Stuck at home? Here are some educational resources to keep the things interesting.
There are plenty of posts out there with long lists of different activities. This isn’t one of them. This is a curated list of only my favorite options right now. Some of these I use at home with my kids and some I love for middle and high schoolers. Here are some of my favorite resources for learning outside of a traditional curriculum:
Gym Class: There is something awesome about doing a kids' P.E. class live with people all over the world. My family has been doing it together a few times a week as a break for all of us. Check it out or really any of his workouts because we all need to keep moving.
Brillant.org: This is a math resource that although it isn’t free does have a free trial. They have some brilliant (see what I did there) practice problems and wonderful courses on everything from Algebra to Calculus to Number Theory and Quantitative Fiance. This is a great program for enrichment and challenge for science and math-minded middle and high schoolers.
Meditate: I have been using this with my kids a few times a week since December. It’s not free but they do have a free trial. It has been an amazing way to start our days and makes a huge difference in all of our outlooks on the day.
Opera: Here's one out of left field but stay with me here. When are you ever taking your kid to the Opera? When was the last time you went? I haven't been since my honeymoon which was a LONG time ago. I have to admit, it was kind of amazing to watch the Opera curled up on the couch with cocoa. We all had fun, laughed, and got to experience something new. That was a priceless feeling right now when the days are all starting to feel the same with nothing new is on the horizon.
Orchestra: We have missed the orchestra and although not nearly as good as being there live it has been fun to see the short at home performances.
Youtube watercolor tutorials: Need I say more? There are tons of them for all skill levels. I am not an artist but its been fun exploring these as a family and has all of us outside of our comfort zone.
3Blue1Brown: This is hands down my favorite YouTube Math channel. His videos are engaging, visual, and make you think about topics in a whole new way. He is also live streaming math classes for high schoolers a few times a week. Don’t miss these - they are GREAT!
National Park Adventure: We are a nature and travel-loving family and we have been missing these experiences as of late. To help scratch that itch and inspire our future journeys we have been streaming the National Park Adventure. There are great curriculum resources to go along with this show as well if you want to watch it in a more structured way.
The Bakkan Museum: This small museum in Minneapolis is filled with gems. I love it there and the educators are passionate and engaging. (Full disclosure I used to work there.) They have put together a series of maker challenges and recorded audio about cool science facts. Some of these are geared younger but your middle schooler will have a great time with some of the challenges.
IXL: Your student has likely used this in school. No reason they can't use it at home. This could be a great time to review some of those concepts that they haven't quite mastered yet. I like using this with my high school students to fill in any learning gaps making sure they are rock solid on base concepts.
Kahn Academy: Great videos and resources to help guide your student through material they are struggling with or move ahead of what they are covering in class.
Nature Journaling: Like I said before art is outside of my comfort zone. We already spent a lot of time outside exploring and now we are doing that even more. To keep these moments educational and to encourage observation my kids and I nature journal. We don't get super fancy over here, just colored pencils and an old notebook but all of us look forward to it on hikes. You don’t need to be hiking in the woods for this either (although that is a wonderful treat!), just head outside to a local park or walk around your neighborhood.
Civil Engineering Projects: Have a budding maker or engineer at home? Consider having them work through one of these projects. You can easily scale them up or down in difficulty and can provide a nice break from all the screen time.
ArchtectureResources: My kids are builders. They love legos and wood and sand and mud. To challenge that into something a little less messy we are planning on tackling these: How to Draw Trees and Create Your Own City.
What resources have you been enjoying? Drop a comment below to share!