Education: Free lessons and activities of all kinds online

There are several companies offering freebies while residents stay inside due to the spread of COVID-19. Here are a few helping to educate students while at home.

• The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is closed to visitors. But you can still join them on Facebook each day at 2 pm CST for exciting, educational stories of role models from history. #visitfortscott #unsungheroes #lmc
• Americas Test Kitchen KIDS Recipes and activities for kids that will teach both math measurements and science through baking https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/home?incode=MAFLDA2L0
• Arcademics Arcade style learning for all subjects, grades 1-6 https://www.arcademics.com/
• BrainPop Online resources for all subjects, currently offering FREE access during school closures https://www.brainpop.com/
• Breakout EDU Free catalog of games and actvities for all ages during school closures https://www.breakoutedu.com/funathome
• CK-12 Online Classes Courses by subject and grade for all ages https://www.ck12.org/student/
• Club Oasis Free online STEM club for STEAM kids of all ages https://social.oasismatters.com/
• Discovery Education Network Downloadable curriculum and lesson plans for all grades, all subjects https://den.discoveryeducation.com/participate/dailyde
• E-Learning for Kids Global learning platform with lesson plans, games, and more https://www.e-learningforkids.org/
• Fort Worth ISD Online curriculum for all grades, all subjects from Fort Worth ISD https://www.fwisd.org/Page/23651
• FunBrain Reading, math and more for all grade levels https://www.funbrain.com/
• Hand2Mind Online lesson plans, activities, schedules, and more https://www.hand2mindathome.com/
• HippoCampus Online educational resources for middle school through college https://hippocampus.org/
• Jumpstart Academy Worksheets, lesson plans, activites, and projects for all grades, all subjects https://www.jumpstart.com/
• Know It All Online resources for all grades, all subjects https://www.knowitall.org/series
• Lakeshore Online writing prompts, lesson plans, and activities for all ages https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/resources/free-resources
• Learn at Home with Sarah & Steph Facebook Group by a teacher friend of mine – parent/teacher community with tons of resources https://www.facebook.com/groups/2505947912953076/
• Learning Resources Curated list of resources for learning at home from PreK-5th grade https://www.learningresources.com/free-at-home-learning-essentials
• NearPod Free online courses and lessons for all grades, all subjects https://nearpod.com/t/free-C491
• PBS Learning Media Different from the main PBS site – organize assignments for your kids, develop online classroom, etc. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
• PebbleGo Offering free resources through school closures https://pebblego.com/
• Raddish Kids Bonus free content without having to subscribe – recipes, cooking videos, activities and more https://www.raddishkids.com/blogs/bonus-bites
• Scholastic: Learn at Home Scholastic Education released a free resource during school closures https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
• TakeLessons Free online classes in language, music, and more http://go.takelessons.com/free-online-classes/
• Twig Education Free resources and downloads for all ages, all subjects during school closures https://www.go.twigeducation.com/covid19-us/
• Free, daily online courses from Scholastic’s “Learn at Home” website. Pre-K to Grades 6 and higher
• PBS Kids has a daily newsletter for subscribers filled with activities and educational games for kids ages 2-8.
• Outschool has free live, online classes for public school students through the end of the school year
• Khan Academy is a free online learning platform and is releasing daily schedules (with free lessons included) for students pre-K through 12th grade
• The Kennedy Center has their artist-in-residence and children’s book author, Mo Willems, hosting daily drawing projects in a series called Lunch Doodles. New episodes are released each weekday at noon CT and stay online for repeated viewing.
• Coursera is an online learning hub used by college professors. It’s opening its catalog of 3,800 courses to college students for free.
• The California Science Center is livestreaming “Stuck at Home Science“. It’s a video series of science activities you can do at home. New edition weekdays at noon our time.
• NASA launched “Teachable Moments” with resources for investigating the latest discoveries about the universe. Activities and lessons suitable for grades K-12.
• For art, The Art Institute of Chicago has 44,000+ works online and can be viewed/downloaded in high resolution.
