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Bill Grace, marketing coordinator at Little Brown, is a Scituate native. His storytelling is PERFECTION!

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Hello, hello, hello! In case you've been hiding under a rock for the last year and somehow missed the biggest internet sensation since WeRateDogs, we have a storytime video series. Every month, we pick a picture book to share with all of you. Then, I go find a funny hat or some other novelty prop or gimmick and Savannah gamely films me while I do funny voices, accents, and general tomfoolery. I have it on good authority (my 2-year-old cousin and a classroom full of second graders) that these videos (which Savannah painstakingly edits to perfection) provide plenty of humor and also some much-needed calm in our busy, busy world. For your convenience, we've compiled all of the Storytime! with Bill videos in one place, namely this blog post, so you can share them with your kids when you want a little me-time!

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora

If You Ever Want to Bring a Pirate to Meet Santa, Don't! by Elise Parsley

The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora

Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

by Ame Dyckman, Illustrated by Charles Santoso

Does It Fart? by Nick Caruso and Dani Rabaiotti, illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths

The School Book by Todd Parr

T-Bone the Drone by Shanda McCloskey

Zip! Zoom! On a Broom by Teri Sloat, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet

Otto Has a Birthday Party by Todd Parr

How Did I Get Here? by Philip Bunting

A Big Bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin

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Here are all the Storytime! With Bill videos and their books so you can keep your kid busy!

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Hello, hello, hello! In case you've been hiding under a rock for the last year and somehow missed the biggest internet sensation since WeRateDogs, we have a storytime video series. Every month, we pick a picture book to share with all of you.

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These free guided activities for parents and educators support children's learning at home.

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Content warning: This is a medical museum.

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Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

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Multiplication - Simple Spirolateral Art

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Multiplication - Simple Spirolateral Art

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We are working on patterning and math art this week for Camp Mathematics. Have you ever heard of spirolaterals? Yeah, me neither. I happened upon them while looking for a new math art project to inspire my kids. If you follow this blog ( hugs and kisses for you) then you are aware of my great love of using my kids' natural interest in math to encourage them to make art.

The great thing about spirolaterals is that not only are they gorgeous but in the process of making them, kids who love numbers can work on their skip counting and multiplication skills. Creating spirolateral math art also involves graphing and patterning so there is a whole host of awesome math and art integration going on.

Let's get down to business, shall we?

What are Spirolaterals?

Very simply, spirolaterals are spiraled, structured designs based on a repeated series of commands using length and angle.

Clear as mud?

The way I explained it to my son is that, "we would use the times tables to create spirals."

Spirolaterals can range from very basic to elaborate, depending on the angle and number patterns used. The simplest type of spirolateral is a square - a 90 degree angle turn with a 1,1,1,1 sequence. ( See some more complex patterns here.) It sounds complicated, but once you understand what's going on, it's very easy and fun to do.

Watch the grooviness and then get the full instructions below:

Choose a number and write its multiplication sequence. I'll use 5 as an example.

5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55

Now, turn it into a sequence of single digits by adding the two digits of each number together. For example 10 becomes 1+0=1, 1+5=6 and so forth.

5, 1, 6, 2, 7, 3, 8, 4, 9, 5, 1

Once you see the pattern start to repeat you can stop. So we would be left with 5, 1, 6, 2, 7, 3, 8, 4, 9 as our final sequence.

Now you are ready to draw!

Get your graph paper.

Draw a line 5 squares long.

Make a 90 degree turn to the right.

Draw a line 1 square long.

Make a 90 degree turn to the right.

Draw a line 6 squares long.

See the pattern?

When you complete the final line in your sequence, start over with the first number.

Repeat until the spirals connect back to the very first line.

Here's how to get started with multiples of 1:

TIPS:

With younger children, start with the sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Some of the numbers make very large spirals. Graph paper with more squares per inch is better.

EXTENSIONS:

Compare the patterns of different sequences. Do some of them look similar?

Color in your spirolateral to make it snazzy.

Advanced kids can try 45 degree angles instead of 90 degree.

You don't have to use times tables, what other number patterns can you use?

All the photos of my son working on this came out lousy since we did it in the evening, but he had the cool idea to make each line a different color.

MORE: Be inspired with our favorite math art projects.

Now it's time to head over to Coffee Cups and Crayons to see how Megan and her kids explored patterns in nature!
Previous Camp Mathematics activities:
Week 1: Counting Down Game and DIY Abacus

Week 2: Magic Squares and Shake and Roll Math Game

Week 3: T Puzzle brain teaser and Grape Shapes

Where did I learn about spirolaterals, you ask? I look at a lot of math books for ideas and this is one of my very favorites for ideas that don't involve traditional pen and paper problem solving. (Affiliate link)

See my favorite math art books here.

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Practice Multiplication with Simple Spirolateral Math Art

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We are working on patterning and math art this week for Camp Mathematics. Have you ever heard of spirolaterals? Yeah, me neither. I happened upon them while looking for a new math art project to inspire my kids.

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OLD COLONY LIBRARY NETWORK virtual events!

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OLD COLONY LIBRARY NETWORK virtual events!

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Massachusetts Libraries Old Colony Library Network

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Anybody who has ever found themselves locked in an escape room can attest that there's always one person in these situations who solves puzzles faster than everyone else. Their brain is like a skeleton key. Victor Blake, currently under Covid-19 lockdown in a Manhattan apartment with his 7-year-old daughter, is that guy. The founder of Escape the Room, a rapidly growing experiential business prior to the pandemic, Blake has pivoted from engineering puzzles that make it hard for adults to break out to engineering puzzles that make it easier for a child to stay in.

He's good at that too. Of course he is.

A former banker with a background in advanced math and a finance dude's eye for detail, Blake has his own approach to keeping kids busy, engaged, and happy during lockdown. Rather than focusing on the game, he focuses on the rules of the game. Like any former quantitative analyst, he's always searching for an algorithm. He's found a few and is happy to share.

Fatherly spoke to Blake about how to use puzzle-solving to keep kids busy during the coronavirus lockdown and, to be frank, how to kill time.
Escape rooms don't function like normal games. The mechanics need to be discovered and that's a significant part of the point. How does that inform the way you play with your daughter?
Kids will spend something like 70 or 80 percent of the time on a playground making up the rules to whatever game they're going to play. If they're playing with a ball, it's all about bouncing and points. This is worth that and this many bounces is worth this much more. So when you're considering a game - specifically one that might go one for a while - you want to spend most of the time on directions and rules. Better put, you want to get the kid to spend most of their time thinking about directions and rules. It promotes logical thinking and enables creative solutions. It lets them understand how systems work.
What does that look like in action?
I give my daughter a few key principles and make her create her own game. That's why I love mazes. She can keep track of tape and one rule. So I ask her to make a maze on the floor with tape and the rule is that the person trying to solve the maze can only turn right. She takes a long time making it and then I tell her to decorate it and that takes a long time as well. Then solving it together takes time.

I really like it when simple instructions lead to complex outcomes. From a math perspective, it can get really complicated really fast, but it's literally just tape and maybe paper on the floor.

That sounds like a big ask for a little kid. That's more of an intellectual lift than most children's games or toys require. Do you believe in just asking for more?

Some of it may come down to particular kids, but she's capable. Where you sometimes need to help kids is making the rules work together. But there's an inherently human thing about logic. They can kind of tell when it's not working.

As for it being complicated, sure. The opposite doesn't work. Do you remember the slot car tracks? I got one. There's nothing there. We played with it for a couple of afternoon and now it sits here. That was a dumb purchase and indicative of a broader issue with how we entertain kids.
Mazes are pretty big. Are there smaller puzzle-based projects that you'd recommend?
We make puzzle boxes. It's a physical box with a secret mechanism to open it. My daughter made some out of popsicle sticks. We look it up and invent mechanisms. Honestly, you can make this stuff out of LEGO. We're also big on scavenger hunts with maps. She draws them and I search then we switch. That's a good one.

Rokr Puzzles are also big. They are all wood and fantastic. We can build a projector then hand crank the film. There are no batteries and no glue. It's an absolutely incredible product.

Is there something that all successful puzzles or problem-solving games have in common?

Think of games as three-act stories. There's a reason people have told stories the same way since the Torah. Puzzles need to move a story forward. You can get creative about how that works and add meta-puzzles that connect smaller puzzles and create a bigger structure, but fundamentally it's all about having an arc.

Also, set a time limit. It can be totally arbitrary. Make it 27 minutes. Add a time limit to anything and it makes it more stressful and harder. It also gets rid of the ambiguity. Kids want to know if they won or not. Time limits allow for that.
You come from the business of business, finance. You're now in the business of puzzles. Listening to you talk, it seems like maybe that's a more logical progression than one might think. Did the one thing sort of evolve into the other?
I always tell people that I used to do quantitative stuff like modeling derivatives and they always say, 'You must be happier now!' They think that must be the case because I write the Escape the Room games, which is a cool gig. Here's the thing: I'm actually just good at optimizing within constraints. I'm at my best in situations where rules facilitate creativity. I'm like, We have sixty minutes and four walls. What can we create?
This has to be an incredibly difficult time for your business, which obviously relied on people coming together and, in fact, was largely oriented toward "team building."
I'm 38. I was a math major. I was in finance. I built a thing. Business goes up or down and there are variations and normal stuff, but I thought I had a castle and a little bit of a moat. Unfortunately, there's no moat big enough for this thing.
It's another puzzle - a nearly impossible one.
I guess I'm just wired for that.

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The Trick To Making Time-Killing Puzzles for Kids

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Anybody who has ever found themselves locked in an escape room can attest that there's always one person in these situations who solves puzzles faster than everyone else. Their brain is like a skeleton key. Victor Blake, currently under Covid-19 lockdown in a Manhattan apartment with his 7-year-old daughter, is that guy.

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While the current COVID-19 pandemic is causing disruptions in almost every sector of society, it is also providing a real-world window into how infectious diseases are spread. This makes it a perfect teachable moment for science, says EDC's Rebecca Lewis.

"I tell my own kids that we are living though a historic moment," Lewis says. "We can use this time to help engage students in thinking about science, why science matters, and how science works."

Lewis oversaw development of Responding to a Mystery Illness, a new online curriculum from the Amgen Biotechnology Experience (ABE). EDC has provided programmatic and curricular support for ABE through its leadership of the ABE Program Office since 2013.

Responding to a Mystery Illness puts high school students in the role of a World Health Organization staffer who is trying to determine the cause and track the spread of a virulent form of pneumonia that has appeared in China. Through primary source material, data, and discussion questions, students learn what viruses are, how they spread, and how to reduce the rate of transmission.

The virus is eventually revealed to be SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. The goal of the curriculum is to give students a window into how scientists may be able to develop a vaccine.

ABE is typically an in-person, laboratory-based program, which reaches more than 75,000 students around the world each year. But when schools began closing because of the pandemic, Amgen became interested in putting some of that learning online.

"This was all done in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," says EDC's Kristen Bjork, one of the coauthors of the curriculum. "We want students to learn that a deep understanding of the outbreak, from the organism that causes it to the ways it spreads, is critical to being able to end the threat. Only when scientists understand the problem can they solve it using the science of biotechnology."

So Lewis and Bjork pulled together a team from EDC as well as scientists from Harvard and the University of Toronto, both ABE programs sites, to write the curriculum. They completed it in just over two weeks.

The course is available to all students, not just students whose schools participate in ABE. A teacher's guide to support implementation of the curriculum is also available. Teachers can either have students complete the materials on their own or engage groups of students in online discussions.

"As a program, ABE is committed to improving scientific literacy," says Lewis. "And we are living in a climate where we are questioning the role of expertise and, truly, the value of science. This course helps to show just how important, and exciting, science can be."
The teacher's guide requires a password. Contact ABEinfo@edc.org with your name, school/organization, and location to obtain the password.

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New Course Teaches Students about COVID-19

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While the current COVID-19 pandemic is causing disruptions in almost every sector of society, it is also providing a real-world window into how infectious diseases are spread. This makes it a perfect teachable moment for science, says EDC's Rebecca Lewis. "I tell my own kids that we are living though a historic moment," Lewis says.

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Lesson plans and more

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Be sure to check our FAQ Page. Your answer might already be there. Otherwise, please enter your information below and submit your message to THE LION KING EXPERIENCE.
Please indicate which version (KIDS or JR.) you are contacting us about.

Thank you. Your message has been sent.

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THE LION KING EXPERIENCE. Produce an adaptation of Broadway's THE LION KING developed just for schools. Introduce the arts to your classroom today with this easy to use, multi-media program. THE LION KING EXPERIENCE KIDS edition is for elementary school students. THE LION KING EXPERIENCE JR edition is for middle school students.

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Count animals in Kenya

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The Zooniverse is the world's largest and most popular platform for people-powered research.

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Harness the curiosity and creativity of your middle and high school students with a supercharged social studies curriculum that gets beyond facts. Big History Project is a free, online social studies course that emphasizes skill development as students draw mind-blowing connections between past, present and future. What can you expect to see? Amazing gains in student writing and critical thinking.

BHP delivers a big picture look at the world, and helps students develop a framework to organize what they're learning both in and out of school. After they leave your class, students will have a better understanding of how we got here, where we're going, and how they fit in. It's a place that was 13.8 billion years in the making.

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Harness the curiosity and creativity of your middle and high school students with a supercharged social studies curriculum that gets beyond facts. Big History Project is a free, online social studies course that emphasizes skill development as students draw mind-blowing connections between past, present and future. What can you expect to see?

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Librarian-selected, personalized reading list.

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FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 2-6:

Kids (or their parents/caregivers) are invited to fill out the form below to receive a customized list* of book suggestions! Once you submit your form, you can expect to receive a list of approximately 5-7 books within two weeks.

This service is private-- no one will see the information you share or the list we create except for you and the Children's Librarian!

* We'll email you a list of books linked to the library's catalog, so you can place holds on the titles that interest you. Please allow up to two weeks for processing.

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BookMatch: Personalized Reading List for Kids Scituate Town Library

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FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 2-6: Kids (or their parents/caregivers) are invited to fill out the form below to receive a customized list* of book suggestions! Once you submit your form, you can expect to receive a list of approximately 5-7 books within two weeks.

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Kanopy is the STL's streaming movie platform. Here's an example.

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Specifically designed for and correlated to the curriulum of a elementary school science course, this collection contains a number of video series that explore the key concepts of Earth Science and help instructors to teach...

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Specifically designed for and correlated to the curriulum of a elementary school science course, this collection contains a number of video series that explore the key concepts of Earth Science and help instructors to teach...

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Do the Bingo... get a prize when we open!

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Tapping With Newton: Release Feelings of Overwhelm

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Peter and The Wolf (The Royal Ballet/The Royal Ballet School) #StayAtHome  #OurHouseToYourHouse

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Last Update: April 14, 2020; added two new fun new activities under Everyday Engineering. Please note that this page will continue to be updated--check back for new resources! New items will always be added to the end of each section.

Family Play and Learning at Home

Families are spending a lot of time at home together as our community works to slow the spread of COVID-19. Since we can't play together at the Museum, we want to share with you some of our favorite at-home fun-and-learning activities from our staff, and also share some of the terrific interactive opportunities offered by museums, individuals, organizations, and other creators around the world.

Children learn through play, and these resources are intended as guidelines and inspirational starting points that can be adapted to your situation and your child. Expanding on your child's curiosity is always the primary goal, even if that looks different than what the activity instructions suggest. We hope the links below inspire fun and interactive ways to play, learn, and explore with your children.

And, at the same time...

We want to be sure to mention that it can be really good for your kids to be bored, too!

Check out this article, The Importance of Letting Your Kids Be Bored from Fatherly.

And, Boredom May Actually Be Good for You, by Tony Rao and Paul Napper.

At-home activities from Discovery Museum staff

Before you jump in, check out this new blog post focused on family learning at home by Alli Leake, our Director of Early Childhood Education & Accessibility Lead.

