational Resources: Online spreadsheet of resources that is updated regularly
2. Build a Penny Boat: Build a boat of common household materials to explore the concept of buoyancy
3. Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari: Daily animal highlight on Facebook Live at 3 p.m.
4. The Classroom Bookshelf: Literacy activities in diverse contexts, which can be used on their own or in combination with one another for a wide range of K-8 classroom contexts
5. Class Central: Ivy-league massive open online courses (MOOCs), self-paced and free
6. Ditch That Textbook: Seventy e-learning activities, templates and tutorials
7. Educators Technology STEAM Websites: An excellent collection of helpful e-learning sites in science, technology, engineering, art, and math
8. Google World Heritage Sites: Tours and educational information from significant cultural sites around the world
9. Growing Book by Book: A guide to nurturing young readers
10. International Children’s Digital Library: A collection of books that aspires to offer outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world, from every culture and language
11. The Library of Congress — American Memory: Written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience
12. Merlot : Curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools from the California State University system
13. Netflix educational streams: A list of documentaries, series, and shows
14. Pearson: Expert faculty, best practices, and other online learning resources for people who are studying, teaching or working remotely
15. Science Mom: A daily two-hour livestream featuring science and math lessons, crafts and games, hosted by Science Mom and Math Dad to put some fun learning into your quarantine
16. Scholastic’s Learn at Home: Daily educational projects, by grade level, pre-k to ninth grade and Scholastic’s Month of Literacy Learning: Twenty days of literacy and content area learning experiences with each day’s lesson consisting of a book video, a magazine story, a supporting informational video, and a set of activities (free after creating an account)
17. Think Indigenous: Daily lessons for distance learning, from the perspective of indigenous communities
18. Thirty-Day Lego Challenge: Hands-on activities for building hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and more
19. Virtual Field Trips: A list of places on Earth and even off-planet that you can visit from the comfort of your living room
20. Virtual Museum Tours:
    • The British Museum
    • The National Gallery of Art
    • Musée d’Orsay
    • National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
    • The Getty Museum
    • National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
    • The Louvre