• OpenCulture.com has a list of 1,500 free online courses from top universites like Stanford, Yale, MIT, Harvard, Oxford and more to learn everything from history, philosophy and literature, to physics, biology, psychology and computer science.
• Engineering: Kodable Learn programming and creativity through coding (paid membership) https://www.kodable.com/
• Engineering: Minecraft: Education Edition Minecraft opened up a free edition for kids to learn coding, including class resources and more https://education.minecraft.net/get-started/
• Engineering: Scratch Learn to create stories, games, and animations through coding – created by MIT https://scratch.mit.edu/
• Engineering: Tynker Free access to premium coding courses during school closures https://www.tynker.com/
• Field Trip: Access Mars Virtual field trip to explore the surface of Mars https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/
• Field Trip: American Dairy Association Virtual field trip through America’s dairy farms https://www.americandairy.com/dairy-in-schools/virtual-farm-tour.stml
• Field Trip: American Egg Board Virtual Egg Farm Field Trip + lesson plans, activities, and “eggs”periments https://www.aeb.org/eggs-in-schools/classroom/farm-to-table-virtual-field-trips
• Field Trip: Birthplaces of Music Virtual field trip to visit the different birthplaces of music around the world. http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/joshuasmith8/502/virtualtour/start.html
• Field Trip: Colonial Williamsburg Virtual field trip to Colonial Williamsburg featuring live feeds, lesson plans, activities, and more https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/teachers/?from=navlearn
• Field Trip: Discover Egypt Virtual field trip to discover ancient Egypt and learn about hieroglyphics, pyramids, and more https://discoveringegypt.com/
• Field Trip: Discovery Education: Virtual Field Trips Virtual field trips from Discovery Education https://www.discoveryeducation.com/community/virtual-field-trips/
• Field Trip: Great Lakes Virtual Field Trip Virtual field trip to explore the Great Lakes and learn about different ecosystems https://www.greatlakesnow.org/educational-resources/virtual-field-trip/
• Field Trip: International Space Station Virtual field trip of NASA’s International Space Station https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/suni_iss_tour.html
• Field Trip: National Agriculture in the Classroom Virtual field trip through America’s farms https://www.agclassroom.org/student/tours.cfm
• Field Trip: National Park Service YouTube channel for the National Park Service https://www.youtube.com/user/NationalParkService/featured
• Field Trip: Nature Works Everywhere Virtual field trips scheduled and archived focused on science, social studies, and geography https://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/events/
• Field Trip: SFMOMA San Francisco Modern Museum of Art has a special teachers resources page for all grades, all subjects https://www.sfmoma.org/teacher-resources/
• Field Trip: Visit Yosemite Virtual field trip to visit Yosemite National Park https://www.virtualyosemite.org/
• Field Trip: Yellowstone National Park Virtual field trip around Yellowstone National Park https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
• Government: Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government Follow along with tiny Ben Franklin and learn about the government through games and activities https://bensguide.gpo.gov/
• Government: National Constitution Center Interactive constitution, live conversations, remote learning resources, and more https://constitutioncenter.org/
• History: New American History Free tools and resources to teach American History in a new way, available for all grade levels https://learn.newamericanhistory.org/
• History: Smithsonian Kids Science and history activities and games from the Smithsonian https://www.si.edu/kids
• Math: Math Game Time Math games for kids up to 7th grade http://www.mathgametime.com/
• Math: Math Games Free math games for practice by any grade level K-12 https://teks.mathgames.com/
• Math: Math Playground Fun math games and puzzles for all ages https://www.mathplayground.com/
• Math: Splash Learn Math games and activities for kids all ages https://www.splashlearn.com/math-games
• Music: Classics for Kids Learn about famous composers and listen to classical music, instruments, and more https://www.classicsforkids.com/
• Music: Kids Guitar Zone Virtual guitar lessons for kids http://www.kidsguitarzone.com/
• Music: Rockalingua Spanish-language practice through music https://rockalingua.com/games
• Music: Sight Reading Factory Unlimited resources for sight reading practice https://www.sightreadingfactory.com/