Backyard and Beyond

Everyday Engineering

Make a Mess

Especially for Littles

Great resources we are seeing from others

Things To Do Outside

10 Nature Activities To Get Your Family Through the Pandemic from Richard Louv at the Children & Nature Network.

10 Garden Based Activities to Calm Your Family from Mommy Nearest.

Everyday Nature: Simple Activities for All Ages and Seasons, from Take A Child Outside.

At-Home Learning Activities

Learn how to make paper beads, weave, quill, and more in Museum At Home from our friends at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum.

At-home activity guide for little ones, from Zero To Three.

Taste Buds Kitchen is offering a free at-home cooking club, with a new recipe video posted every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.

100 Ways To Play, from our friends at Boston Children's Museum.

10 Prop Box Ideas: Mini Learning Centers at Home from NAYEC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Former Discovery Museum Artist-in-Residence Kim Bernard is offering daily 15-minute art prompts on her Facebook page and via email. They are fun and wonderful!

Exploratorium Science Snacks are tabletop exhibits or explorations of natural phenomena that can be made using common, inexpensive, readily available materials.

The City of Boston has created a pen pal program to support veterans during this time of social distancing. Sign up to become a pen pal by sending an email to vetvolunteer@boston.gov.

Check out these cool and very approachable art lessons from author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka-author of Punk Farm, Lunch Lady, Jedi Academy, and the young adult graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. "Draw Every Day with JJK" streams live each weekday at 2:00pm EST.

Online Story Times, Podcasts, and Audiobooks

Are there any Olaf fans in your house? Olaf actor Josh Gad is reading books to kids each night on Twitter. He started with Olivia Goes to Venice.

Circle Round from WBUR offers podcasts of carefully curated folktales from around the world for kids ages 4 to 10. Each episode ends with an activity that inspires a deeper conversation between children and grown-ups.

Remember Highlights Magazine? Highlights Hangout is a monthly podcast that brings the classic magazine to life in a whole new way. Includes "Hidden Pictures"-with sounds!

The fabulous Peter H. Reynolds, friend of the Museum and author of The Dot, is reading one of his many books each day at noon EST on his Facebook page, and will be adding YouTube soon.

Celebrated actors are reading children's books on Storyline Online.

The Big List of Children's Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities (yes, it includes Oprah!).

Audible is now offering free audiobooks for kids, for as long as schools are closed.

Virtual Tours and Interactives

New England Aquarium offers virtual visits through its First Friday Facebook Live recordings.

Check out these Virtual Tours of 12 Famous Museums from Travel + Leisure.

Home Safari with the Cincinnati Zoo! Each day at 3pm EST the zoo staff goes live on their Facebook page, showcasing a different animal that calls the zoo home.

Now is your chance to dance with Debbie Allen - live on Instagram!

Tour Old Ironsides virtually, with the USS Constitution's daily Facebook Live at every day at 1pm EST.

For our Especially For Me families

Basic CDC information about COVID-19 in American Sign Language.

Coronavirus: An ASL Social Story from Marie Philip School

National Homework Hotline for Blind/Visually Impaired Students for help navigating remote schoolwork.

Activities and Lessons from Perkins School for the Blind.

School Closure Autism Toolkit from Easter Seals.

Talking to Kids about Coronavirus: ASL & English Resources from the American Society for Deaf Children.

Coronavirus & COVID-19 Specific Resources

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers: Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and Children, from the CDC.

Cover Your Cough and Sneeze! How to Teach Kids to Cough/Sneeze into Their Sleeves, from Boston Children's Museum.

Small people can have big feelings when they hear about scary information on the news. Here is a great article from Huffington Post on how to talk to them about coronavirus from experts.

Talking To Kids About the Coronavirus, from the Child Mind Institute

Just for Kids, a comic exploring the new Coronavirus, from NPR

A video to teach your children how hand washing helps prevents the spread of Coronavirus from Nanogirl.

With the shortage of hand sanitizer, now is a great time to do a little science at home. Here is a recipe from Popular Science for making homemade hand sanitizer, an activity you can do with your child.

And for older kids, Transmissions: Gone Viral, by the New York Hall of Science, an interactive comic book on the topic of viruses the scientific process-how to collect evidence and draw conclusions.

Brains On: Understanding Coronavirus and How Germs Spread, a podcast from Minnesota Public Radio.

Tips for Families Coronavirus from Zero To Three

Just for Fun!

The World's Largest Pool of Jell-O!

There are some incredible videos in How Things Are Made. Don't miss Pasta with Red Sauce by Andrea Love.

The World's Largest Elephant Toothpaste Experiment by Mark Rober

Love Note from the Goats from Sunflower Farm Creamery

The Cake Server, Joseph's Machines' most complicated Rube Goldberg machine ever. Seriously, this is incredible.

Discovery Museum is committed to being here for our community after the pandemic just as it was before, and we are working to manage the serious financial implications of our closure. If you can, please consider making a donation. Ideas? Questions? Comments? At-home inspirations? We miss you and would love to hear from you! Also, check out our regular Facebook At-Home Photo Challenge series to show us what you're up to. You'll have a chance to win 2 free admission passes to the Museum! When we re-open, 2 passes will be given away to the randomly-drawn winner of each Challenge, and all of the Challenges will be open until the Museum re-opens--you can enter any of them at any time.

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Last Update: April 14, 2020; added two new fun new activities under Everyday Engineering. Please note that this page will continue to be updated--check back for new resources! New items will always be added to the end of each section.

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Free and easy to use. Used by teachers and for raffles. Enter names, spin wheel to pick a random winner. Customize look and feel, save and share wheels.

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Why it's helpful...

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Grow a pine tree.

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1. Go to the woods. Bring a cone.🌲🌲🌲 2. Put the cone in a pot - so that most of it stands out. 3. Pour it every day with a small amount of water, as excess water makes the cones rot. 4. After some...

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Strolling around our neighborhood I've seen many paper hearts and painted hearts on windows and doorways. They are hearts for healthcare workers.

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain. We all have sorrow, but if we are wise. We know there's always tomorrow.

Lean on me, when you're not strong and I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on 'til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on."
- Bill Wither - Lean on Me

Lately I feel like we've collectively needed to lean on each other, perhaps more so than ever before. On the blog I write a lot about home and share DIY projects but wanted to fully express my emotions during this pandemic.

I'm so grateful to all the men and women - the doctors, the nurses, the EMTs and all the healthcare professionals that are on the frontlines risking everything to keep us healthy. I also wanted to recognize the mail carriers, the delivery people, employees of the supermarkets, hardware stores, and pharmacies. All those who are still working to make sure we can get the things we need at this time. I don't think words can fully express our appreciation but maybe small and large acts of kindness can. I've started watching Some Good News, which will really fill your heart up and was so overwhelmed with the kindness by the Kraft family who flew the Patriots plane to China to get medical supplies.

To show our support I painted some hearts. The one above is hanging by our front door.

A small gesture with so much appreciation.

You guys all know painting makes me feel better so I didn't stop at one heart. I actually painted a few more. An ombre heart -

A heart with mini hearts -

I painted these with Chalk Paint® and used a gloss lacquer so it can be place outside.

Local friends, would you like one of these hearts?

Would any local friends like a heart for their home? Just let me know in the comments or via email and I'm happy to drop it off in your mailbox. I have the three above available and would love to share the love.

Are you looking for other ways to express your love or make hearts with your kids?

More Hearts to Show Love

Watercolor Heart Free Printables
I made the free printable above for Valentine's but these would make pretty signs or cards for healthcare workers or anyone you want to show you care.

Crayon Hearts

Make Crayon Hearts
No one wants to color with the broken crayons but they're perfect to make new heart crayons. All you need is a silicon heart baking tray.

Watercolor Heart Art
Use kids watercolors to create pretty watercolor hearts and frame them or make them into cards. The possibilities are endless.

Love is what is going to get us through this. Sending you all so much love right now.

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Hearts for Healthcare Workers - Finding Silver Pennies

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Sometimes in our lives we all have pain. We all have sorrow, but if we are wise. We know there's always tomorrow. Lean on me, when you're not strong and I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on 'til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on."

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Take a look at the engineering Challenge Cards designed to use in the classroom or at home.

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As coronavirus surges through the nation, 46 states have closed their schools, impacting over 53 million students. Educators have been laboring heroically to design remote learning opportunities, and online curriculum providers are making their offerings free during the pandemic. The daily effort of ensuring that students learn, however, falls on the backs of families. Suddenly, everyone is a (home) school designer.

Almost overnight, school has shifted from a stable, brick-and-mortar institution organized and staffed by experts, to a stretch of empty time that each family must design to meet their own particular needs and constraints. This is a daunting undertaking for the most privileged of families, let alone those who are overburdened by the everyday urgencies of this moment. Illness prevention, caregiving, rent and food, and work (or increasingly, the absence of work) intersect to increase the stress of the moment.

Parents around the world are experiencing instant empathy for educators. After exactly 71 minutes of homeschooling, Shonda Rhimes, who in 2015 juggled four different prime-time tv shows in full production , tweeted her appreciation for teachers' undervalued work. Her tweet was liked over 581,000 times in 24 hours.

Families find themselves rolling up their sleeves and engaging with the complexity that educators face every day. They're grappling with questions like: How do I create a manageable schedule and routine? What content and activities should my children engage in? How do I determine whether they're actually learning? What curricula and technologies are available, and how do I access and use them? How do I handle discipline? How do I create room for my children's physical, emotional, and social needs? (And what about my own needs?!)

Social media is overflowing with school-at-home schedules, ideas for entertaining and educating children of different ages, evidence of work accomplished, and seemingly endless lists of tools and best practices, plus a few recipes for " quarantinis" to get you through the daily struggle. Using hashtags like #LearnEverywhere, #keeplearning , #homeschool , #remoteteaching, and #remotelearning, parents and caregivers, as well as educators, are sharing humor alongside resources and ideas.

The creativity, camaraderie, and initiative displayed by families is inspiring. The humor, meanwhile, reveals the tension in trying to replicate the complex work of school within the confines of a pandemic-surrounded home school.

Within a few days of families launching their home schools, we began seeing the first evidence of parents throwing up their hands and vowing not to school (video games and cookies please!) or humorously announcing the closure of their home schools.

What if, between the two polarities of replicating school at home and throwing up our collective hands, there was a third way? What if we made the most of this time where kids are learning from home by using it as an opportunity to press pause, take a step back, and focus on what really matters?

This crisis is an opportunity for families and educators to come together and think about learning differently. How might we together move beyond the traditional design of school, with its one-size-fits-all scope and sequence, its daily grind of schedules and regulations? We think this crisis is an opportunity to discover what really matters: nurturing young people's curiosity, passion, and blossoming identities.

Great educators do this daily as they design learning environments. Some do it instinctively; others draw on a growing body of evidence on how humans learn.

We want to distill three of the most important pieces of that evidence-on motivation, cognition, and identity development, three key factors that impact learning-into a simple, usable guide that parents and educators can draw on in the coming months. Think of this as a bite-sized research appetizer to go with your quarantini!

1. Motivation-the desire to engage with learning in the first place-may be difficult when children are at home with their beds, video games, and puppy. We've all experienced the mystery of motivation, how it comes and goes, how it's different in every person (at different times).

RESEARCH BITE: For children (and adults!) to feel motivated, they need to see value in the work they're doing, believe they can be successful at it, have some control of the process of learning, and limit excessive stress and anxiety.

2. Cognitive work-science teaches us that for someone tolearn something new, it needs to move beyond short-term, "working memory" so it can stick in long-term memory. This is harder than it sounds, and particularly hard in a home environment (see puppies, above).

RESEARCH BITE: Learning requires making connections, engaging in focused and bite-sized intervals of practice, receiving feedback on how one can improve, and reflecting on one's own thinking.

3. Identity development-Childhood and adolescence are times of fluid identities when young people question and grapple with who they are becoming. This core developmental task is difficult under the best of circumstances, but can feel especially overwhelming when normal routines are upended and the world seems filled with uncertainty.

RESEARCH BITE: Each child has unique strengths, interests, and needs, as well as a personal identity that matters deeply. Helping each child to find their just-right approach will maximize the chances of success.

So how can you put the research bites to use without exhausting yourself as many family members are? First and foremost, bring your young learner(s) in as a co-designer and try the following choices.

If you have more than one child, you already know that no two kids are alike. Developmental science highlights the many ways in which each learner is unique, with a " jagged profile " of strengths, motivations, learning differences, prior knowledge, passions, and anxieties. Some learners thrive with structure while others need free space; some absorb instructional videos like sponges while others need to grapple with ideas through conversation; some will finish schoolwork in 30 minutes while others need six hours; some benefit from fewer distractions while others crave social stimulation. Each of your children may need a unique (home) school design, but the co-design ideas above-by bringing your child into the designing process with you-lift some of the burden.

Still, at this point, you're probably Googling the quarantini recipe...

Please do make the quarantini, and settle in with it! Give yourself that space for stress relief and reflection. As you and your children repeatedly practice the choices above, as you together explore your successes and discuss feelings and what's working (or not), you and your children will deepen your empathy for teachers.

Because this only scratches the surface of educators' daily work.

You'll gain insight into what it means to design for a school of 500 learners whose individual jagged profiles include a wide range of developmental readiness levels, trauma, home languages other than English, learning differences, personalities, and more. Is this even possible? We don't think so, as school is currently structured.

Schools as we and our children know them were designed to smooth over all these jagged variables. They were created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a response to industrialization, an era of mass production that prioritized efficiency, centralization, and uniformity. This now archaic system has worked for those whose identity development, motivation, and cognitive processes happen to fit well with its methods and rules, while those who don't fit often drop out, and a vast middle of learners are forced to spend 35 hours per week enduring learning environments that were designed with a hundred-year-old understanding of how children learn best.

We as a nation have been trapped in a conversation about failing schools for many decades. With most schools closed and so many of us confronting the complexity of educators' work firsthand, we cannot, when we emerge from this crisis, return to the mass schooling model that serves the needs of only some children. What could schools look like that are based on the individuality of learners-their jagged profiles-and that are grounded in the of how we support motivation, cognition, and identity development?

This is the great challenge and opportunity on the other side of the coronavirus crisis. We owe it to our children, our educators, and ourselves not to waste it.
Jeff Wetzler is co-founder of , where Sujata Bhatt is a Senior Fellow, Cynthia Leck is Head of Research, and David Nitkin is Head of Measurement. Transcend is a national nonprofit that supports communities to create and spread extraordinary, equitable learning environments. Jeff has two middle school-aged children who are following a "Corona School" that his family designed.

This is the first in a series on how the impact of the Coronavirus crisis on education. Read Post 2, "Pandemic Ready? One district's response before, during, and after the covid-19crisis," by Superintendent Lynn Moody of Rowan-Salisbury Schools in North Carolina.

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Now that everyone's a school designer... - Transcend

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As coronavirus surges through the nation, 46 states have closed their schools, impacting over 53 million students. Educators have been laboring heroically to design remote learning opportunities, and online curriculum providers are making their offerings free during the pandemic. The daily effort

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Watch Bob Ross's archive of soothing painting demonstrations.

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The official YouTube channel of “The Joy of Painting” and Bob Ross. Watch and paint along with every episode of The Joy of Painting! Happy painting! You’ve see Bob Ross before. He is the soft-spoken guy painting happy clouds, mountains, and trees in about 26 television minutes, using big house pain…

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Nature is everywhere! You don't need to look further than your own backyard, neighborhood, or local park to discover the amazing wonders of the natural world.

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Spy from home!

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International Spy Museum - Washington DC

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Visit the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and step into the shoes of a spy. Experience DC's most immersive museum. Book your timed tickets online.

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Visit visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright's properties virtually during the pandemic.

