Resources for Parents who are trying not to lose their mind "Homeschooling"
Be sure to read to the end for a couple of links just for us ;)
I don’t know about you but I have always been clear about my reasons for NOT homeschooling my kids who are in grade 2, 6, 8 and 9 (all girls FYI). Two main reasons… One: I need my social time with my peers as much as they need theirs, and Two: though I was a good student a gazillion years ago I am NOT a Teacher, especially not of 4 different grades at once.
Now we’re all home together, safe, but so overwhelmed sometimes with the many changes needed to help all of us all get back to our “normal” lives including at home learning.
I’ve been saving links on my Facebook when I see them, and every now and then I put together a list of some of the best I’ve seen. I’ll try not to duplicate them here so if you are looking for more than what’s in this Blog you can go back to my March Break and “Extended” March Break posts and scroll through there.
"As parents you go through big chunks of time where you're just thinking, 'This is impossible—oh, this is impossible.' And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible." ~ Tina Fey
TIME FOR KIDS DIGITAL LIBRARY FREE FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR
As the world asks more of families and teachers, TIME for Kids salutes you, and we're here to support you! TIME for Kids is in the unique position to help kids understand this unprecedented moment.
CLICK HERE for free access to a library of four grade-specific digital editions of TIME for Kids and Your $ financial literacy magazine.
Turnkey teaching tools, with worksheets and quizzes for families or teachers, available at timeforkids.com (I have this separated in the section below).
Together, we will navigate the news and support one another through this uncharted territory.
Made possible by Google, AT&T, HP and PwC Charitable Foundation, the new TIME for Kids digital library will be available for free for the remainder of the school year.
TIME FOR KIDS LEARNING WEBSITE
You guys, I can’t even with this website! It goes up to grade 6 and has fun lessons, cool articles and the kids can even APPLY TO BE A KID REPORTER! They have opened up their teaching materials to be used at no cost and are working on supporting Teachers with virtual lesson plans and supports. You can click HERE to check out what is being offered, including financial literacy for kids (which I wish I had when I was younger) as young as grade 4.
MOMMY POPPINS FROM NYC
I originally saved this post for the 63 Easy Science Experiments to do with kids using stuff you have at home but when I went back to look she has SO MANY different ideas. Mow some are obviously US based or local to her but activities are universal. Have a look HERE at some of the cool ways to keep your kids engaged and be sure to visit the link on her site to 50+ virtual events this week (I hope she keeps updating!).
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP ANYONE?
This google doc was out together to provide a couple months of Virtual Field Trips and while we haven’t gone on our own yet, I sure am looking forward to “visiting” a few! These were put together in the US but what’s neat is that they included a Canadian apple orchard… too bad we couldn’t have welcomed them all here to Norfolk. Maybe next year!
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION CURRICULUM
Don’t make yourself crazy trying to teach your child the entire Ontario curriculum for the year they are in, we are NOT Teachers and this is NOT a normal time. I just found it interesting to see what the expectations are for our kids when they are in school (not that I necessarily took the time to pull it all apart). If this sounds like something you might like to check out, click HERE to get started and follow the links to the grade your little homeschooler is in.
ANIMAL CAMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
This is amazing. Links to animal cams around the world! Africa, Alaska, Monterey Bay and more - there are even links in the comments to an Eagle’s Nest and Grey Seals. Take a look HERE and remember to scroll through the comments for the other live feeds!
myNELSON RESOURCES OPEN ACCESS
“As the education landscape continues to evolve due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Nelson is committed to providing parents, students, and educators with open access to trusted materials. As a result, we are providing open access to a variety of student resources to support at home learning via myNelson. Access to myNelson will be available at no cost until June 30, 2020.Resources are being updated regularly, check back for updates.”
You can select the grade you are looking for resources for, it covers all grades, and they provide some simple lessons in literacy, science and math for the younger kids. I was also able to follow the prompts (they gave me a login and password) and actually virtually open the grade 6 math textbook! They show them up to grade 8. It’s worth checking it out HERE.
MLLE SWAN’S FRENCH YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Sophie (grade 8) and Maddie’s (grade 6) French Teacher at Lakewood is Magnifique!! She has a youtube channel and is adding more videos all the time. They are super helpful for demonstrating themes and concepts of french words and conjugations - and super helpful for moms who loved French but haven’t been in HS French since 1992… You should check it out HERE!
FRENCH READING
This may not be a new resource to a student in French Immersion but it was a great recommendation to us by Mlle Swan for Sophie who has been in the English stream her whole school career. She has hopes of jumping into an advanced French stream in HS next year if it’s possible and has some catching up to do. This site reads to her, provides comprehension and allows her to practice her own pronunciation with different levels. You can visit Boukili HERE to check it out for yourself for FREE! Just one of the ways our Teachers are stepping waaayy up for their students right now, Merci Mlle <3
FREE TITLES ON AUDIBLE FOR KIDS
I’ve never listened to an audio book, but I think the girls have at school in listening centres in their classrooms. Right now Audible has a selection of books for kids of all ages to listen to for FREE and you can start by looking at the list HERE on their website. There are english and french for all grade levels, and personally I may have a listen to the Harry Potter series since I’ve only seen the movies but not read the books.
MYSTERY SCIENCE
Mystery Doug seems like a pretty cool Science Teacher if you ask me… His website has short science videos that are based on a real life kid asking a question. and they’re about 5 minutes long. They answer interesting questions about an incredibly wide variety of topics. You can visit his website for free resources HERE or he has a youtube channel you might like to check out too, you can find it HERE.
DAV PILKEY AT HOME (aka Captain Underpants)
Captain Underpants. Really, that is a thing. Whether you know the books of Dav Pilkey or not he is doing some awesome things right now including drawing lessons for kids who want to learn to illustrate in his style and providing creative writing suggestions that are sure to get your kids’ wheels turning. Check it out HERE!
ONLINE MUSIC BINGO
Our family has been hosting Online Music Bingo each Sunday from 6-8 pm and it’s a highlight of our week! We would love for you to play along with us, you can click the link HERE to sign up before Saturday which is when we send out the Bingo cards. It’s super easy and you can play along anywhere in the world with us- and your own friends and family too!
We give away Tim Horton’s cards and the grand prize of a No Frills card each week at the end of 4 games. It is SO MUCH FUN, hope to see you there :)