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Computer activities for PreK students are a bit of a challenge as they are so dependent on the device they are using, the amount of skill they have with technology, and most importantly how developmentally appropriate the activity is for the student.  Some students take to technology naturally while others can have difficulty with relatively easy tasks.

So, the activities I am putting here for my very young students will need to be closely monitored by a grown up to make sure they are not too difficult or too easy.

Website suggestions

https://www.abcya.com/

https://pbskids.org/

http://www.sproutonline.com/

http://www.starfall.com

https://kidmons.com/

https://disneynow.com/my-settings/my-disney-emoji

It is important to focus at this point on your child learning how to “find things” on their own without needing to rely on someone else to “do it” for them.  They are learning to navigate correctly as well as find out what to do when things don’t work right.

When students are comfortable with navigating sites on their own, they can begin working on activities from the Kinder/First list like simple drawing programs and searching on brainpopjr. for videos and games.

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You are living history right now.  This global pandemic will be something that people remember and talk about forever.  Take some time this week to start a journal about it.
You can create a simple Word, Googledocs, or notepad file to keep track of your ideas or try one of the these:
Day One
Penzu
Journey
Grid Diary
myjournalate.com
No matter which you choose, try to keep track of both facts and feelings.  You don't need to share it with anyone, but maybe you will want to.  I will be starting mine, and hopefully we can all talk about it together when we get back to school again.

-There are some great thinking games in this list for you too.  Take a look and try something new.

http://www.billsgames.com/home.html
http://www.brainbashers.com/
https://www.softschools.com/games/logic_games/
https://www.learninggamesforkids.com/
https://littlealchemy.com/
https://www.grogono.com/magic/index.php
https://www.learn4good.com/games/logic-puzzles6.htm

-Brainpop has lots of great videos on science and medicine.  Look for some videos about epidemics, viruses or global issues that affected people.
You can use our school login to access them from home.
username:  hisdaskew
password:   hisd

You are getting older and I know it seems like more fun to sit inside watching Youtube videos and playing online games but remember, there is more to technology than just entertainment.  Practice good online habits.  Be good digital citizens and good people in general. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

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-Stay connected with friends.  Have an adult help with setting up a zoom or skype you can use to connect to a group of friends.  Texting is great for contact but have some live video contact with friends can really make you feel connected.

-Keep track of the things you are doing.  For week one, I suggested starting an online journal to record facts and feelings about the coronavirus outbreak.  I did the same thing but I wanted to have a way to share those things with you, so I decided this week to have you start a screen capture folder of the things you are working on.  I used a Google Chrome extension called One Click Full Page ScreenShot that can be found here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/one-click-full-page-scree/dchfhilphcokdhfmikknmgdbmklbnnle?hl=en-US It let’s me take a screen shot of my page and save it to my computer.  I created a folder in my documents to save my downloaded screenshots.  I am putting a couple of examples in my Padlet today to show you what I mean.  Save your screen shots so we can compare when we get back to school again, hopefully soon!

-Make a game, learn some code, have fun.  If you have not looked at Gamestar Mechanic before, or it has been a while since you did, now is a good time to get reacquainted.  Learn about how games are made and get some practice making your own.  You may need to create a new login for yourself, but it’s pretty simple to do.

-Go outside and get some fresh air.  Screen time is fine, but give your eyes a break. Go for a walk, sit and think, talk to some friends at a safe distance. Just be careful and safe and don’t forget hand sanitizer.

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This is a great week to be creative and practice your typing skills.  You can start with some typing practice on one of our typing links or create a story using one of these:
Storyjumper.com  Mystorybook.com
https://www.abcya.com/games/story_maker

-Try out one of the new websites from below.  These are all logic game and puzzle sites that I am adding to our class favorites list.  I haven't divided them by difficulty yet, so you will need to do a little experimenting to see which works best for you.  My personal favorite is littlealchemy.com.

http://www.billsgames.com/home.html
http://www.brainbashers.com/
https://www.softschools.com/games/logic_games/
https://www.learninggamesforkids.com/
https://littlealchemy.com/
https://www.grogono.com/magic/index.php
https://www.learn4good.com/games/logic-puzzles6.htm

-Take some time to look at a few science or technology videos on Brainpopjr or Brainpop.  While you are at it, make sure to review the videos about internet safety and digital citizenship.
You can use our school login to access them from home.
username:  hisdaskew
password:   hisd

Don't forget to take a break from your technology and get outside for a while.