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Photo by Jill Richards, courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

As social distancing and stay-at-home orders have swept the country, many Frank Lloyd Wright sites that are normally open to the public have had to close their doors, just when they were gearing up for the spring touring season to begin. These measures are crucial to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the staff, volunteers, and visitors who usually fill these extraordinary spaces with life. It is precisely at this time, when so many are shut inside, that we need to experience beauty and inspiration. Wright's works bring people together in harmony with the natural world, reminding us that we are all connected, even when we're apart.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, is excited to announce the start of #WrightVirtualVisits. This project will run from April 2 until July 9. Each Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific time, each participating site will share a short video tour of another site via social media. These tours will help each site's social media followers discover and experience new places, and raise public awareness for all of these important landmarks.

We encourage you to follow all these sites on social media. Most sites are participating every week, so check back each Thursday for new #WrightVirtualVisits. Sites participating on a limited basis, rather than every week, are marked with a *.

All public sites have been significantly affected by this pandemic. Many are facing major budget shortfalls and have had to furlough staff. Some are unable to access their sites to participate in virtual visits. We urge everyone to get to know all the Wright public sites, and to support your local sites and those of special significance to you with donations. Your generosity is critical to ensure that they will be able to reopen and welcome visitors again when this is over.

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Public Wright Sites Swap Virtual Visits - Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy

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As social distancing and stay-at-home orders have swept the country, many Frank Lloyd Wright sites that are normally open to the public have had to close their doors, just when they were gearing up for the spring touring season to begin.

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A summary of the guidance put out by the Illinois Department of Ed. Article has link to the guidance document.

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The pressure to homeschool is at a fever pitch, particularly as more and more states are announcing sweeping school closures until the fall. And with such polarizing guidance, it's easy for parents to look at a typical seven-hour school day and assume that they simply aren't doing enough.

In late March, the Illinois State Board of Education released "remote learning recommendations" in order to provide clarification to districts, schools, teachers, students, and parents as to what virtual education should look like during the "COVID-19 emergency."

And within this 60-page document, perhaps the most helpful section was a small chart outlining the "suggested minimum and maximum times of engagement by each student in remote learning activities." Broken down by grade level, it gives parents achievable benchmarks for how much time should be spent doing remote learning each day:

In addition to the time parameters, it also outlined how additional engagement opportunities - versus strict remote learning assignments - are especially vital for preschool and elementary grade levels, where it is not "developmentally appropriate to expect a student to attend to academic tasks for a long period of time." For those kids, the organization offered up a separate table of activities and noted that families are "encouraged" to support learning via these methods instead.

Illinois's Board of Education said it created these recommendations because it "acknowledges that all students, families, and schools are diverse and supports remote learning that meets local needs, and to the greatest extent possible, minimizes the negative impact this unprecedented moment has on our students' educational trajectories."

And although these guidelines might vary state to state, it serves as a helpful baseline for those parents who have been trying to fill full school days when they should actually be homeschooling a lot less.

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These Are the Hours Your Kid Should Be Homeschooling Per Day Based on Their Grade

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The pressure to homeschool is at a fever pitch, particularly as more and more states are announcing sweeping school closures until the fall. And with such polarizing guidance, it's easy for parents to look at a typical seven-hour school day and assume that they simply aren't doing enough.

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Educational Games, Worksheets, and More for Kids

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An Educational platform for parents and teachers of pre-k through 5th grade kids. Support your kids learning journey with games, worksheets and more that help children practice key skills. Download, print & watch your kids learn today!

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Available during school closure from Gale OneFile, our statewide information database provider through the Massachusetts Library System. For ages 3-6.

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Massachusetts residents have access to Gale databases through the Massachusetts Library System

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Overview

Science fairs are exhibitions or competitions designed to allow students the opportunity to design experiments that portray their understanding and application of the scientific method. Science fair projects may be undertaken for a range of reasons. Projects can be intended for a class presentation, a school competition, or for international competitions such as the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), which has been the successor to the U.S. National Science Fair since the 1990s. While expectations of the content and language must be scaled to the age and academic experience, science fair projects result in presentations in the form of reports, displays, and models that attempt to explain scientific phenomena and the processes of scientific inquiry.

Science fair...
Read more

Search within results

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Science fairs are exhibitions or competitions designed to allow students the opportunity to design experiments that portray their understanding and application of the scientific method. Science fair projects may be undertaken for a range of reasons.

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Online classes and virtual tours

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It will probably be a while before your next visit to the Museum of Modern Art-though you can still take a podcast tour of the collection or visit it online. But now that you have some down time, you might want to take things to another level and up your art game. As it happens, the Museum of Modern Art makes it easy through its free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on Coursera.

Thanks to these offerings, you'll be able to hear directly from curators, artists and designers, and take a closer look at the works featured in MoMA's collection and exhibitions. You can enroll in the program anytime and complete it at your own pace. So what can you expect? A lot of cool stuff, actually, and to you give some idea, we've listed a few examples below. You can register for all of the offerings now at Coursera.
What Is Contemporary Art?
Good question, and one that will likely get answered by exploring more than 70 works of art made between 1980 and the present.
Modern Art & Ideas
MoMA digs into its collection to examine some of the major themes that have occupied artists and designers over the last 100 years or so.
Seeing Through Photographs
Artist and curators weigh in on how photography has been used throughout its history, and the impact it's made on culture as a result.
Fashion as Design
What we wear, why we wear it, how it's made, and what it means is the focus of this look at fashion and its crucial role in defining the look of historical periods, including our own.

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MoMA is offering free online art courses you can take from home

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It will probably be a while before your next visit to the Museum of Modern Art-though you can still take a podcast tour of the collection or visit it online. But now that you have some down time, you might want to take things to another level and up your art game.

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Dav Pilkey (and others @ Library of Congress!)

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Dav Pilkey (and others @ Library of Congress!)

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FOR BOOK LOVERS: National Book Festival

The 20th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival celebrates American Ingenuity with more than 120 celebrated authors featured in presentation videos available on demand via the virtual platform for a limited time. Access the Virtual Festival Platform External link , then stream the culminating PBS television special External link for an engaging, immersive experience. For more details and the full list of authors, visit the festival website.

Follow the Festival blog to receive updates and to check out behind-the-scenes content featuring authors from this year's virtual celebration.
Read more

Experience the Festival all year long with National Book Festival Presents, a series featuring outstanding authors, books and related Library treasures.
Watch past discussions

FOR FAMILIES: Create at Home

Connect with Us

The Library has launched a new blog for families! "Minerva's Kaleidoscope" will include activity ideas, updates on programs, puzzles and more. Visit the page to explore and subscribe

Create with Collections

Get inspired by an item in the Library's collections then create artworks, mini-books, and more with activities for kids ages 12 and under. Find all activity sets

Dav Pilkey at Home

Check out this playlist of videos from Dav Pilkey. You can also find additional fun and free content including more "how to draw" and read-aloud videos and downloadable activities at Scholastic Dav Pilkey At Home site External link .

FOR POETRY LOVERS: Celebrate Poetry Every Day

The Library is home to the U.S. Poet Laureate, and offers a wealth of poetry-related content online. Check back here each Friday for new programs and highlights from our digital treasure trove.

Listen to Audre Lorde read and discuss her poems at the Library of Congress on February 23, 1977. This recording is part of the Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature, which contains nearly 2,000 audio recordings of poets and writers participating in literary events at the Library, along with sessions recorded in the Library's Recording Laboratory.

For more poetry resources, visit the From the Catbird Seat blog.

FOR EDUCATORS: Online Office Hours & Webinars

Join Library of Congress education specialists for:

Online Office Hours: 20-minute topical presentations followed by Q&A held every Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern.

Professional Development Webinars: Free, one-hour programs for educators interested in using primary sources with their students held every Wednesday, 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern.

FOR CURIOUS MINDS: Conversations on the Future of Democracy

Tuesday, October 20, at 10 a.m., join Sarah Binder, Bruce Carruthers, and Sebastian Mallaby for a discussion of how the Federal Reserve and banking system might act to address the recession caused by the pandemic. Watch on the Library's YouTube channel External link and check out some of the Kluge Center's past virtual events.

FOR KIDS AND TEENS: GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story!

Jason Reynolds, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, shares his passion for storytelling through a new monthly GRAB THE MIC newsletter and "Write. Right. Rite.," a weekly GRAB THE MIC video series. Check out all of Jason Reynolds' videos here and read all of his newsletters here.

Watch Jason Reynolds' thirtieth and final installment of "Write. Right. Rite." where he challenges kids to write six word headlines.
View All Jason Reynolds Videos

FOR DOCUMENT DETECTIVES: Be a Virtual Volunteer

Join By the People, the Library's online volunteer transcription program from anywhere in the world. Transcribe, tag, or review documents to help make the Library's collections more accessible and findable for all!

FOR MUSIC LOVERS: Join an Online Event

Join the Homegrown Concert Series: On Wednesdays at noon, hear an online concert sponsored by the American Folklife Center on Facebook or YouTube. Find the full series

Be a Citizen DJ: Select short samples of free-to-use audio and video materials from the Library's collection to create your own beats and sound mixes using Citizen DJ.

Take the #FolklifeArchiveChallenge: Search our collections, find a piece you love, create your own version, record it and share! Read more about the challenge

Stay in Touch!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and sign up for email updates for new resources as they become available. More information is at https://loc.gov/connect

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Library of Congress: Engage! | Library of Congress

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The 20th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival celebrates American Ingenuity with more than 120 celebrated authors featured in presentation videos available on demand via the virtual platform for a limited time. Access the Virtual Festival Platform External link , then stream the culminating PBS television special External link for an engaging, immersive experience.

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Wizarding... YES!

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Welcome to the Harry Potter At Home hub where you'll find all the latest magical treats to keep you occupied - including special contributions from Bloomsbury and Scholastic, nifty magical craft videos (teach your friends how to draw a Niffler!), fun articles, quizzes, puzzles and plenty more for first-time readers, as well as those already familiar with the wizarding world.

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Eastern Chipmunk © Justin Miel

Even though we're staying home to help stop the spread of COVID-19, there are still so many ways you can continue to celebrate and enjoy the wonders of nature.

To get you started, check out our newly-launched Explore Nature at Home section to find:

Videos from our team of amazing naturalists and educators like "'Bird of the Day" and "Nature in Your Neighborhood" from cities and towns across Massachusetts.

Activities to download for the entire family such as nature bingo, coloring sheets, and a scavenger hunt.

Ways to engage in citizen science by recording wildlife observations.

Actions you can take to protect the planet.

. . . and more!

We will continue to update this section with more content in the days and weeks ahead. Be sure to bookmark it-and follow us on Facebook to see the videos as soon as they are released.

Our education team across the state is also busy at work designing ways to pivot upcoming programs so we can continue to learn together. We're also planning a few new virtual events in the coming weeks including climate cafés, nature trivia, and ways to celebrate Earth Day. Your support can help us develop these opportunities and stay strong during this time.

While we wish we could all be together exploring, we hope that you will join us in connecting to nature and each other with Explore Nature at Home.

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Eastern Chipmunk © Justin Miel Even though we're staying home to help stop the spread of COVID-19, there are still so many ways you can continue to celebrate and enjoy the wonders of nature.

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Rockland Trust

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At Rockland Trust Bank, we are committed to helping you have a healthy relationship with money - at any age. That's why we provide engaging Financial Education programming to support you in the ways you need throughout the many stages of your life.

Currently, some of you who are parents/guardians have been thrust into the role of homeschool teacher. We'd like to lend a hand! Our Financial Education Officer (known to many of your children as Ms. Money) is typically in schools each week teaching elementary school children about saving, sharing and spending money through music, magic and dance in a show called Ms. Money & the Coins. Since 2011, Ms. Money & the Coins has performed nearly 450 shows for more than 70,000 elementary school children in Massachusetts.

Throughout the month of April (Financial Literacy Month), Ms. Money will be providing songs and activity sheets for families to enjoy and learn from at home! Lessons, songs and activity sheets will be posted every Wednesday during April and parent/guardians will be able to contact Ms. Money by email so that she can view pictures, letters and completed activities and answer any questions you may have as you teach your children about money. Parents/guardians can email MsMoney@RocklandTrust.com and share Ms. Money's financial literacy activities on Facebook or Instagram by tagging @RocklandTrust #MsMoney.

Teaching your children from home can be challenging but Ms. Money can make learning about money fun! Join Ms. Money and Rockland Trust as we sing the tune for financial literacy from home all month long!

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Ms. Money AT HOME during Financial Literacy Month

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At Rockland Trust Bank, we are committed to helping you have a healthy relationship with money - at any age. That's why we provide engaging Financial Education programming to support you in the ways you need throughout the many stages of your life.

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Why is it so hard to find hands-on learning activities for older kids? These are just a few of our favorites!
We have studied the Ancient Greeks, Ancient Romans and Ancient Egyptians off and on for more than four years.

My children are natural historians, and love to imagine themselves as mini-Indiana Jones type archaeologists.
I find history to be one of the subjects that most easily lends itself to hands-on learning activities.
It's interesting how well this has worked for my boys. Both consider themselves history buffs and are naturally far above grade level in this subject.

Because of their increasing interest, history has also become a way for me to help them with other skills. For example, my youngest struggles with fine motor skills and handwriting. In trying to find a way to help him at home and in ways that are much more effective than our last occupational therapy experience, this week's activity was born.

52 weeks of Easy For Mom Activities

Today, I am sharing our experience with an Ancient Japan Study over at Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus.

I am almost ashamed to admit how little I learned in school about this amazing country, much less its history. (I always say that I am learning as much as my boys are in this homeschooling journey - like whoa!)

This activity not only incorporated in a new ancient cultural study, but allowed my son to practice his fine motor skills in a way that felt more like fun than therapy.

Learn all about this easy, but super effective Ancient Japan activity HERE.

Hands-On Learning Activities For Older Kids

Because my sons respond so well to anything history related, we have incorporated history into much of our hands-on, project based learning.
We have learned about the Oregon Trail. We made our own backyard history timeline. We made map studies a part of our learning each week.
And, my favorite, we used TOOBS to have a little fun with Ancient Egypt and The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Because this has worked so well, I have also included hands-on science into our days as much as possible. There are just a few of our favorites:
This molecule modular kit.
and this Periodic Table Tile Puzzle.

The Benefits Of Hands-On Study

I can only speak for my family, but this is, by far, the best way for my kids to learn.
Not only are they more engaged and active in the lesson, they are much more likely to retain the information.
This year of hands-on learning has been wonderful, for all of us. They enjoy the studies and I enjoy finding ways that really seem to impact their needs and overall academic progress.

My boys may be older now, but hands-on learning is still essential!

For More Resources and Ideas

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Hands-On Learning Activities For Older Kids

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Why is it so hard to find hands-on learning activities for older kids? These are just a few of our favorites! We have studied the Ancient Greeks, Ancient Romans and Ancient Egyptians off and on for more than four years. My children are natural historians, and love to imagine themselves as mini-Indiana Jones type archaeologists.

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Many AZA-accredited and certified related facilities may be closed to the public during the COVID-19 outbreak, but they are still providing the highest level of animal care and bringing education and fun to you through online events and educational resources. Check the calendar below for live videos and other online events your whole family can enjoy.

AZA members are welcome to submit their online events to the calendar using the submission button below. Educational resources can be submitted using the listing area and corresponding submission button below the calendar. You must be logged in to a My AZA account to post. All posts will be subject to approval. For questions, please contact the Communications Department.

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Many AZA-accredited and certified related facilities may be closed to the public during the COVID-19 outbreak, but they are still providing the highest level of animal care and bringing education and fun to you through online events and educational resources. Check the calendar below for live videos and other online events your whole family can enjoy.

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Free Tools from Leading Education Organizations to help students learn through the COVID-19 Crisis

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Relax with familiar tunes...

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Disney RELAXING PIANO Collection -Sleep Music, Study Music, Calm Music (Piano Covered by kno)

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See link for PDF for each grade.

