In the Hancock County School District, we are committed to making sure your child continues to learn during school closures; therefore, we have compiled a list of resources that may help during the transition.
First and foremost, remember that school closing because of the coronavirus (COVID 19) is quite unique, so take the time to make sure you and your child remain relaxed and calm. Do not feel like you must turn your home into “school.” Also, do not feel as if you must print dozens of worksheets for your child to complete while sitting at the kitchen table. Use the time to discover new ways of learning. Explore the resources provided, play board games, read together and spend time outdoors.
If you have any questions regarding learning activities while your child is home, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Curriculum at [email protected].
Happy learning!
Tips for Working with Your Children at Home
1. Don’t panic Your children are way more flexible than you think. They will adjust way more quickly then you will and if you remain calm and excited they will too.”
2. Keep it simple “Don’t try to do every activity, everyday, all day. For younger kids, arrange an indoor activity or two, along with an outdoor activity or two. For older kids, let them take the lead (with a little bit of your guidance) and make suggestions on activities they’d like to do.”
3. Take breaks “Use outside, music, dancing, stretching, and physical activity as breaks. You don’t need to keep your child sitting at a table or desk for 6 hours straight. Take lessons in 20 minute increments and allow play and physical activities in between.”
4. Use nature, life skills, and everyday surroundings as learning tools “Your child (and you) can learn so much from the world around you. With spring approaching, is a great time to take a nature walk, look at all the things blooming and nesting and living. Research what you find, start with Google, copy what you read for handwriting and spelling, paint that gorgeous tree in bloom for art. Teach your child to bake a cake, there is a ton of math and science in baking.”
5. Go down the rabbit hole “Now is a great time to let your child learn what they want. When you are out exploring and you come across a pretty rock, and your child asks, “Where do rocks come from?” go with it! Research it and keep going until they are satisfied. If that leads to an entire mineral study, your child will be so excited to learn what they have questions about.”
6. Read books “You can never read too many books. Read together. Read alone quietly. Read aloud over tea and snacks. Read outside. Read everywhere.”
7. Have fun “This is not a time to try to be your child’s (amazing) teacher from school. Don’t stress about teaching your child algebra for the first time, focus on having fun, learning with what you have and enjoying the time getting to know your child’s interests and learning style.”
Source: https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/03/13/kids-out-of-school-amid-covid-19-crisis-this-homeschool-mom- has-some-advice/ Web Resources for Home Learning
ABC Mouse – K-5 ABCmouse.com is offering their lessons in different subjects like math, science and art for free thanks to UNICEF. ABCmouse.com/redeem Code: AOFLUNICEF
Scholastic – K-8
Scholastic set up a “Learn From Home” website with four categories: PreK and Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 to 5, and Grades 6+. Each section is already equipped with one week of content for students, with 15 additional days on the way.
Each day of content is filled with exciting articles and stories, videos, and fun learning challenges. The students can even go on virtual field trips or meet best-selling authors.
The website provides up to three hours of content each day and can be completed on any device. https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
Crash Course Kids This bi-weekly show from the producers of Crash Course is all about grade school science. https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcoursekids
TEDEd TEDEd brings lessons to life for students through animation. TEDEd’s goal is to ignite curiosity among learners. To do this, TEDEd collects the best teacher lessons around the world. Then, it turns them into shareable animated videos for students. https://ed.ted.com/
Lumosity Lumosity offers free brain games to keep student minds actively engaged. For example, the games use problem solving, critical thinking, and memory to keep students on their toes and strengthen their skills. https://www.lumosity.com/en/
Duolingo Duolingo helps students keep up with foreign language skills. Duolingo offers 30+ languages so students can start learning a variety of languages that interest them. Or, students can use Duolingo to practice the foreign languages they are already learning in the classroom. https://www.duolingo.com/
More Web Resources for Home Learning