• Reading/Writing: Bookshare Online reading tools for students with reading barriers (dylexia, learning, visual, physical, etc.) https://www.bookshare.org/cms/help-center/learning-center/learning-at-home
• Reading/Writing: Encantos Free online resources to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing http://www.encantosbrands.com/learning
• Reading/Writing: Global Digital Library Free online library of books and games https://www.digitallibrary.io/
• Reading/Writing: Learning at Home Dictionary.com created learning activities for every grade to develop vocabulary and reading skills https://www.dictionary.com/e/learning-at-home-parent-teacher-center/
• Reading/Writing: News-o-Matic Safe and kid-friendly news resource offering free access through June 30th https://www.newsomatic.org/#get-free-access
• Reading/Writing: Reading Bear Learn phonetics through letter sounds and quizzes https://www.readingbear.org/
• Reading/Writing: ReadWorks Free reading comprehension instruction. content, curriculum and more for K-12 https://www.readworks.org/
• Reading/Writing: Starfall Reading and literacy for PreK-3rd grade https://www.starfall.com/h/
• Reading/Writing: Storyline Online Videos of story time read out loud by famous actors https://www.storylineonline.net/
• Reading/Writing: Teach Your Monster to Read Free online game designed to make reading fun https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/
• Reading/Writing: Typing Club Learn typing for all ages https://www.typingclub.com/
• Reading/Writing: Wonderopolis The ultimate site for kids who love to ask questions https://wonderopolis.org/
• Reading/Writing: Zinc Learning Labs Giving students of all ages what they need to achieve advanced literacy success – Free through July https://www.zinclearninglabs.com/
• Science: Alaska Volcano Observatory Explore any volcano around the world, search by eruption, watch live feeds, and more https://avo.alaska.edu/activity/index.php
• Science: Ask Dr. Universe Science-based educational videos, activities and more from Washington State University https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/
• Science: Botany for Kids Gift of Curiosity unit study on botany provides games and activities to teach kids about botanical science https://www.giftofcuriosity.com/unit-study-botany/
• Science: Discovery: Mindblown YouTube series dedicated to science and experiments https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnxUlXx5R5jFJ0qLK7ZdNsw
• Science: Find Your Blue Ocean life, plants, and ecosystems through the Smithsonian https://ocean.si.edu/
• Science: Mystery Science Online science experiments and lessons for all grades https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning
• Science: NASA: Climate Kids Science learning through weather, climate, atmosphere, energy, and more https://climatekids.nasa.gov/
• Science: NASA: Kids Club Learn about earth and space through games, galleries, videos, and more from NASA https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html#.VWJS3vlVikp
• Science: Nat Geo Kids Great educational games, interactive, videos, and more https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
• Science: National Institute of Health Health science resources for PreK-12 https://www.nih.gov/research-training/science-education
• Science: Peep and the Big Wide World Science games, videos, and activities for kids http://www.peepandthebigwideworld.com/en/
• Science: Ryan’s World YouTube dedicated to kid-friendly science experiments and more https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChGJGhZ9SOOHvBB0Y4DOO_w
• Science: Science Journal for Kids and Teens Scientific articles written for kids and teens to increase science and reading skills https://sciencejournalforkids.org/
• Science: Science Kids Online resources for science and technology, free games, experiments, activities and more http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
• Science: Science News for Students Free science articles and explainers for all ages https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/
• Science: Star Atlas Explore and visit any star, anywhere. Learn about constellations, watch sunrises, find planets, and more. https://staratlas.com/
• Science: SwitchZoo Science website for kids, play games, build online habitats, learn animal facts, etc. https://switchzoo.com/
• Science: The Magic School Bus Watch the show through Netflix and follow up with online experiments, printables and more https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/books/the-magic-school-bus/
• Science: We Love Weather WeatherChannel for Kids for stories, videos, and information on weather safety https://weloveweather.tv/for-kids/
• Science: Weather Wiz Kids Educational videos and activities about meteorology http://www.weatherwizkids.com/