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Academic Vision

Every student in Massachusetts has access to a safe and supportive school environment that cultivates academic curiosity and confidence. Students have equitable access to an excellent education. Students read meaningful texts across content areas, work on complex real-world problems, participate in the arts, and share their ideas through speaking and writing using evidence, all in an effort to understand the world, their personal identities and their roles in the world.

Instruction is most powerful when educators have strong content knowledge and access to high-quality instructional materials and professional learning that promote inclusive practice accessible to all students, including English learners and students with disabilities; support authentic, engaging, and interdisciplinary student learning experiences; and invest families and students in their learning.

To support standards-based learning, we believe that every student should engage:

with grade-appropriate text every day

with meaningful real-world problems every day

in scientific conversations using data every week

... in a school environment that supports social-emotional learning, health, and safety

Family Guides

These guides to the Massachusetts learning standards help families understand what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade. Designed to help families and teachers work together to support learning, the guides are available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified Chinese. Promotional materials advertising these resources are also available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Pre-Kindergarten

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Grade 8

High School (Grades 9-12)

Spread the word!

Standards-Based Learning Videos

The following videos illustrate standards-based learning. They provide an overview of how educators are approaching standards-based learning in different content areas and grades. We encourage you to share them with members of your educational community.

Elementary English Language Arts and Literacy

Elementary Science and Technology/Engineering

Elementary Mathematics

Secondary English Language Arts and Literacy

Secondary Science and Technology/Engineering

Secondary Mathematics

Contact Us

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906

Voice: (781) 338-3000
TTY: (800) 439-2370

Directions
Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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massachusetts department of elementary and secondary education

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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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The goal of the Massachusetts public K-12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Massachusetts public school students are leading the nation in reading and math and are at the top internationally in reading, science, and math according to the national NAEP and international PISA assessments.

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Broken glass jello...yum!

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At all our family potlucks you'll always find Spam Musubi, Somen Salad, and of course, JELLO. Jello is an absolute must on the dessert table. It's light, pretty and jiggly. In Hawaii it's known as Broken Glass Jello, but recipes can also be found with the name Stained Glass Jello. Either way, this beautiful dish is always a crowd pleaser.

This gorgeous jello only looks like a lot of work, but in just a few steps you'll have delightful little cubes of flavorful jello in no time. Use primary colors to make Lego Block Jello for a kids party, or go the extra mile like Food Librarian and make a Broken Glass Jello Bundt! The options are endless!

This is the perfect party food, easy to pick up and fun to eat. I guarantee your guests will be impressed!

Broken Glass Jello

Ingredients:

4 small boxes of jello (3 oz), different colors
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
water (see recipe for amounts)

Instructions:

Dissolve each box of jello separately, using just one cup of boiling water per flavor. Pour into individual containers (small tupperware works well) and chill overnight.

Once solid, cut the flavors of jello into small blocks and mix together carefully in a glass 9×13 pan.

In a separate bowl, dissolve 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin in 2 cups hot water. Let cool slightly, then stir in the condensed milk. Once it's cool to the touch, pour the cooled milk mixture over the jello cubes and chill overnight.

Cut into squares and serve.

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At all our family potlucks you'll always find Spam Musubi, Somen Salad, and of course, JELLO. Jello is an absolute must on the dessert table. It's light, pretty and jiggly. In Hawaii it's known as Broken Glass Jello, but recipes can also be found with the name Stained Glass Jello.

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Red Sox Fun Online for Fans

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Neil Diamond reflects on 'Sweet Caroline'

On April 20, 2013, when the Red Sox played their first game after the Boston Marathon bombing, legendary singer Neil Diamond showed up at Fenway Park to sing "Sweet Caroline," which has become a beloved staple of the ballpark experience.

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Neil Diamond reflects on 'Sweet Caroline' On April 20, 2013, when the Red Sox played their first game after the Boston Marathon bombing, legendary singer Neil Diamond showed up at Fenway Park to sing "Sweet Caroline," which has become a beloved staple of the ballpark experience.

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Great earth sciences resources

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Earth science elementary resources| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Chess.com - Play Chess Online - Free Games

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Play chess on Chess.com - the #1 chess community with +30 million members around the world. Play online with friends, challenge the computer, join a club, solve puzzles, analyze your games, and learn from hundreds of video lessons. You can also watch top players and compete for prizes.

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Good for kids ages 5-8 with an adult.

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This book was a project developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC MHPSS RG). The project was supported by global, regional and country based experts from Member Agencies of the IASC MHPSS RG, in addition to parents, caregivers, teachers and children in 104 countries. A global survey was distributed in Arabic, English, Italian, French and Spanish to assess children's mental health and psychosocial needs during the COVID-19 outbreak. A framework of topics to be addressed through the story was developed using the survey results. The book was shared through storytelling to children in several countries affected by COVID-19. Feedback from children, parents and caregivers was then used to review and update the story.

Over 1,700 children, parents, caregivers and teachers from around the world took the time to share with us how they were coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. A big thank you to these children, their parents, caregivers and teachers for completing our surveys and influencing this story. This is a story developed for and by children around the world.

This IASC MHPSS RG acknowledge Helen Patuck for writing the story script and illustrating this book.

©IASC, 2020. This publication was published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO license (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Under the terms of this licence, you may reproduce, translate and adapt this Work for non-commercial purposes, provided the Work is appropriately cited.

Translations

The IASC MHPSS RG has coordinated translation into Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Contact the IASC Reference Group for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) ( mhpss.refgroup@gmail.com) for coordination of translations in other languages. All completed translations will be posted on the IASC Reference Group website.

If you create a translation or an adaptation or this Work, kindly note that:

You are not allowed to add your logo (or that of a funding agency) to the product.

In case of adaptation (i.e., changes in the text or images), the use of the IASC logo is not permitted. In any use of this Work, there should be no suggestion that IASC endorses any specific organization, products or services.

You should add the following disclaimer in the language of the translation: "This translation/adaptation was not created by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). The IASC is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this translation. The original English edition "Inter-Agency Standing Committee: [INSERT DOCUMENT TITLE] shall be the binding and authentic edition."

Click here for more adaptations: https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/adaptations-my-hero-you-country-level-initiatives

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My Hero is You, Storybook for Children on COVID-19

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This book was a project developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC MHPSS RG). The project was supported by global, regional and country based experts from Member Agencies of the IASC MHPSS RG, in addition to parents, caregivers, teachers and children in 104 countries.

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List of Apps to assist with particular learning needs and differences

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List of Apps to assist with particular learning needs and differences

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A Spectrum of Difference. 327 likes. Our mission is to raise awareness for Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to develop healthier community support systems and services in the North Quabbin area.

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Click the play button below to listen to to the second free audio installment of Fing!

If you missed any stories from the World's Worst Children last week, you can still listen to them on our Elevenses Catch Up page until Friday!

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Elevenses with The World of David Walliams - The World of David Walliams

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Click the play button below to listen to to the second free audio installment of Fing! If you missed any stories from the World's Worst Children last week, you can still listen to them on our Elevenses Catch Up page until Friday!

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Back Yard Birds - How to use a field guide app

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Back Yard Birds - How to use a field guide app

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Facebook post with embedded links. I did not test all the links!

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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On March 18, 2020, Simone Kern tweeted that simply "recreating schools at home" passes up a golden opportunity to engage kids in authentic, self-directed learning.

Gregg Vignal / Alamy Stock Photo

With students at home because of the coronavirus threat, social media feeds filled up with color-coded learning schedules from well-meaning parents. But they've struggled to implement those schedules-partly because the tightly structured, time-in-seat approach of traditional schools often has more to do with crowd control than optimizing learning.

The sudden shift to work-from-home might provide a good kind of disruption, opening up a golden opportunity for students to engage in authentic, deep learning that is more self-directed, more playful, more aligned with young students' development-and much easier for parents to manage than stacks of worksheets.

Giving students some choice over their learning builds intrinsic motivation, independence, and creativity. They can investigate real-world problems that interest them, research solutions, or build models or write reports that empower them. While it can be difficult in a traditional classroom of 20-30 students, at home parents can allow their children much more flexibility to choose topics to study, books to read, and ways to use their time.

Freed from the strict curricular requirements of most schools-which focus far too much on testing and standards-parents can allow time for deep exploration, building critical thinking skills and at least as critically a real desire to learn that will transfer to related topics of study.

Exploring Science

For young kids, play is scientific discovery. Throwing toys, squeezing a sponge, or spinning in circles teaches physics lessons. Promote free play with open-ended toys like blocks, scarves, blanket forts, and cardboard boxes. Set up a science experiment with household objects. Older students can take the lead on executing the experiment and then writing up their findings in a lab report.

Nature is a pathway to scientific exploration. Students can spend time in a backyard or park and talk about what they see: water cycles, ecosystems, and food chains. Collect wildflowers and research their names. Start a birdwatching journal or a garden.

Understanding Social Studies

Find books about history or cultures your kids want to research. Many local libraries have made digital catalogues free during the crisis. After kids complete the reading, challenge them to create a puppet show, poster, or picture book summarizing what they've learned.

The technique can also be used for movies or shows. Model inquiry and even skepticism, which are crucial to developing critical thinking skills. Watch historical or international movies with your kids and talk while you watch. Ask what they think about what's going on, point out historical inaccuracies or biases, and notice similarities and differences between the culture in the film and your own.

Mastering Math

In math, like other subjects, keep it simple. Young children can practice counting or age-appropriate math facts with real objects like buttons or coins. Cooking is another great way to teach real-world math. Internalizing what one and a half cups of flour looks like lays the foundation for learning fractions. Practice multiplication and division by halving or doubling a recipe. Board games offer another opportunity to practice math by counting money or moving a particular number of spaces.

Learning English Language Arts

Encourage kids to read by allowing them to choose their books. Making reading social is more effective than mandating a particular quantity of reading, so consider holding some time sacred to read as a family and then talk about what you've read. Simply talking to your kids-about anything- is beneficial. It is how we're hardwired to learn language.

Consolidating learning-the act of reviewing information to reinforce concepts so that they stick for the long term-doesn't need to be complex. Discussing what you do each day can help reinforce new knowledge.

If your child is at least 3 years old, try some early reading instruction with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Everything the teacher needs to say or do is written out in this scripted curriculum of 15-minute daily lessons, so it's perfect for busy parents.

Writing is another basic technique for improving English comprehension. Challenge older kids to write their own picture book or short stories. The National Novel Writing Month's Camp for Young Writers in April sets benchmarks for students to write their own novel. Teaching handwriting in different media keeps young kids engaged-try using markers, crayons, or paint, or tracing letters in trays of sand or rice.

Embracing the Arts

Visual arts enhance brain function and well-being, and music improves memory and verbal intelligence. All the arts promote motor skill development, creativity, and problem-solving. Encourage kids to paint, draw, sculpt with homemade play dough, or do fiber crafts like making friendship bracelets. The materials don't need to be complex-basics like glue sticks, paper, scissors, and cardboard boxes can be enough.

Music is another key area for exploring the arts at home. Kids can learn new songs or make up their own, or turn a household object like an old can into a musical instrument. Share your favorite albums for a music history lesson. For kids who play instruments, print out sheet music for favorite pop songs, video games, and animes, or offer choice by letting them pick a classical piece to learn from more than150,000 pieces in the public domain. If you have a dusty, old instrument in a closet, start a family band. Ask kids to explore the dramatic arts by planning and performing a puppet show, play, or dance.

Finding Time for Play and Movement

As long as screens are off, very young kids will be active, but older children who are used to "sit and get" schooling might need some encouragement. Try a morning family workout to kick-start your metabolism and get those happy brain chemicals flowing. Children can meet up with friends to work out together through video conferencing. Provide choice by letting each family member pick from free workouts online in yoga, dance, or martial arts. Eventually, let kids lead the family in their own workout routine.

Learning Life Skills

With people in the home more, there's more cooking and cleaning to be done. Doing chores develops problem-solving skills, gross and fine motor skills, and work ethic. Make chores fun for little ones by imaginative storytelling. "We're pirates and these toys are treasures-who can get the most treasure back in the treasure chest?" or "A giant is coming who hates dirty floors. If we don't mop this up before he gets here, he'll eat us up!" Older kids are often motivated to do chores if you involve them in the process. Hold a family meeting to list out all the chores that must be done daily and brainstorm how you'll tackle them together.

See the Opportunities

Don't feel compelled to do every subject every day. Kids may spend a whole day doing one or two activities. Authentic learning takes place within real-world, meaningful contexts. As long as kids are moving, creating, or playing, they're learning. Let curiosity and fun be your guides.

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Why Learning at Home Should Be More Self-Directed-and Less Structured

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On March 18, 2020, Simone Kern tweeted that simply "recreating schools at home" passes up a golden opportunity to engage kids in authentic, self-directed learning. Gregg Vignal / Alamy Stock Photo With students at home because of the coronavirus threat, social media feeds filled up with color-coded learning schedules from well-meaning parents.

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Stuck at Home? Here are 30+ great Virtual Field Trips for early learners to explore from your home on your couch. From zoos and landmarks to famous museums, you can explore the world with your child with over a month of virtual field trips!

One thing that the recent global quarantine has made us all realize very clearly is that we're all part of one earth. We all have many commonalities and many things that are unique to where we live.

As we are at home, working from home and spending more time with the kids, I'd love to suggest we spend a little more time exploring this amazing planet that we've been gifted to during our lifetime.

Google Earth is such an amazing tool to use with your child to encourage them to explore the world. You can be at home on your sofa or at our desk and transport to anywhere on the earth.
Where would you want to go?
With your child start with where you live. Then go to their school and where you shop near you and then find where family and friends live. Next, explore some of their favorite spots you've vacationed and now it's time to explore where you've never been. But where do you start?

Let's start by exploring some amazing popular travel destinations that also happen to have webcams for you to step inside and explore.

Google's Art and Culture is a great resource to kick start your global search too. Did you know that Google's "World Wonders" project offers virtual tours of 132 famous sites? So many amazing virtual tours of museums for kids!!

30 Virtual Field Trips for Kids

I've put together a collection of locations for virtual field trips that I believe as a teacher and a mom that are appropriate for the kid to watch online. I'd encourage you though to talk about these locations as a family. You can track your virtual tours with our Printable Virtual Field Trip Log!

Perhaps start working on a travel bucket list together and a virtual travel bucket list. That way your child can make their own itinerary too.
Where do you think your child wants to go to?
Animal Virtual Tours for Kid

Here's a list of all the zoos with webcams to explore.

For a little movement, try this zoo themed yoga

US History Virtual Tours

Create your own Living History Museum at home after your virtual tour!

US Landmarks Virtual Tours

US National Parks Virtual Tours

Find Your Virtual Park - Connect with national parks from a distance through digital opportunities and activities to do in your own home or neighborhood.

Museum Virtual Tours
Coloring Pages From Over 100 Museums
Virtual Tours Around the World
Recreate a famous landmark with math, art and sidewalk chalk
Virtual Tours of Space

Live Webcams Around the World

Virtual Field Trip Activities for Home

Looking for ways to expand the virtual tour?

Once you've viewed one of the Virtual tours, you can...

Write up about what you learned

Draw a picture of your favorite part

Create a version with legos, building blocks or playdough

Find a book online to learn more about the location

Create a themed craft based on where you took a virtual tour

Recreate it with sidewalk chalk

Cook a dish from that region

DOWNLOAD OUR VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP LOG
There are so many amazing resources to explore virtually to learn about our amazing planet and the treasures and history within it.

One resource that I found to be the most amazing was Google Art and Culture resource. I high recommend exploring it as a family during this time.

Virtual Tours for Kids

Wishing you the very best as we fight this together. Take this time while you're stuck at home to explore the world virtually and help us work together to fight the spread of the Coronavirus around the world.
Parents! Check out our... 10 Tips for Working From Home With Kids Helping Kids Cope with Changes Resulting from COVID-19 Tips for Staying Active at Home with Kids JOIN our Virtual Book Club for Kids
Do you have a favorite virtual tour that you love? Please share with me in the comments.