Math Science https://www.funbrain.com/ https://www.discoverymindblown.com/ https://www.prodigygame.com/ https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html https://www.mathplayground.com/ https://amazing-space.stsci.edu/ https://www.splashlearn.com/ https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/crafts/science- projects/fun-science-projects-for-kids.htm http://www.mathgametime.com/ https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/books/how- things-work/ https://www.khanacademy.org/ https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/ https://www.billnye.com/ Reading https://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/ Projects to do at home – K-8 https://www.justbooksreadaloud.com/ https://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html (Upper Elementary – High School) https://www.storylineonline.net/ https://www.popsci.com/ Popular Science Magazine – High School https://www.romper.com/p/famous-people- https://www.sciencemadesimple.com/ reading-childrens-books-is-one-good-thing-during- (Middle School – High School) the-coronavirus-shut-in-22621288 https://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html For fun – Your weight on other worlds Ebook Classics/ Academics: Cincinnati Zoo Online Safari: https://www.gutenberg.org/ http://cincinnatizoo.org/home-safari-resources/
Parent Support Webinar (Reading): Science and Social Studies – K-12 https://about.readworks.org/parents_remote.html https://americanhistory.si.edu/kids/kids-things-do-home (3-8) General Learning Sites https://www.si.edu/learn-explore (K-12) https://www.brainpop.com/ (K-5) https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ (K-8) https://www.funology.com/ (K-5) https://www.izzit.org/shorts/index.php (9-12) http://www.rudimentsofwisdom.com/themes STEM: (6-12) https://social.oasismatters.com/ https://pbskids.org/ https://ed.ted.com/ TED Talks by Kids/YA Under 20: https://www.ted.com/playlists/129/ted_under_20 Music: Chrome Music Lab: Art / Art Galleries https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/ http://www.hellokids.com/r_12/drawing-for-kids https://www.nga.gov/education/kids.html https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online- features/metkids/
Don’t Forget to Relax and Have Fun
Arts and Crafts: Virtual Disney Rides: https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/ https://www.romper.com/p/while-disney-world- disneyland-are-closed-take-your-kids-on-virtual-rides- 22622893
Outdoor Educational Activities
P L A Y N A TURAL HIDE AND SEEK
One of the best ways to get familiar with your neighborhood nature is to seek it out, and a photo scavenger hunt is a great way to do that. Snap pics around the neighborhood or in your backyard for your child to locate and duplicate with a photo.
K E E P A C L OUD JOURNAL
Encourage kids to keep a daily record of the sky outside, sketching the day’s cloud patterns in a special journal and using colored pencils or paint to capture the color of the sky.
HAVE A BACKYARD CAMPOUT
A backyard campout is a practical way to test the camping waters without commitment. Even if you decide to bring your sleeping bags inside at bedtime, you’ll get to know your backyard in a whole new way when you tune into the sounds and sights of a spring night.
PUT UP A BI R D F E E D E R
It’s an amazingly simple way to lure all kinds of interesting avian friends to your backyard. Scatter a little seed in the yard, too, and you may see an influx of squirrels, rabbits, and other small mammals in addition to birds.
START A COLLECTIO N
Even little kids can collect stream-smoothed rocks when they’re wading in the creek, stones from your hike through the forest, and shells from the beach. If you do not have access to rocks, collect flowers, plants or leaves.
150+ Educational Shows to Stream on Netflix Animals:
From the jungle to your backyard, there’s a huge collection of animal-inpired educational shows on Netflix.
• BBC: Life • Tiger: Spy in the Jungle • Elephant: Spy in the Herd • Polar Bear: Spy on Ice • Dolphins: Spy in the Pod • Lions: Spy in the Den • Bears: Spy in the Woods • Penguins: Spy in the Huddle • Blackfish • Shark • The Lion in Your Living Room • A Dog’s Life • Tyke: Elephant Outlaw • The Crimson Wing • Bindi’s Bootcamp • Wings of Life • Born in China • 72 Cutest Animals • Growing Up Wild • Baby Animals in the Wild • Hidden Kingdoms • Terra • Ghost of the Mountain • Virunga • 72 Dangerous Animals: Asia • The Hunt • 72 Dangerous Animals: America • Africa’s Deadliest • 72 Dangerous Animals: Australia • Trek: Spy of the Wildebeest • Africa’s Deadliest • Leopard Fight Club • Animal Fight Night • Peculiar Pets • Race of LIfe • Wild Ones • David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities
Earth & Nature : From unbelievable natural disasters to the depths of the ocean, there’s plenty for nature-lovers on Netflix.
• Planet Earth • Planet Earth II • Blue Planet • Frozen Planet • Planet Earth: As You’ve Never Seen It • A Plastic Ocean • Earth’s Natural Wonders • Mission Blue • World’s Worst Disasters • Nature’s Weirdest Events • Nature’s Great Events • Weird Wonders of the World • Forces of Nature • Desperate Hours: Witnesses & Survivors • Full Force Nature • Tornado Hunters
Space: There’s still tons to learn about space, but Netflix has plenty to jumpstart your out-of-this-world interests.
• Alien Contact: Outer Space • NOVA: Earth’s Rocky Start • Into the Inferno • The Real Death Star • Edge of the Universe • Horizon: Secrets of the Solar System • The Inexplicable Universe • The Beginning and End of the Universe • Horizon: Supermassive Black Holes • Orbit • In Search for Life in Space
Presidents: From hundreds of years ago to the current president, pick any of these educational shows on Netflix and be inspired.