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-Talk to your friends.  By now you should have had the chance to meet with your teachers and friends online with an online video tool like zoom, skype, or teams.  Your job for this week is to get a grown up to help you talk to your friends with an online tool like the ones I mentioned already or with face time or video chat.  Keeping in contact with people, especially now that people need to be apart is important to help us feel like we aren’t alone.

-Learn something new and write about it.  One of our favorites links is for National Geographic Kids. Your mission for today is to learn about something new and share it with someone else.  The first step is to open this link: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/science/facts-about-coronavirus/ You can read the article on your own if you can, or with an adult or big brother or sister if the words are too difficult.  You job is to find 3 facts about Covid19 that you didn’t know before.  You can write them down or tell it to someone face to face.  My question to you is, why is it called Covid19?

-Explore this great website.  Now that you have used this website to learn something, take some time today to explore the other things it has to offer.  Hint: there are some great games, videos, fun facts and other new things to learn.

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This is a great time to practice using a drawing and painting software.
Tuxpaint is my favorite program, but will need to be downloaded first
http://www.tuxpaint.org/download/ You should install the program and the stamps package.

Online painting apps https://kidmons.com/game/paint-online/ also, Kidmons.com is a great website for kids games. https://www.abcya.com/games/abcya_paint, http://www.nickjr.com/nick-jr-originals/games/nick-jr-free-draw/, https://pbskids.org/games/coloring/

-This is also a good time to pick something from our favorites list that is familiar or maybe pick something new to try.

-Brainpopjr is a great way to learn something new and have fun.  Try a movie or two and maybe a game.  You can use our school login to access them from home.
username:  hisdaskew
password:   hisd

Computer time should be fun time, but remember to set a time limit and go outside to play too.  Be sure to save your pictures, so we can do a lesson later on how to share them.

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K and 1

-Talk to your friends.  By now you should have had the chance to meet with your teachers and friends online with an online video tool like zoom, skype, or teams.  Your job for this week is to get a grown up to help you talk to your friends with an online tool like the ones I mentioned already or with face time or video chat.  Keeping in contact with people, especially now that people need to be apart is important to help us feel like we aren’t alone.

-Have fun with some animals.  One of the links on our favorites page is Switchzoo.  This is a web page on the computer as well as an app that can be downloaded and played on a phone or tablet.  There are many different animal games here to play, but make sure you start with the animal switcheroo.  As you make new animals, be sure to pay attention to what it says about each animal part you are adding.

-Go Noodle. Take a body and brain break with a couple of Go Noodle videos.  They are lots of fun to do and help you get some exercise.

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The purpose of this page is to share ideas and resources with students and parents while they are homeschooling during the Covid19 crisis.
I have tried to set up the page in a logical sequence divided by grade levels.
The favorites section is familiar to all students, and is a good starting point for parents who aren't sure what is appropriate for school and home.
The grade sections offer some weekly ideas along with the links to any websites and programs that are needed.  Have fun and keep checking back as I will be updating the page regularly and adding how-to videos soon.  Hoping to see everyone back at school very soon.
Mr. Taylor
Askew Elementary

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https://www.abcya.com/
https://www.brainpop.com/
https://jr.brainpop.com/
http://www.cookie.com/
https://gamestarmechanic.com/
https://www.ixl.com/
https://www.typing.com/
https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
https://pbskids.org/
http://www.sproutonline.com/
http://www.starfall.com/
https://www.storyjumper.com/
http://switchzoo.com/
http://www.kidmons.com/
https://wonderopolis.org/
https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour
https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/
https://www.farmfood360.ca/