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Stuck at Home? Here are 30+ great Virtual Field Trips for early learners to explore from your home on your couch. From zoos and landmarks to famous museums, you can explore the world with your child with over a month of virtual field trips!

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Some require payment; some free.

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Mixetto/Getty Images

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website.

The coronavirus pandemic has led almost every US state to close schools, many for the rest of the academic year, in a major disruption to the public education system. The closures have impacted nearly 55 million public school students nationwide, according to data from Education Week. And now that kids can't attend class in person, many parents are seeking out online resources, apps and games to keep their kids' minds engaged at home.

Here are several free or discounted online learning resources for pre-K-12 students to complete from home to keep up the learning (and to save you from yet another viewing of Frozen 2 on Disney Plus). If you're looking for even more, this post also has an extensive list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings.

All-around curriculum

Scholastic

Scholastic's free Learn at Home program includes 20 days' worth of curricula to help students continue learning even when school is closed. The daily lessons for pre-K through grade 6-plus include four separate learning experiences, built around a story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families or with their teachers. The lessons last up to three hours and can be completed on any device.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a free online learning platform that offers practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dashboard for students to learn subjects including math, science, computer programming, history, art history and economics from home. It also has specialized content from NASA, the Museum of Modern Art, the California Academy of Sciences and MIT. In light of the recent school closures, Khan Academy released daily schedules for students in pre-K through grade 12 to follow from home.

Outschool

Outschool is offering free live online classes for students ages 3 to 18 affected by public school shutdowns, conducted over video chat. The 10,000-plus classes cover topics in English, math, social studies, science, coding, health and wellness, music, art and world languages. You can search courses by length (ranging from one class to a full semester), format (live online or flexible schedule), subject, age range and day or timeframe.

Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors is offering a free program called Virtual School Day, which includes live, online classes and educational resources for K-12 students. Students can receive more than 30 hours a week of live online instruction, with classes led by tutors with experience in the course topic and virtual learning. Core classes include math, reading, writing and science, while enrichment classes include topics such as history of the national parks and careers in science.

Calvert Homeschool

Calvert Homeschool is providing three months of its homeschool curriculum for grades 3 through 12 free of charge to parents and guardians. The curriculum includes videos and interactive lessons, as well as free placement tests for students.

Peanuts Worldwide

The company behind Snoopy and Charlie Brown is offering free educational materials so students in grades K-8 can learn STEM, languages, arts and social studies alongside the beloved Peanuts characters. Lesson plans were created by curriculum specialists at Young Minds Inspired, as well as in collaboration with NASA.

Comcast Xfinity Education

If you're a Comcast Xfinity customer, you can now find nearly 2,000 hours of programming and thousands of free titles, to give kids and parents more access to educational programming by grade level. Access all of these options by doing a voice search for "education."

New York City Department of Education

New York's Department of Education released a free 10-day curriculum for multiple subjects for every grade level pre-K-12. While it's aimed at the New York City public school district -- the largest in the nation -- the materials are general enough to apply to a range of students nationwide.

Early learning activities, videos and games

PBS Kids newsletter, video and gaming apps

PBS Kids launched a new free weekday newsletter with activities and educational games for students ages 2 to 8 to do from home. The PBS Kids video app is also available on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices, and offers on-demand educational videos and a livestream of PBS Kids 24/7, with no subscription required. Plus, the PBS Kids Games app includes nearly 200 educational games that can be downloaded to play offline.

MarcoPolo Learning

MarcoPolo Learning is a digital learning platform with a Steam-based curriculum for ages 3 to 7. You'll find more than 450 video lessons and 3,000 learning activities for young learners. The company is now offering a 30-day free trial.

Learning to read and reading comprehension

ABCmouse.com, Adventure Academy and Reading IQ

The company Age of Learning is providing closed schools free home access for students to ABCmouse.com, Adventure Academy and ReadingIQ. ABCmouse.com is a comprehensive curriculum for pre-K through grade 2. Adventure Academy is an educational massively multiplayer online game for elementary and middle school students, with thousands of learning activities covering reading, math and science. ReadingIQ is a digital library and literacy platform for children ages 12 and under, with thousands of books to choose from.

Audible

Audiobook service Audible has a large collection of free streaming audiobooks for kids, including JK Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Read more: Audible adds Harry Potter, Beedle the Bard starring Jude Law, Bonnie Wright

Storyline Online

A children's literacy website from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online streams videos featuring award-winning actors reading children's books with illustrations. Each book includes a supplemental curriculum developed by an elementary school educator, which aims to improve comprehension and verbal and written skills, particularly for English-language learners. Celebrity readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.

Time for Kids

Time for Kids launched a free digital library to bring the school-based publication for elementary and middle school students into homes for the first time. The first issue will be a special report on COVID-19, and will include resources for teachers and families to facilitate conversations about the virus, and help young people better understand it.

Epic

Epic is a digital library for kids age 12 and under, which is offering free remote access worldwide through June, based on teacher request. Students will be able to access Epic's digital library collection of 40,000 books, audiobooks and videos. Teachers and libraries can assign books and monitor progress.

Rivet

Rivet is a free, AI-based kids' reading app and website created by Google's Area 120 experimental workshop that encourages reading practice with 3,500-plus free leveled books for kids. The books are designed for developing readers ages 5 to 10. It's available in the App Store, the Google Play Store and the Amazon app store, as well as on the web through Clever.

Marvel Hero Tales

Based on Marvel Comics, Marvel Hero Tales is a storytelling game app designed to help develop language and reading skills for kids age 7 to 11. Characters such as Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel help players improve their vocabulary and language by creating their own comic books. Developer Kuato Studios is offering a 30-day free trial of the app now.

Wonderscope

Children's reading app Wonderscope is free for the remainder of the school year to encourage students age 6 and up to learn from home. The app uses augmented reality to encourage kids to read aloud as they adventure alongside a range of diverse characters. Wonderscope is available on iOS.

Achieve3000

Digital education company Achieve3000 is offering free, differentiated online learning resources for educators and students in grades PreK-12. Find all of the free remote learning resources on their website.

Writing

Storytelling School with The Moth

Twice a week, storytelling nonprofit The Moth is putting out a video with a story and a teaching guide in a program called Storytelling School with The Moth. Students can listen and discuss what they've heard with parents or teachers, and find reflection questions and journal prompts. Find each story on The Moth's site.

Math

Prodigy Math

Prodigy Math is a free online math platform used by more than 50 million students, teachers and administrators, which reinforces math skills through video game-style play. For $5 a month for a yearly subscription, parents can get their students extra in-game features, benefits and rewards, as well as access placement tests, learning goals and progress reports.

Beast Academy Online

The Art of Problem Solving is offering a free month or a $15 discount on a monthly or yearly subscription to Beast Academy Online, an interactive, web-based math program that helps students ages 8 to 13 deepen their understanding of math. The program features comic-book style illustrations to keep students engaged.

Science

Mystery Science

Amid the school closures, Mystery Science has opened its most popular science lessons for grade K-5 for students and parents to access free. Lessons range from short mini lessons that are completely digital, to full lessons that include a hands-on activity. All are designed to use simple supplies that families likely already have at home.

Minecraft Education

For Minecraft fans, Microsoft added a new Education category to the Minecraft Marketplace that players and parents can download free through June. The education tools let players explore the International Space Station, learn to code with a robot, visit famous Washington, DC landmarks, and learn what it's like to be a marine biologist. Each "world" to explore includes lesson plans like creative writing activities, build challenges and puzzles.

Coding

CodeSpark Academy

The K-5 coding platform CodeSpark Academy is offering three months of free access for parents and students, to help kids learn to code while home from school.

Language learning

Duolingo

Duolingo is a free language learning app that helps kids (and adults) learn a language through short, game-like exercises and motivates you to continue learning with a "streak" feature that tracks the number of days you've reached your point goal. You can also subscribe to Premium for $10 a month for an ad-free experience and downloadable lessons.

Read more: The best language learning apps of 2020

Babbel

Language learning app Babbel is offering its services free to all K-12 and college students through mid-June, to allow students to use their time at home productively. The app is offering three months free access to its app and platform for 14 languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Dutch, Turkish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Indonesian and English.

Rosetta Stone

Longstanding language learning platform Rosetta Stone is offering more than three months of free language learning to all K12 students worldwide. Rosetta Stone has more than 20 languages to choose from.

Lingvist

Online language learning platform Lingvist is offering all of its tools free of charge until July 31. Educators, parents and tutors can access the vocabulary, statistical learning tracking, course creation tools and a blended learning guide free, for teaching Spanish, French, German and Russian.

Busuu

Language learning platform Busuu is offering free live language lessons to students age 5 to 14, which stream through its YouTube channel. Live lessons in English, Spanish and Chinese are currently available. And more are coming soon, according to the company.

Droplets

Droplets, the app for kids from language learning platform Drops, now includes new features for distance learning and virtual classrooms for students age 8 to 17. Through the Droplets app, teachers can create an account where up to 50 students can make profiles. Droplets offers 37 different languages, and lessons can be as short as five minutes.

AP classes

Fiveable

Fiveable is a free social learning platform for high school students and teachers focused on Advanced Placement test preparation. It offers live streams, trivia battles and Q&A forums for students to connect with teachers across 15 AP subjects within English, STEM, history and social sciences.

Art

YouTube

Outside of formal art classes on platforms like Outschool (mentioned above), students and parents can find a number of free art lessons and tutorials on YouTube. Author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka is hosting daily drawing classes and animator Mo Willems is hosting daily cartooning classes. The Art Sherpa has a number of painting tutorials on YouTube as well.

DIY projects

DIY.org

For crafty kids, DIY.org offers thousands of courses and projects with how-to videos for ages 4-13-plus. Project and course topics include drawing, photography, science, music, Lego-building and Minecraft-video making. Kids can make their own videos on the platform to share with others, which are closely monitored by the site (and parents get a notification any time their child posts something, too). DIY.org is currently offering 90% off its library of hands-on projects, how-to videos and safe learning community for kids, with the code TOGETHER.

Virtual field trips

Travel to art museums around the world through Google Arts and Culture. You can also virtually visit the San Diego Zoo, Yellowstone National Park and the Great Wall of China.

More coronavirus guides

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K-12 online classes and activities to continue school at home during coronavirus

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For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website. The coronavirus pandemic has led almost every US state to close schools, many for the rest of the academic year, in a major disruption to the public education system.

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We're moving my time to 3pm EST and we're taking live drawing requests today. I hope you'll join us.

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Eric Carle, author and illustrator (1998) | Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

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Freds visits the studio of the children's book author, best known for "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." They read "From Head to Toe."

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Donor Privacy Policy

The Rhode Island Historical Society's Commitment to Our Donors

We will not sell, share, or trade our donors' names or personal information with any other entity. We will not send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations. This policy applies to all information received by RIHS on any platform by any means, both online and offline, as well as any electronic, written, or oral communications. To the extent any donations may be processed through a third-party service provider, our donors' information will only be used for purposes necessary to process the donation.

Website and digital strategy by nabec partners

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Donor Privacy Policy The Rhode Island Historical Society's Commitment to Our Donors We will not sell, share, or trade our donors' names or personal information with any other entity. We will not send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations.

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Yoga with Amber

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Explore the Museum of New Zealand while you're at the website!

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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, NZ

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Online jigsaw puzzles using our collections

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Take a moment or two to relax with online jigsaw puzzles using taonga from our collections.

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Join the Palmer Public Library as they host author David Hyde Costello making a puppet theater!

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Palmer’s Paper Puppet Play with David Hyde Costello - Part 1

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A People’s Journey, A Nation’s Story | National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Supporting Individuals With Autism in Uncertain Times

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Supporting Individuals With Autism in Uncertain Times

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All children and young adults require support from caregivers during times of stress and uncertainty, such as those we are facing now with the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Coping with the unknown and navigating school closures, abrupt changes in routines, loss of connections with teachers and friends, and fear around contracting the virus- are burdens for all, and caregivers play an important role in helping children and young adults understand the changes and process their related feelings. Individuals with autism may need additional support to process the news and adapt to the many changes. This population may face additional challenges related to comprehension, communication, difficulty understanding abstract language, an insistence on sameness, and a greater likelihood of anxiety and depression-all of which may be exacerbated during this stressful period.

The following 7 support strategies are designed to meet the unique needs of individuals with autism during this period of uncertainty. In addition, examples and ready-made resources are included to help caregivers implement these strategies quickly and easily. These materials purposely represent a variety of styles/designs/complexity to model the range of what may be most meaningful across ages and skills, and to demonstrate what can be generated with few materials by busy caregivers. Specific adaptations and additions may be necessary to best meet the varied needs of individual children and young adults.

These strategies are intended to be a menu or toolkit of ideas that may be helpful-- caregivers may take one idea at a time and find a way to make it work for their child(ren) with autism and their family. Caregivers may want to start with a strategy they have used in the past, or perhaps find a tool to address the issue that is creating the most immediate stress. Consider involving the individual with autism in the decision-making process about what tools would be most helpful.
7 Strategies to Support Individuals with ASD through Uncertain Times

1. Support understanding

2. Offer opportunities for expression

3. Prioritize coping and calming skills

4. Maintain routines

5. Build new routines

6. Foster connections (from a distance)

7. Be aware of changing behaviors

Suggested Citation:
Hume, K., Waters, V., Sam, A., Steinbrenner, J., Perkins, Y., Dees, B., Tomaszewski, B., Rentschler, L., Szendrey, S., McIntyre, N., White, M., Nowell, S., & Odom, S. (2020). Supporting individuals with autism through uncertain times. Chapel Hill, NC: School of Education and Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retreived from: https://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/supporting-individuals-autism-through-uncertain-times

Translations and Adaptations

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Supporting Individuals with Autism through Uncertain Times

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All children and young adults require support from caregivers during times of stress and uncertainty, such as those we are facing now with the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

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Virtual tour of 6 favorite rides!

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Disneyland Virtual Rides Are Available & You Can Still Experience All Of Your Favorites

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Disneyland closed its doors to the public last week, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some of your favorite park adventures. So, cozy up on your couch and get ready for a magical retreat. Disneyland virtual rides are available and you can still experience all of your favorites.

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Library database for your use.

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To access HeritageQuest Online, please enter the barcode or ID assigned to you by your institution.

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Additional library resources for tracing your family history.

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Local History Collection

The Local History Collection contains a vast wealth of material on local history and genealogy of Scituate and the region.

The collection in the Local History Room consists of print, microfilm and computer sources. In general, the materials must be used in the library. However, some materials are in the library's general collection.

Here is the Local History Room Policy: Local History Room Policy - PDF

Here is History Room Researcher Registration Form: Researcher Registration Form - PDF
Suggested Genealogy Research Websites Massachusetts Genealogy Resources PRINT COLLECTION
Our print collection consists of, but is not limited to:

Vital Records for 164 Massachusetts towns and cities

Cemetery Records

Family Histories

Military Information

Histories of Massachusetts Counties, Cities and Towns

Vertical File Materials

Scituate Town Reports 1873 - present

School Yearbooks 1924 - present

New England Historical Register 1965 - present

New England Ancestors magazine

local authors

MICROFILM COLLECTION
Scituate Herald (incomplete holdings):
September 1929 - May 1946
January 1950 - December 1959
January 1963 - February 1967

South of Boston Mirror:
May 22, 1974 - September 1975

South Shore Mirror:
October 1955 - December 1981

Scituate Mariner:
January 1955 - December 1963 (incomplete)
January - December 1979
January 1985 to present
COMPUTER RESOURCES
Online Genealogy Research Tools
Ancestry Library Edition -in library access
HeritageQuest Online - From Home | From the Library

Computers in the library with Internet access
Suggested Genealogy Research Websites
Cyndi's List (URL www.cyndislist.com)

Ellis Island Records (URL www.ellisislandrecords.org)

Historic USGS Maps of New England & New York (URL docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm)

Latter Day Saints Online Searches (URL www.familysearch.org)

Rootsweb (URL www.rootsweb.com)
Massachusetts Genealogy Resources
Scituate Town Archives (URL www.town.scituate.ma.us/archives/index.html)

Scituate Historical Society ( URL www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org)

Scituate Historical Commission ( URL www.town.scituate.ma.us/historical/index.html)

Massachusetts State Archives ( URL http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ARC/arcidx.htm)

Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records & Statistics (URL mass.gov/dph/rvrs)

Massachusetts Registry of Deeds (URL www.sec.state.ma.us/rod/rodidx.htm)

Massachusetts State Library (URL www.mass.gov/lib)

National Archives Northeast Region (URL www.archives.gov/northeast)

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Local History Collection - Scituate Town Library, Scituate Massachusetts 02066

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The Local History Collection contains a vast wealth of material on local history and genealogy of Scituate and the region. The collection in the Local History Room consists of print, microfilm and computer sources. In general, the materials must be used in the library. However, some materials are in the library's general collection.