• How to Win the US Presidency • The Wheelchair President • JFK: The Making of a President • Meet the Trumps: From Immigrant to President
History: History often repeats itself, so be prepared with these interesting shows.
• NOVA: Secrets of Noah’s Ark • The Vietnam War • The Pyramid Code • Vikings Unearthed • WWII in Colour • Untold Histories of the United States • Nazi Mega Weapons • 9/11: Truths, Lies & Conspiracy • Nazi Megastructures • Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution • D-Day • The Royal House of Windsor
Dinosaurs: Though they’re long gone, dinosaurs still capture our interests like nothing else!
• Raising the Dinosaur Giant • Horizon Dinosaurs: The Hunt for Life • Dino Hunt
Documentaries: There’s something for everyone with these educational shows on Netflix. Picking which one to watch is the hard part!
• The Beginning of Life: The Series • First Contact: The Lost Tribe of the Amazon • Pygmies: Children of the Jungle • American Experience: TESLA • NOVA: Dawn of Humanity • Inside Einstein’s Mind • Trump: An American Dream • Oklahoma City • Happy People: A Year in the Taiga • Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things • NOVA: The Nuclear Option • Social Fabric • Story of Maths • Expedition Happiness • NOVA: Search for the Super Battery • The Secret • The Toys that Made Us • Abstract: The Art of Design • Genius of the Modern • World • Life Below Zero • NOVA: Arctic Ghost Ship
Entertainment: Learn all about a topic, while actually enjoying it!
• Dream Big: Engineering our World • Origins • Brain Games • Dirty Money • Liquid Science • The “Who Was” Show • Explained • Bill Nye the Science Guy • NOVA: Ultimate Cruise Ship • Mega Builders • Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby • The Magic School Bus • How to LIve Mortgage Free • Top 10 Architecture • World’s Most Extraordinary Homes • Amazing Interiors • Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown • Hollywood Weapons: Fact or Fiction • Somebody Feed Phil • White Rabbit Project • Lego House: HomeBrick • Print the Legend Geography: Travel the world from your home using these educational shows on Netflix.
• Wild China • Wild Alaska • Afghanistan: The Great Game • Encounters at the End of the World • 72 Dangerous Places to Live • South Pacific • Saudi Arabia Uncovered • The Truth Behind Atlantis • Escape to the Continent
Food/Nutrition/Health: From diet to the amazing human body, you’ll be amazed at these eye-opening shows.
• Rotten • What the Health • A Leaf of Faith • Food Choices • In Defense of Food • Forks Over Knives • Food, Inc • Take Your Pills • The Cowspiracy • The C Word • 9 Months that Made You • Froning: The Fittest Man in History • The Founder
Mystery: These shows will leave you scratching your head, deep in thought.
• Conspiracies • The Code • Top 10 Secrets & Mysteries • The Secret Rules Of Modern Living: Algorithms • The Forensic Files • Secret Tunnel Warfare
Source: https://homeschoolhideout.com/educational-shows-on-netflix/
150+ You Tube Channels for Middle and High Schoolers
Channels with Random Facts & Info to Really Make You Think:
Second Thought: “What Would Happen If You Stopped Drinking Soda”
Crash Course: “We Could Be Heroes”
Crash Course Kids: “Picky Pineapples”
National Geographic: “Cows vs. Crime”
It’s Okay to be Smart: “How an Igloo Keeps You Warm”
Thought Cafe: “Could We Live on Mars?”
TED: “The Tiny Creature Secretly Powers the Planet”
The Infographics Show: “Highest Paying Teen Jobs”
Top Tenz: “10 Fast Facts About the James Bond Franchise”
Seeker: “Is Jupiter the Reason for Life on Earth?”
TED x Youth: “How to Become an Entrepreneur”
Today I Found Out: “The Quest for the Four Minute Mile”
Kurzgesagt: In a Nutshell: “The Deadliest Being on the Planet Earth”
What’s Inside?: “What’s Inside an Apple Pencil?”
Finding Stuff Out: “How Stuff Breaks”
Good Mythical Morning: “Will It Butter? Taste Test”
60 Second Philosophy: “Plato’s Theory of Forms”
Knowing Better: “Going after Ghandi” V Sauce: “Electric Brain”
TED Ed: “Why Does Your Voice Change as You Get Older?”