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Nifty interactive timeline, among other things!

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Explore Virtually From Home | Colonial Williamsburg

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As we enter a phased reopening of our colonial capital, discover the 18th-century virtually between visits.

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Multiple offerings from concerts to dance parties. Sign up for a daily email.

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Worksheets, craft ideas, writing prompts, Youtube videos and more.

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Free Resources for Teachers, Parents & Students | Lakeshore®

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Explore 1,000+ free resources for teachers, parents & students! You'll find everything from writing prompt calendars to at-home learning videos & more!

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In 1942, at the age of 17, Maria Tallchief moved to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer. With luck, grit, and determination she joined the famed Ballet Russe Monte Carlo as an apprentice and moved quickly through the ranks, dancing first in the corps de ballet and later performing leading roles.  Tallchief is widely considered America's first major prima ballerina.

You can learn more about Maria Tallchief (Osage Nation), featured on a new quarter from the US Mint, and other Indigenous women in our featured biographies this month.
Use the NWHM's compendium of online biographies to spark curiosity and dig deeper into women's impact throughout our shared national history. Explore more here.

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A renowned leader in women's history education, the National Women's History Museum brings to life the countless untold stories of women throughout history and serves as a space for all to inspire, experience, collaborate, and amplify women's impact.

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Native Knowledge 360° | Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

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Educational resources, lesson plans, teacher training, and strategies to support positive change! Native Knowledge 360° is a national initiative to inspire and promote improved teaching and learning about Native America. #NK360

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Free content with a short sign-up process.

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TIME for Kids nurtures today’s learners and tomorrow’s leaders with authentic news and the critical-thinking skills that shape active global citizens.

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Huge List of Children's Publishers Sharing Online Content

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Huge List of Children's Publishers Sharing Online Content

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DK, Lonely Planet, and more!

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Looking for fun and educational resources, activities, discussion guides, teacher guides and more to share with children of all ages?

From fiction to non-fiction, STEM books to graphic novels, book publishers have created a wealth of content to support educators, librarians, booksellers, parents, and caregivers. Compiled here are links to various publisher's websites where you can find these free resources.

Check back often as we continue to update with new resources!

ABRAMS

Andrews McMeel

Arbordale Publishing

Archie Comics

BIRDHOUSE Kids Media

Looking to add health lessons to your new role as a home educator? Use these engaging printable activities in a bundle available for free to learn Body Science vocabulary and to practice using it.

Bloomsbury

Boyds Mills & Kane

Fun and free activities, as well as videos of authors and illustrators talking about their books.

Bushel & Peck Books

Candlewick

Activities, discussion guides, educational materials, videos, and more for books and characters like Waldo, Judy Moody, and Timmy Failure.

Catalyst Press

Incorporating African history and stories into your child's reading with these resources/activities including, read-alouds from Catalyst authors, activity sheets, coloring pages, and more.

Charlesbridge

Downloadable activity kits, educator guides, coloring pages, and more!

Child's Play

Activities for parents and teachers.

Cinco Puntos

Publisher of authentic voices in multicultural children's literature with bilingual children's books and traditional folktales from various cultures. Teachers' guides prepared with the help of outstanding educators for many of their titles.

City of Light

Educator guides, activity kits and discussion guides.

Clavis Publishing

Fun content, activities, and videos to keep your children entertained and engaged!

Creston Books

All Creston books have curriculum guides and activity pages. Click on each title to find resources you can use. Start with these three ...

Crimson Dragon Publishing

Activity packs for home or classroom use.

Del Alma Publications

Supplemental materials for educators from a publisher of quality and culturally relevant material for children, young adults, and educators of bilingual, bicultural, educational settings.

Disney Books

Looking for resources and tools to help your students and patrons while your schools and libraries are closed? Find a number of free digital resources available to use and share.

DK

If you're finding yourself working remotely, homeschooling with your kids, or teaching your students online rather than in the classroom, DK is here for you.

Epic!

All educators registered on Epic (free) can provide their students remote access for free through the end of the school year. This will provide students with anywhere, anytime access to the full Epic library on all devices and allow teachers to stay connected by assigning books / collections and monitoring student progress. To take advantage of this offer a family must receive the invitation from a teacher.

Eifrig Publishing

All Eifrig children's books are now available as free (or pay what you want) ebooks.

Fabled Films

Familius

Flyaway Books

Resources and activities that invite children, educators, parents, and booksellers to further engage with their favorite picture books. Everything from original music to printable activity sheets to thematic guides for educators and parents, with much more to come.

Greystone Books

Curriculum guides full of at-home activities for books Birdsong by Julie Flett and Can You Hear the Trees Talking? by Peter Wohlleben.

Groundwood Books

A wise selection of resources for teachers and librarians.

HarperCollins

Literature, art, music, and activities help create conversation, get imaginations running wild, lift spirits, and bring people together from all over the world. Use these resources to inspire and excite.

Holiday House

Holiday House is pleased to offer free downloadable items. All may be reproduced at no charge. Check back often.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

IDW Publishing & Top Shelf Productions

Publisher of works of literary sophistication, visionary artistry, and personal resonance in the comics medium, providing resources for their critically acclaimed graphic novels.

Inkyard

Discussion guide for Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika and Maritza Moulite.

The Innovation Press

Just Us Books

Resources and guidelines to support at-home and remote learning from a premier publisher of black-interest books for children.

Kane Miller

Bring favorite books to life with coloring pages, word games, crossword puzzles and more!

Lion Hudson

A range of resources to keep your family occupied over Holy Week and Easter, including: Activities, Bible stories, Gentle tales, Science exploration, Health and wellbeing.

Little Bee Books

Downloadable activities including previews, puzzles, coloring, crafts, creative exercises, educator materials, and more.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Keep kids engaged and entertained with these fun and educational activities!

Lonely Planet

Get kids excited about the world around them with these fun, quirky and educational activities. Get Creative with drawing, designing and crafting activities, or get Quizzical with our puzzles and trivia.

Loyola Press

Macmillan

Magination Press

Articles written and vetted by psychologists about mindfulness and anxiety.

Mango & Marigold Press

Virtual story times and coloring pages for kids at home.

MVP Kids

Succeed as your child's best mentor with activities and crafts, tips and tricks, and more.

National Geographic

Hear the NatGeo podcast about some of the greatest stories ever told. Stories of gods and goddesses, monsters, and heroes! Enjoy this kid-friendly retelling of classic ancient Greek myths for the whole family.

Nomad Press

A large collection of free resources perfect for 2nd-9th grade which model critical and creative thinking to promote the development of problem-solving skills as readers discover patterns and connections through intellectual inquiry.

Novel Effect

As you navigate remote learning and school closures, stay up-to-date with these Remote Learning Resources and free Educator Resources, including online read aloud activities and worksheets.

Orca Book Publishers

Page Street Publishing

Papercutz Graphic Novels

Access to some graphic novel titles for free!

Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.

Find free, downloadable teacher's guides, discussion guides, and activities along with a variety of author and illustrator videos at this remote learning resources hub.

Penguin Young Readers

Your destination for FREE resources, author visits, and more!

Penny Candy

Lesson plans, activities, and discussion guides for many books. These plans can easily be adapted to homeschooling during social distancing.

Pina Publishing

Pop Culture Classroom

Resources created to help parents and educators navigate learning at home, including videos resources, blog entries, digital workshops, and more.

Quarto Kids

Free downloadables including coloring sheets, word searches, interviews, and more!

Quirk Books

In need of activities to pass the time? If you have little ones, middle graders, or teens, check this roundup of activity kits and parent/educator guides.

Random House Children's Books

If you are putting together plans for teaching remotely or homeschooling your children and are looking for resources, click below for discussion guides, activities, and more available for free to download.

Red Chair Press

Download free activity pages for select Red Chair Press products. Extend the fun, enhance the learning!

Star Bright Books

This independent publisher is offering four books per week in pdf format for readers to enjoy!

Scholastic

Science Naturally

Products that explore and demystify STEM topics in entertaining and enlightening ways. Providing the resources parents, educators, and librarians need to extend and expand the content and use our books as effective learning tools. All the resources are available at no charge.

Shout Mouse Press

Nonprofit publisher of #OwnVoices children's and young adult titles by marginalized youth. Educators from elementary school through university are using these books in their classroom to educate and engage.

Simon & Schuster

A one-stop shop for parents and educators looking to incorporate books and interactive storytelling into their at-home school day, featuring new video series, downloadable activities, curriculum guides, and more!

Soho Press

Reading Group Choices partners with publishers, independent bookstores, public libraries, and authors to develop resources to enhance the shared reading group experience.

Sourcebooks

Hub for Librarians and Educators! Peruse Common Core-aligned educator guides, activity kits, and discussion guides.

Story Monsters

Story Monsters at Home for authors and publishers to contribute their own free or next to free activities, book downloads, and more to help engage students and supplement distance learning plans.

Sweet Cherry Publishing

A range of activity packs to accompany our titles which can be used in elementary schools and other learning environments as well as to support independent bookshops. These resources are available to download for free.

Tanglewood

Resources including teacher's guides, engaging activities, Common Core, and more!

Thompson Mill Press

Free Teacher's Guides for each of our titles of the award-winning Kobee Manatee Children's Educational Picture Book series.

Tilbury House

Together with educators who are specialists in their fields, Tilbury House has developed imaginative, user-friendly Classroom Connection Guides for many of their books. These free guides offer activities and discussion points along with links to additional information and resources.

TOON Books

Resources kids can use on their own and more hands-on activities for families. And perhaps best of all, some are designed for pure fun. After all, kids do love all things comics!

Tor Teen & Starscape

Web of Life Children's Books

Learn about volcanos by building a geyser, discover the gopher tortoise's role as a keystone species by cutting and pasting animals into the tortoise's burrow, or celebrate the world's fastest animal by creating a peregrine falcon paper doll!

West Margin Press

West Margin Press works to create a better understanding of our world through purposeful content, engaging design, and authentic experiences.

Workman Publishing

WunderMill

Guides to inspire and engage a new generation of young stewards of our natural world!

Yali Books

Download free printable activity sheets, gather up your crayons and pencils, and have fun!

Zonderkidz

Free resources and downloads for families to enrich their time together at home, including activity kits, curriculum guides, and more. Popular picture books like Fiona the Hippo (Richard Cowdrey), Love is Kind (Laura Sassi) and One Big Heart (Linsey Davis) all have supplemental materials that parents and caregivers can use to encourage the minds of children and keep little ones busy.

PUBLISHERS: if you wish to share your resources for those at home, please email shaina.birkhead@cbcbooks.org.

Every Child a Reader

Make your stay at home more fun! Free resources to download including reading challenges, National Ambassador programs, coloring pages, bookmarks, and Creator Corner videos by some of your favorite writers and illustrators.

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Looking for fun and educational resources, activities, discussion guides, teacher guides and more to share with children of all ages? From fiction to non-fiction, STEM books to graphic novels, book publishers have created a wealth of content to support educators, librarians, booksellers, parents, and caregivers.

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Created by librarians!

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Use your library card with Kanopy and start streaming programs like Daniel Tiger, Little Pim, cooking classes, and full length movies.

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Log in

Find a different library

Get free access to thousands of movies with your library card

Simply add your Scituate Town Library card number and PIN or password

Add Library Card

Enjoy critically-acclaimed movies, inspiring documentaries, award-winning foreign films and more

Stream on all your favorite devices, any time, anywhere

Enjoy on your TV

Watch Kanopy on the go

Stream Kanopy to your laptop or computer

Kanopy is the best video streaming service for quality, thoughtful entertainment. Find movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos that inspire, enrich and entertain. We partner with public libraries to bring you an ad-free experience that can be enjoyed on your TV, mobile phones, tablets and online.

How is Kanopy free for me?

Just as your library buys books to add to their collection for you to borrow, your library offers a variety of digital resources too - Kanopy is one of their more popular digital resources. Kanopy does not charge you because your library covers all associated costs, allowing you to watch for free with no ads.

Why do I need a library card to sign up?

Kanopy is only available through libraries, so you need to be a member of a participating library to start watching Kanopy.

If you are a member of a participating public library, you can start watching by signing up with a valid public library card number and PIN/password.

What are play credits and how many do I receive through my library?

Play credits are used to play videos on Kanopy. You will receive 10 play credits per month through the Scituate Town Library. Each video will use 1 play credit each with the exception of those in Kanopy Kids. Once you press play on a video and a play credit has been used, you will have 3 days to view it as many times as you like without using another play credit. Your play credits will reset back to 10 on the 1st day of each month.

Getting started is easy! Click here to enter your library card information. Follow the simple instructions to create your Kanopy account using your email address or Facebook/Google login and then start watching.

Kanopy Kids is our collection of movies and shows for kids available in public libraries only. Your public library offers unlimited plays in Kanopy Kids, so your kids are free to explore enriching, educational and entertaining films and TV series. Click here to check out Kanopy Kids!

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Kanopy - Stream Classic Cinema, Indie Film and Top Documentaries

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Log in Find a different library Get free access to thousands of movies with your library card Simply add your Scituate Town Library card number and PIN or password Add Library Card Enjoy critically-acclaimed movies, inspiring documentaries, award-winning foreign films and more Stream on all your favorite devices, any time, anywhere Enjoy on your TV Watch Kanopy on the go Stream Kanopy to your laptop or computer Kanopy is the best video streaming service for quality, thoughtful entertainment.

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Scituate's own Peter Mundt!

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Minecraft Educational Content - Free Until June 30

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Minecraft Educational Content - Free Until June 30

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Venture into digital worlds instead of the real one!

The world is upside down right now. We're learning lots of new phrases like social distancing, contact tracing, and stop snacking just because you're bored. Everyone around the world is coming together to do their part, whether that's working on finding a vaccine, delivering food and supplies, or staying indoors. Whatever the case, all of our daily routines have been thrown completely out of whack. It's easy to get scared at a time like this, which is why focusing on something can help you stay calm.

Educators around the world are doing everything they can to provide digital lessons for the half a billion students who are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not an easy task and we want to do our part to help keep young minds sharp and stimulated.

If you head over to the Minecraft Marketplace, you will find some of our favorite lessons from Minecraft: Education Edition in a brand new Education category. These educational worlds can be played on your own, with your kids, parents or friends. From the comfort of your home, you can tour the International Space Station or even explore the inside of a human eye. We've also included ten worlds from our Marketplace creator community! Thanks to creators Everbloom, Jigarbov, Lifeboat, Razzleberries, The World Foundry, Blockworks, and Imagiverse you can explore renewable energy, marine biology, Greek history, and more! The worlds include lesson plans like creative writing activities, build challenges, and tricky puzzles.

All of these worlds are launching today and are free to download through June 30, 2020.
Anyone with Minecraft for Bedrock platforms can find these worlds by launching Minecraft and visiting the in-game store. Minecraft is available on Android & iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows 10 PC, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Fire TV, Xbox One, Windows MR, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.

You can find the complete content list here: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/marketplace/education

To learn more about distance learning with Minecraft: Education Edition, visit: https://aka.ms/remote-learning-blog

Stay safe, wherever you are. We'll get through this.

Written By

Sofia Dankis

Published

Up Arrow

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Free Educational Content in Minecraft Marketplace!

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Venture into digital worlds instead of the real one! The world is upside down right now. We're learning lots of new phrases like social distancing, contact tracing, and stop snacking just because you're bored. Everyone around the world is coming together to do their part, whether that's working on finding a vaccine, delivering food and supplies, or staying indoors.

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9 Amazing Street Art Murals in New York - Google Arts & Culture

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The Big Apple is also known for being the canvas of great street artists - from Kobra and Banksy to Keith Haring, visit the locations of these beautiful artworks

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10 Easy experiments that will amaze kids

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10 Easy Science Experiments - That Will Amaze Kids

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Activities in STEAM for all ages-- even under 2 years of age.

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STEAM, STEM & Educational Activities For Kids ⋆ Raising Dragons

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Simple STEAM, STEM and educational activities for kids. Raising Dragons is dedicated to raising strong smart, amazing kids.

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This family-focused list of top Amazon and Netflix documentaries will open the door to life-changing discussions with your kids.

. . .

As parents, it can be hard to explain to our children why we are choosing an alternative lifestyle, especially once kids hit double-digits. The things we teach our kids often go against many of the beliefs they're hearing from friends at school.

I think at some point (if your kids are a bit older, like ours), they can start to think some of the stuff we share with them is BS. And that is ok, after all, we must teach our children to think for themselves.

We should teach them to question everything - including us.

Make some room in your schedule to spend some quality screen time with your kids. Watching these Netflix documentaries - that allow you to indirectly discuss your values, choices, and a decision to move toward Becoming UnBusy - is a powerful parent-child experience.

When watching this list of documentary films be sure to have the remote on hand to pause the show and talk.

3 Netflix Documentaries That Will Change How Your Kids See The World

These shows open the door to a global perspective and allow your kids to see for themselves (with you there to guide them) that an alternative lifestyle is truly a powerful choice.

1. The Kindness Diaries - A Netflix Documentary Series
Netflix Documentaries Summaries: Watch Leon Logothetis travel around the world on his yellow motorbike, Kindness One, relying only on people's kindness at each stage of his travel. This show is about sharing everything that you have, even if you don't have much. Watch this documentary series now on Netflix]
The Kindness Diaries is actually a full Netflix documentary series, not a single show or documentary movie. Every episode of The Kindness Diaries begins with this statement:

The host of the Netflix documentary, Leon Logothetis, continues...

And that is what inspired my journey; a journey where random acts of kindness are repaid with unexpected and life-changing gifts.

The Kindness Diaries documentary series opened deep discussions of gratitude, war, cultural and religious differences, acts of service, education, healthcare, and just overall happiness with our two girls. Time and time again this travel documentary reminded us that love makes the world go round and that little is needed to be truly happy. I wholeheartedly believe this is one of the best documentaries on Netflix. Watching this series together truly changed how my girls see their own lives (and the world).
Parent-to-Parent Tip: A strong word of warning, Episode 11 (The Gift of Sight) was overwhelming. In this episode, Leon stops at Cambodia's Killing Fields and pays tribute to all the thousands of lives that were brutally lost there. This particular episode should be watched with extreme caution. You know your child's personality, please use your best judgment.
2. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things

Netflix Documentaries Summaries: More, newer, cooler: That's the American Dream. But these creative people see the dream as being more about happiness. [Watch it on Netflix now or buy the documentary here]
The Netflix documentary Minimalism opened the door to a variety of conversations with our girls about "stuff," advertisements and marketing, popular brands at school, and what happiness means to us. The intro with Ryan Nicodemus really struck a chord with me. He explains:

When I heard about minimalism, it wasn't just about getting rid of my stuff. It was about taking control of my life, and stop being told what to do and deciding what I wanted to do.

On the surface, it may seem like minimalism and your stuff have little to do with Becoming UnBusy, but the two topics are inseparable. Our stuff dictates where our money goes each month, our stuff affects our required monthly budget, our stuff mandates our work schedules and career choices, our stuff affects our ability to control our lives.

This Netflix documentary allowed us to talk to our girls about why our family is making changes in our life to move toward Becoming UnBusy.

Heads-up: After watching this minimalism documentary our entire family committed to THIS - we're so excited to share more about it with you!

---> OUR FAMILY'S TOP UNBUSY GOAL <---

Amazon Summary: Four young friends set out to live on just $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. Armed with only a video camera, they battle hunger, parasites, and extreme financial stress as they attempt to survive. [Watch on Amazon Prime]
It has been amazing having the kids involved in the process.
Netflix Documentaries Summaries: A filmmaker and his musician girlfriend attempt an epic road trip with their dog, traveling across North America in a refurbished school bus. The preview is in German, but in the movie, the couple speaks English. [Watch it on Netflix now]
3. Living On One Dollar - Amazon Prime Documentaries

What is unique about this documentary is that the college students attempted to not only live on a dollar a day but to simulate the dynamics of an unstable field worker's income. In other words, they had allocated $60 for 60-days, but the amount they received each day was arbitrary. The hardship, support, and joy of the community that embraces them is eye-opening. We watched this documentary with our ten and twelve-year-old daughters. Some of the topics covered were tough, seeing children in poverty is heavy, but it was an enlightening experience.
Parent-to-Parent Tip: There is a section of the film where the couple is having issues with their U.S. Visa and their dog who is gravely ill is taken from them. There are about five minutes of unsettling footage where they are deeply concerned about the well being of their pet. It was hard for my girls to watch. If you've recently lost a furry friend, be sure to fast forward through this section.
BONUS: Expedition Happiness - Netflix Documentaries

My tween daughter was searching through Netflix documentaries and found this for our family to watch. The music and nature footage in Netflix documentaries is often spectacular, but what made this travel documentary appealing was knowing that this couple captured the footage themselves. This documentary film is a piece of art combining story, imagery, and powerful music.

While we watched this documentary, we spoke about topics like - how much space do we really need to live, what makes us happy, and where we want to travel as a family. The girls loved being able to pop over to YouTube to watch additional footage about how they prepped the bus, their travels, and other behind the scenes footage.

SPOILER ALERT: While this travel documentary inspires wanderlust, it also focuses on the love of family. The couple has to cut their trip short because their dog is ill unexpectedly. The film concludes with the couple surprising their family, who don't know they've returned early. It is a perfect opportunity to chat with your kids about the phrase, "Home is family."

The Best Documentaries List - UnBusy Community Suggestions

We've had some great discussion over on Facebook around this list of documentaries. Here are some additional recommendations of good documentaries that our UnBusy Community has made:
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Let's chat about the best documentaries on Netflix, Amazon Prime, at the local library, and on the Web!

Do you have any other documentaries, movies, TV shows or books that have helped you connect with your kids and explain your unique life choices to your kids? We're always looking for inspiration to share with our kids.

Have you seen any of these documentaries? I'd love to hear about the different conversations you had with your kids while watching them. Please leave us a note below or a message on the Becoming UnBusy Facebook Page. We'd love to hear about it.
WATCH VIDEO

This 'Alike' Video Will Have You Tearing Up

This unsettled feeling stirs within me, continually urging me towards an UnBusy Life. Yet, this unique life we're trying to lead is anything but simple. A friend recommended this inspiring short film 'Alike' to me today.

As I watched, I got goosebumps - then tears began to well up ...

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3 Documentaries That Will Change How Your Kids See The World

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. As parents, it can be hard to explain to our children why we are choosing an alternative lifestyle, especially once kids hit double-digits. The things we teach our kids often go against many of the beliefs they're hearing from friends at school.

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Visit for information on local virtual events, classes, and opportunities!

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Events & Activities for Kids and Families, South Shore Boston,MA, Things to Do

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MacaroniKid provides local activity guides & news for parents & families. Find your family fun things to do. Find out about events & activities, calendars, articles, giveaways, and resource guides for your area. Find out about summer camps, great parks, and more in South Shore Boston,MA

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Updated on March 16 at 1:56 p.m. ET. This comic has been updated. Click here for the newest version.
Kids, this comic is for you.

It's based on a radio story that NPR education reporter Cory Turner did. He asked some experts what kids might want to know about the new coronavirus discovered in China.

To make this comic, we've used his interviews with Tara Powell at the University of Illinois School of Social Work, Joy Osofsky at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and Krystal Lewis at the National Institute of Mental Health.

Print and fold a zine version of this comic here. Here are directions on how to fold it. To read this comic in Chinese, click here.To read it in Spanish, click here.

Malaka Gharib is an NPR editor and the author and illustrator of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, about being first-generation Filipino Egyptian American.

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Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

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You may have heard the word "coronavirus" online or on TV. You probably have a lot of questions. Check out our comic to get some answers - and print out a zine version at home.

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See new videos not yet on her website!

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hoopla digital: audiobooks, ebooks, movies, tv and comics.

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Borrow and enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, TV, magazines, or music everywhere you have a screen-your computer, your phone, your car, even your TV. All you need is a library card. hoopla syncs across all your devices, so you can stream titles immediately or whenever you're in the mood.

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Find out more. Get an e-card online as well.

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Browse, borrow, and enjoy titles from the Old Colony Library Network digital collection.

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Great online exhibit about 1918 Pandemic for teens and adults.

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DPLA provides free digital access to banned books

DPLA has launched The Banned Book Club to ensure that all readers have access to the books they want to read. The Banned Book Club makes e-book versions of banned books available to readers in locations across the United States where titles have been banned via the free Palace e-reader app.

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The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America's libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

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Americans are proud of their heritage and are honored when places in their communities and states are entered in the National Register. Historic properties in a community are tangible links with the nation's past that help provide a sense of identity and stability. The National Register, which recognizes the values of properties as diverse as a dugout shelter of an Oklahoma pioneer settler, the Breakers Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, and a 12,000-year-old prehistoric site, has helped many to appreciate the richness and variety of their heritage.

Listing a property in the National Register provides recognition of it's historic significance, consideration in planning Federal or federally-assisted projects, eligibility for Federal tax benefits, consideration in decisions about coal-mining permits, and eligibility for Federal preservation grants.

Federal, State, and Tribal Preservation Offices

Federal agencies, states, and American Indian Tribes look for and evaluate buildings, sites, and other physical remnants from the past within their lands. Then they nominate properties they decide are historically or culturally important to the National Register. Since most registered places are privately-owned and significant to the history of the locality or state in which they are located, most nominations come through State Historic Preservation Offices. The professionals in State Historic Preservation Offices work closely with local governments, historical organizations, and the public in locating and researching places that might qualify for recognition in the National Register. State offices, like the National Register, maintain files on listed properties, and also have information on other places within their states.

National Register List

The first step in teaching with historic places all around us is to find those places. Either the National Park Service's National Register office or state preservation offices can provide information on National Register properties in any state or county. The address and telephone number of the National Register of Historic Places are: National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, 2280, Washington, DC 20240; (202) 354-2213.

National Register Database Searches

Visit the National Register Database and Research site to find out more information about properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Summary information about National Register properties can be found through the use of a simple or an advanced search. This system makes it possible to find places linked not only geographically, but also by characteristics such as architectural style, theme (area of significance), period of significance, resource type, architects, or significant people. For example,

* if you are planning an instructional unit on industrialism and the Gilded Age, you can find properties associated with Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, or other key figures; industrial complexes or company towns from the late 19th century; or local mills or factories.

* if you are focusing on milestones of the Civil Rights movement, you can obtain a list of properties nationwide representing African American history since 1950.

* if you want to explore how your state's evolving demographics relate to trends in U.S. immigration and cultural diversity, you can request a list either of resources in that state (or even in a specific county or city) associated with various ethnic groups, or of properties in several states associated with a single group.

Documentation About Historic Places

Once you have identified one or more historic places, you can obtain copies of the documentation kept by the National Register by writing or calling your State Historic Preservation Office, or contacting the National Register at the address and number given above. The National Register maintains files on more than 80,000 historic districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects. Because historic districts often include hundreds of historically-significant buildings and other features, the listings in the National Register represent more than 1.4 million places important to the nation's history. Approximately 90 percent of National Register properties represent state and local history, and teachers would be challenged to find a more accessible summary of major historic themes, people, and events for many areas of the country as can be found in the documentation for these places.

Historic properties are not limited to those listed in the National Register, but because investigations constantly bring to light new places, there are decided advantages to starting with National Register properties. These places have been documented already, and every property file includes considerable information useful to teachers: a physical description of the place listed, geographical information, one or more maps, an explanation of historical significance, a bibliography, and at least one black and white photograph. Frequently, files contain other information as well, such as site plans, historic photographs, copies of primary documents, drawings, or other materials.

Photographs from the official National Register and National Historic Landmarks archives - from a variety of sources, including State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPO) and nomination preparers, have been posted to the web through the photo sharing site, Flickr. Each individual picture, collection, or set, is accompanied by a textual description and explanation of the historic significance of the listed property.

A number of materials that the National Register program produces for other purposes than classroom education can also benefit teachers. In addition to informational brochures, the National Register publishes technical "Bulletins" on specific types of resources to assist those evaluating properties for possible nomination to the National Register. The brochures and bulletins include basic information about the National Register as well as information on the different property types eligible for a National Register nomination. The bulletins also include technical information and guidance on preparing nominations for specific kinds of places, such as archeological sites, cemeteries, battlefields, and residential suburbs. These bulletins generally contain historical background, bibliographies, and guidance in understanding what these places tell us about local, regional, state, or national history. Such understanding is essential for teaching or learning from places and for explaining how they meet National Register criteria for significance. Therefore, bulletins on topics cited above, as well as post offices, mining resources, aviation resources, landscapes, and other types of places might help you interpret the cultural resources you find in your communities. These brochures and bulletins are free and are located online at https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/.

The National Register program also has participated in the creation of other publications, books, and videos that can benefit teachers. From the National Register's "Publications" webpage you can find information on the following books: National Landmarks, American's Treasures, Building the National Parks, and African American Historic Places.

There is also a video that teachers can order entitled, American Legacy: The Work of the National Register of Historic Places.

Additionally, the National Register program has helped to produce special editions of CRM, a technical periodical produced by the Cultural Resources Programs of the National Park Service. The following editions are available online:

* The National Register of Historic Places: Volume 25, no. 1, 2002

* Creative Teaching with Historic Places: Volume 23, no. 8, 2000

* Archeology and the National Register: Volume 18, no. 6, 1995

* Using the National Register of Historic Places: Volume 17, no.2, 1994

* Teaching With Historic Places: Volume 16, no. 2, 1993

* Traditional Cultural Properties: Volume 16, Special Edition, 1993 (search under the Issue Title)

* Cultural Diversity and Historic Preservation: Volume 15, no. 7, 1992

National Register Participation

You and your students may find important places in your state or community that are not listed in the National Register. Direct participation in the process of researching and nominating a property to the National Register is another option for educators. You already know that students who "do" history demonstrate greater interest in and mastery of the subject. Participation has the added advantages of reinforcing the idea that history has value in "the real world," and of demonstrating one way to translate learning into good citizenship.

The National Register bulletins discussed above will help you identify, research, document, and register historic places. Nomination information, forms, and instructions for completing them also are available on the National Register web site. You may also obtain a free "Starter Kit," or a computer disk with the information you need to prepare nominations electronically, by writing or calling the National Register.

Although completion of the entire nomination process from identification to listing may be beyond the scope of a single year's class, the project can be divided into stages and combined with other endeavors that provide each participating class with a sense of accomplishment. One class could conduct initial research, write articles for a local newspaper, and submit information to the local library. Another class could analyze how the property relates to broad national themes as represented by National Register criteria, design a school exhibit, and work with the State Historic Preservation Office to nominate the property to the state and/or national registers.