Real Life Lore: “The Most Unlikely Things that Could Happen to You”
Think Twice: “Fitting a Cube Through a Copy of Itself”
The Slow Mo Guys: “Bear Trap Power”
Global Weirding with Katharine Hayhoe: “Developing Countries Need Fossil Fuel to Reach our Standard of Living, Right?”
Above the Noise: “How Sunscreen Hurts Coral”
Green Pro 2009: “Optical Illusions: Jaw Dropping Diamonds”
Samimy Productions: “Making Drunk Robot Out Of Junk”
The Frivolous Engineering Channel: “Laser Engraving an Apple”
Mr. Fix It: “How to Restore an Old Wheelbarrow”
I Like to Make Stuff: “How to Make a Giant 100 Foot Slip’N’Slide”
Primitive Life: “Stone Swimming Pool”
TED Ed Clubs: “Insecurities: A Common Thread Among Young Girls”
Jam Campus: “The Periodic Table of Elements Song”
Professor Dave Explains: “Visualizing DNA in Virtual Reality”
Life Noggin: “What Happens When You Get Rabies?”
Free School: “Why Does the Eclipse Move West to East?”
Soliloquy: “Is the Shape of Colorado a Boring Rectangle?”
Conjecture: “Why Does Pouring Water “Gulp?”
AnthroKnowldgey: “The Oldest Buildings on Each Continent”
Draw Curiosity: “How This Honey is Saving Elephants” Report this ad Think Fact:“How Many People Did It Take for You to Exist?”
Extra Credits: “1918 Flu Epidemic: Order More Coffins”
Nile Red:“Converting Aspirin Pills to Tylenol”
Smarter Everyday: “Tattooing Close Up and In Slow Motion”
Reactions: “Why Does Stinky Cheese Stink?”
Don’t miss these helpful lists:
Risk Bites: “Will Gene Editing in Sports Lead to Super Athletes?”
Half as Interesting: “That Time 3 Astronauts Went on Strike In Space”
Wonder Why: “Why Can’t We Print Money Off to Pay Debts?”
The School of Life:“The Secrets of a Privileged Childhood”
Origin of Everything:“Why Do We Wash Our Hands After Going to the Bathroom?”
Knowledge Hub: “How a Rebellion Built the Panama Canal”
Name Explain: “What Makes Britain Great?”
Brain for Breakfast: “How Did Cats Build the Pyramids?”
Computerphile: “Inside a Crypto-Mining Operation”
Be Amazed: “Is THIS the Food of the Future? Top 10 Foods Scientists Say We’ll be Eating By 2050”
Skunk Bear: “Why Dogs Have Floppy Ears”
Brain Craft: “How to Think like Einstein”
Hot Mess: “Could Climate Change Make you Allergic to Meat?”
The Brain Scoop: “A Beetle’s Beloved Beer Bottle”
Homeschool Pop: “Human Eye…for Kids!”
Peekaboo Kidz: “What Causes Constipation?” Smithsonian Channel: “How a Tomato Paid Off This Man’s Mortgage”
Big Think: “Elon Mush is Fulfilling Thomas Edison’s Energy Dreams”
For Critical Thinkers: “Owners or Occupiers”
In the Making: “Simple Science to Stop Starvation”
How It’s Made: “How It’s Made: Laser Eye Surgery”
The King of Random: “Mixing Lava with Liquid Nitrogen”
It’s AumSum Time: “Why Do Cats Have Vertical Pupils?”
Meet Arnold: “What If You Could Fly Into Space in Your Car?”
Science Channels:
Minute Earth: “Why Most Rain Never Reaches the Ground”
Minute Physics: “How to Build a Teleporter with Aliens”
Spagler Science: “Science of Carbonation”
Science with Tom: “Please Don’t Kill My Hive: Science Kareoke”
Kids Science: “Fireworks: How Does It Work?”
Bozeman Science: “Vaccines and Herd Immunity”
Step-by-Step Science: “Momentum: Force vs. Time Graph”
Shomu’s Biology: “Kindom Fungi Classification to Remember”
A Capella Science: “Men are from Laurel, Women are from Yanny”
Physics Girl: “How I Broke a Wine Glass with my Voice and Science”
Science Bob: “900 Mousetraps Unleashed”
ASAP Science: “What Does Your Poop Say About You?”
SciShow Psych: “Cheese: As Addictive as Cocaine?” SciShow Kids: “What Happens If You Swallow Gum?”
Gross Science: “Sea Cucumbers Have Multipurpose Butts”
Applied Science: “A Refrigerator that Works By Stretching Rubber Bands”
Science TV: “Clash of the Titans: Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy”
Science Channel: “Think Super Glue Can Lift a Pickup Truck?”
Bruss Pup: “See Through Objects by Bending Light”
Art Explains Science & History: “Are Rabbits the Fastest Breeding Animal?”
Veritasium: “Why Women are Stripey”
Thoisoi2: “Xenon: The Brightest Gas on Earth”
Popular Science: “What Would It Take to Power Your Home for a Day?”
Backyard Scientist: “How Strong is Oobleck?”
Anna’s Science Magic Show Hooray!: “Why Do We Have Butts?”
A3 Academy: “Water Potential”
GreatScott!: “Make Your Own Tesla Coil”
Periodic Videos: “A Very Early Periodic Table”
Objectivity: “Moon Beavers and Other Hoaxes”
Cody’s Lab: “What’s Inside a $25,000 gold foil ball? ”
Astronomy & Space Channels:
SciShow Space: “What if the Universe Was Shaped Like a Donut?”
Space Time: “How Gaia Changed Astronomy Forever”
Nasa: “Launching a Mission to Study Earth’s Water”
Deep Astronomy: “Nothing is Easy About Humans to Mars…But Can We Make it Easier?” Space Rip: “Are There Other Earths?”
Star Talk: “Don’t Get Neil Tyson Started on Water Towers”
Vintage Space: “Fecal Dust in Space”
Martian Colonist: “Building a Martian Society”
Deep Sky Videos: “Where Did the Sun Come From?”
Isaac Arthur: “Civilizations at the End of Time: Dying Earth”
Fraser Cain: “How Do We Know Where Gravitational Waves Come From?”
The Planetary Society: “How to Prevent Asteroids from Hitting Earth”
Animal Channels:
Wildlife Aid TV: “Baby Badger’s First Taste of Worms”
Outback Wild Rescue: “Outback Wildlife Rescue: Episode 7”
Brave Wilderness: “Will It Ink? Catching an Octopus”
Ants Canada: “Ants vs. Giant Millipede”
Animal Wonders Montana: “9 Bizarre Animal Adaptations”
Snake Discovery: “Feeding Live vs. Frozen Prey”
Lelslie the Bird Nerd: “Do Female Songbirds Sing, Too?”
Deep Look: “Why Does Your Cat’s Tongue Feel Like Sandpaper?”
Lab of Orinthology: “Wetland Loss in the Yellow Sea”
Discovery: “Grizzly Bears: Up Close and Personal”
National Geographic Wild: “This New Species of Pygmy Seahorses is the Size of a Lentil”
National Geographic Kids: “Hiccup World Record: Weird But True!”
BBC Earth: “Pearlfish’s Gross Hiding Spots: Inside a Sea Cucumber” Aqua Kids: “Siamese Crocodiles”
History Channels:
Kings and Generals: “Armies and Tactics: Ancient Greek Navies”
Potential History: “Tank Duel at Cologne”
Ten Minute History: “The War of the Roses”
The History Guy: “The Great Royal Buffalo Hunt of 1872”
The Armchair Historian: “What Made the American Civil War so Deadly?”
Wartime History: “Armor History: Sherman Firefly”
A Kid Explains History: “Pony Express: History Explained by a Kid”
Simple History: “Why Was a Paste Applied to German Tanks?”
The Great War: “A Farewell to Arms: Ernest Hemingway”
Forgotten Weapons: “Project Ultra: Germany Wants a Stronger Compact Pistol”
Alternate History Hub: “What if the Fourth Plane Hit Its Target on 9/11?”
America From Scratch: “Should We Rewrite Our Constitution?”
Mr. Bett’s Class: “World War II: A Friends Themed Parody”
Suibhne: “The Animated History of ISIS”
Emperor Tiger Star: “History Class Horror Stories”
So That Happened: “War Plan Red Edition”
Timeline: “Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer”
PBS Eons: “What a Dinosaur Looks Like Under a Microscope”
What If Al Thist:“What if the Handmaid’s Tale Actually Happened?”
Over Simplified: “The War that Changed the English Language” Geography Channels: Travel Kids: “Iceland’s Natural Wonders: Kids Traveling in Europe”
Geography Now: “What if Earth was Upside Down?”
Ollie Bye: “Conquests: The Kannauj Triangle”
Kids Learning Tube: “Kazakhstan Geography”
Math Channels:
Mathologer: “Pi is Irrational: Simplest Proof on Toughest Test”
Numberphile: “The Six Triperfect Numbers”
3 Blue 1 Brown: “What is Backpropagation Really Doing?”
Do your kids love LEGO? Then they will love these challenge cards! They are designed for your child to be challenged, creative and inspired! As a parent, you can join in the fun!