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The National Register Can Help Teachers - Teaching with Historic Places (U.S. National Park Service)

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Americans are proud of their heritage and are honored when places in their communities and states are entered in the National Register. Historic properties in a community are tangible links with the nation's past that help provide a sense of identity and stability.

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Inside: 7 easy ways to help your child learn Italian. There are a wealth of resources available to children learning Italian if you know where to look. However, it's important to note that not all resources carry the same weight and if you want to cement vocabulary into your little life one's minds interactive activities are key. We all learn and retain the most information if we are speaking or listening so where possible ...

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Kid World Citizen - Activities that help young minds go global

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Inside: 7 easy ways to help your child learn Italian. There are a wealth of resources available to children learning Italian if you know where to look. However, it's important to note that not all resources carry the same weight and if you want to cement vocabulary into your little life one's minds interactive activities are key.

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List of interesting foreign films.

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Finding age-appropriate, high-quality movies from other countries, especially to watch with younger children, can be a big challenge. Action and story lines may differ drastically, and dubbing or subtitles offer a distinct viewing experience. Content is generally edgier than American audiences are used to and certainly that U.S. schools would be comfortable screening. An award-winning animated film from France or Japan may be considered PG-13 material, though many of the films don't receive the MPAA rating, making it even harder to choose a quality foreign film appropriate for all ages. With that in mind, here are over 35 of our favorite foreign films for kids. Many of these best movies for kids are included in our book The Global Education Toolkit for Elementary Learners (2014), along with a fantastic discussion guide to use with kids.
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Afghanistan

The Breadwinner: taking place in Afghanistan, an 11-year-old, courageous girl has to cut her hair and disguise herself as a boy in order to support her family. Parvana discovers more freedom, but also more danger as she uses fantastic stories to pull her through the rough times and reunite her family (lesson plans here). This is one of the best movies for kids about a misunderstood and very underrepresented country! PREVIEW the first 20 minutes, which might be more suitable for older kids.

Belgium/France

(official web site for books and movies) is an award-winning tale of a tiny mouse who wants to see the world and her grumpy bear friend who accompanies her on adventures(reviewed here).

China

tells the story of a class holding its very first open elections for class monitor, with 2 boy candidates and one girl. It is a documentary that shows the evolution of the class struggling to understand what a democracy is, to a class who grows to be very astute in the election process!

Big Fish and Begonia is about to be released in the US and UK. It is inspired by Chinese classic stories such as Zhuang Zi, Mountains and Seas, and In Search of the Supernatural. A mysterious girl who turns into a dolphin and discovered the world along the way. This animated film reveals the power of love and faith.

Little Door Gods is a comedy animation available on netflix that shows what happens when the gods are seen as irrelevant by the humans, who once traded worship for their protective presence at each set of double entrance doors.

Colombia

The Colors of the Mountain is a sad but heart-warming film about soccer-loving kids whose lives are affected by the guerrillas near their remote, mountain home (lesson plans here).

Cuba

Viva Cuba features the friendship between two Cuban schoolchildren on an adventure across the island to find the girl's father and ask him not to allow her mother to take her out of the country. It's a Romeo and Juliet story with the kids being from different social classes- but no politics, only fun (one scene you might want to skip). (Lesson plans here.)

France

The Red Balloon: In this short, 1956 fantasy film, the red balloon seems to have a mind of its own as it follows around a young Parisian boy, getting Pascal into trouble at school, waiting outside his home when his mother won't let it in, and trying to avoid a group of bullies with the boy (lesson ideas here). This is one of the best movies for kids who are very young (it is almost wordless!).

Germany

Recommended by a Kid World Citizen follower, Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver is about an orphan boy in search of his origin. On an epic quest, Jim and his friend Luke discover mysterious lands and a young princess held prisoner in deadly Dragon City. As with all movies here, preview it first if you are an adoptive family, to make sure your child is ok with how Jim is presented- every child processes this information differently.

Wicky the Viking, based on a children's book by a Swedish author, which was then made into an anime film in Japan. This version is not animated, but still great! Wickie is a clever and resourceful child of a successful and strong Viking. Although he isn't typically muscular, he uses his brains and imagination to triumph and prove he is a "real" Viking. This was submitted by a twitter follower- thank you!

India

Like Stars on Earth ( Taare Zameen Par in Hindi): This heartwarming, Bollywood style film from India tells the story of 8-year-old Ishaan Awasthi's struggles in school due to dyslexia, his parents' frustration and attempts to discipline him, his journey to boarding school, and finally his fortunate encounter with incredible art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh. Lots of singing and dancing in this wonderful film! (lessons here).

is a sports film about the Indian women's national field-hockey team, and their coach. It is inspirational, speaks against sexism and racism, and holds the viewers interest the entire movie.

Iran

Offside! Although women are not allowed in the soccer stadium, a group of ambitious girls manage to sneak in- until they are caught held in punishment, guarded by male soldiers their own age. This lively film was partially filmed during the actual match between Iran and Bahrain (in 2005) that qualified Iran to go to the World Cup.

Ireland

Into the West is a beautiful adventure fairy tale of 2 boys- Ossie and Tito- and their magical white horse called Tír na nÓg (meaning "Land of Eternal Youth" in Irish). Their mother died in childbirth, and so the boys live with their father Papa Riley in the gritty projects of Dublin. One day, a mysterious white stallion follows their grandfather back to Dublin and bonds with the boys, who then bring it back into their apartment.

After a greedy policeman responds to a call complaining about the horse, he ends up selling the horse to a wealthy businessman. The farfetched, but exciting adventure has them stealing back the horse, and escaping the authorities from Dublin as they rescue their beloved horse and live their childhood dream of being cowboys.

Japan

My Neighbor Totoro is a stunning animated film that takes us to the green countryside of 1950's Japan. Two playful sisters Mei and Satsuki move with their professor father to an old house to be closer to the hospital where their mother is being treated. They meet a magical forest spirit named Totoro, who looks like a cross of an oversized rabbit mixed with a cat. Later, when Mei is worried about her mother and attempts to visit the hospital by herself, Totoro and a 12-legged "catbus" help to find her (cultural references and notes here).

Korea

Honduras

is a documentary that follows several courageous children trying to get from Central America and Mexico to the United States (4 children from Honduras, 1 from Guatemala, and 1 from Mexico). Their harrowing journey to reach family members is heart-breaking and raw, and more suitable for older children (lesson plans here).

Mexico

Coco:a young boy named Miguel has an adventure in the magical land of his loved ones that have passed away. With Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) being the backdrop for this rich story, Miguel discovers the reasons behind the traditions of the holiday, plus uncovers a family mystery (lessons plans here).

Atlético San Pancho is a wholesome soccer movie about an underdog soccer team put together by a janitor, who faces an elite team. It's funny, rated G, and loved by all ages (for TONS of global soccer movies that kids love, check out this list).

Mongolia

tells of a mom camel, who rejects her adorable baby camel after a particularly hard birth, and the nomadic Mongolian family who try everything they can to help their animals bond and survive in the Gobi desert. Their final efforts include sending the 2 young boys, via camel, to the nearest village to search for a special musician, who tries to use his music to facilitate the bonding (lesson plans here).

New Zealand

Whale Rider:this New Zealand film tells the story of 12-year old Pai, a Maori girl whose ancestor Paikea was the whale rider. While Pai lives in present day Whangara, New Zealand with her grandparents, Maori tradition maintains that the leadership should only be inherited by males. Koro, her grandfather, is the current chief and is adamant that she cannot lead her people because she is female. While he searches for a new leader, attempting fruitlessly to train young boys in the village, determined Pai cries out to the whale to come to her assistance. A pod of majestic whales become beached as they seem to answer her plea and their impending death symbolize the plight of the Maori people, as their traditions are lost. The entire community unites to help save these sacred creatures and finally Pai fulfills her destiny in a courageous display of wisdom and leadership that forever changes the lives of the whales and her people (lesson plans here).

Pakistan

He Named Me Malala, by National Geographic: this inspiring documentary tells the story Malala Yousafzai, with interviews, live footage, interspersed with an animated story of the Afghani folk hero that is her namesake. It discusses the Taliban, and shows how they moved into the Swat Valley. Finally, the film shows the evolution of her, emerging as a global voice for the education rights of children. I try to always recommend movies that are age-appropriate, and I realize that this is PG-13. Parents and educators should preview the movie, as it obviously does mention violence, and there is a photo of the bus after she was shot that shows blood. My 10 year old looked away at that scene, but loved the rest of the movie! (lesson plans here).

Paraguay

Puerto Rico

Casi Casi: when Emilio discovers that the girls he has a crush on is running against him for class president, he devises a plan. Kids love the suspense and comedy, and follow the story easy. Beautiful scenery and setting!

Rwanda through South Africa

Senegal

Binta and the Great Idea is a short film made with UNICEF about a a little girl and her father. Throughout the short film, village school children attempt to convince another girl's father that his daughter should be able to attend school. The great idea of Binta's father, however, is to teach Western (presumably US/European) children values such as sharing, solidarity, and sustainable use of resources.

Spain

Carlitos, a young boy living in an orphanage, might break some rules as he fights for his right to play the one thing he loves: soccer. This is a super cute movie about soccer for kids.

Sudan

Tibet

The Cup: Two young football-crazed Tibetan refugees (who are also new monks in a remote Himalayan monastery in India) will try anything to bring in a television for the monastery to watch the 1998 World Cup final. The monastery's leader has to decide how to deal with the introduction of modern Western influences into their traditional lifestyle (lesson plans here).

United States (Immigrant Stories)

Smuggled: " Each year, approximately 350,000 people attempt to be smuggled through the U.S.-Mexican border...this is one boy's journey." SMUGGLED is a film that tells the story of a 9 year old boy and his mother, as they are smuggled into the US in an attempt to immigrate to a better life. Though it is based on real stories, it is actually a fictional/narrative film (lesson plans here).

The Harvest/ La Cosecha: hundreds of thousands of children in the United States work as migrant farm workers, harvesting the fruit and vegetables that we all enjoy. This documentary follows 3 kids who do back-breaking work on farms in Texas, Michigan, and Florida. Many teachers use this movie in conjunction with the book "The Circuit" by Francisco Jiménez.

MacFarland is one of my favorite movies (I was a cross-country runner!), and really one of the best movies for kids. If you love underdog sports movies, you will cheer for this team of Latino runners as the learn how to overcome tremendous difficulties and become a team (lesson plans here).

Mommy Maestra, who recommended several Spanish language movies for this list.

Spanish Mama, who has all of the best Latin American films for kids here.
Indie Jen Fischer the "Movie Making Mama." Aditya from Raising World Children Miss Panda Chinese and her favorite animated Chinese films

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Best Movies for Kids from Around the World (Plus Lesson Plans!)

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Finding age-appropriate, high-quality movies from other countries, especially to watch with younger children, can be a big challenge. Action and story lines may differ drastically, and dubbing or subtitles offer a distinct viewing experience. Content is generally edgier than American audiences are used to and certainly that U.S.

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By now, you're surely aware of the plethora of livestreaming and virtual options available on the internet. There's the Metropolitan Opera, a virtual museum visit, a walk down the Great Wall of China, and much more. But, we want to add one more to the list because not only is it super cool, but it will also make you feel like you're getting out in nature too.

The National Parks Service (NPS) has long offered virtual experiences of some of its greatest parks to help people the world over to come and explore digitally. And one of its neatest explorations is its virtual visit to the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

"High ancient sea ledges, deep rocky canyons, flowering cactus, and desert wildlife - treasures above the ground in the Chihuahuan Desert," NPS wrote about the park. "Hidden beneath the surface are more than 119 caves - formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes."

The service further explained, the park has a particularly storied history as it's a place where plenty of human activity has taken place from prehistoric people to historic American Indians. It added, "...Cavern accessibility development and tourism have left reminders of their presence, and have contributed to the rich and diverse history of the area."

For in-person visitors, the park has two historic districts, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: The Cavern Historic District and the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District. Guests can also learn more about the rich history of the area at its museum, where they can also search the park archives, which NPS explained, contains approximately "one million cultural resource artifacts that are being preserved and protected."

But, again, you don't have to physically go to feel like you're there. Just hop on the virtual tour with a park ranger, who starts the tour by explaining the cave swallows flying around during the day will soon be replaced by "hundreds of Brazilian free-tailed bats."

As you move through the experience, you can choose to see the caves as if you too were one of those flying bats, and learn a bit about echolocation along the way.

From there, virtual visitors will move into The Big Room, a cave structure larger than six football fields, making it the "largest single cave chamber in North America."

And the tour doesn't stop there. But, we'll let you click over and discover all the hidden caverns and treasures for yourself.

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This Virtual Tour of the Carlsbad Caverns Will Entertain You (and Your Kids) for Hours

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The National Parks Service (NPS) has long offered virtual experiences of some of its greatest parks to help people the world over to come and explore digitally. And one of its neatest explorations is its virtual visit to the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

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Our Webby Award-nominated show captures the magic that sparks when kids and best-selling authors meet up in person to collaborate and grow original stories inspired by children's story ideas! Each episode ends with a story time read aloud by the author. Bonus episodes feature author interviews with our host Betsy Bird!

Our show has been featured in Wired, Time for Kids, Parents, The New York Times, and CBC. It was The Week Junior magazine's 2020 Podcast of the Year. Our theme song and music is composed and performed by Andrew VanWyngarden, the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/musician and co-founder of MGMT. Our companion activity book "Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity" is a New York Times/Wirecutter "Best Gift for 10 Year Olds" pick. Vote for us in the People's Voice Webby Awards Family and Kids "Best Individual Episode" category through April 21, 2022 - https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/individual-episodes/family-kids!

This podcast is a Literary Safari Production.

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Our Webby Award-nominated show captures the magic that sparks when kids and best-selling authors meet up in person to collaborate and grow original stories inspired by children's story ideas! Each episode ends with a story time read aloud by the author. Bonus episodes feature author interviews with our host Betsy Bird!

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Children’s Library, Boston Public Library

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Children’s Library, Boston Public Library, Boston, MA. 1,210 likes · 181 talking about this · 151 were here. Children's Library at the Central Library in Copley Square

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ICDL - International Children’s Digital Library

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Dynamically Created Math Worksheets
Teachers, please share the site with Parents during this time of school shut downs, so the students can continue on with math while at home. Math-Aids.Com provides free math worksheets for teachers, parents, students, and home schoolers. The math worksheets are randomly and dynamically generated by our math worksheet generators. This allows you to make an unlimited number of printable math worksheets to your specifications instantly.

This site is free for the users because of the revenue generated by the ads running on the site. The use of ad blockers is against our terms of use. If you don't want to view ads then please join our member's area which is ad free.
The website contains over 94 different math topics with over 1223 unique worksheets.
These math worksheets are a great resource for Kindergarten through 12th grade.
They may be customized to fit your needs and may be printed immediately or saved for later use. These math worksheets are randomly created by our math worksheet generators, so you have an endless supply of quality math worksheets at your disposal. These high quality math worksheets are delivered in a PDF format and includes the answer keys. Our math worksheets are free to download, easy to use, and very flexible. A detailed description is provided in each math worksheets section.

The flexibility and text book quality of the math worksheets, makes Math-Aids.Com a very unique resource for people wanting to create and use math worksheets. The answer key is included with the math worksheets as it is created. Each math topic has several different types of math worksheets to cover various types of problems you may choose to work on.

We are dedicated in building the best dynamic Math Worksheets for our users.

We currently have math worksheets for the following topics, Addition, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Decimals, Division, Estimation, Even and Odd, Exponents, Fact Family, Factors, Flash Cards, Fractions, Function Tables, Geometry, Graph, Graph Paper, Graphing, Greater Than Less Than, Hundreds Chart, In and Out Boxes, Integers, Kindergarten, Logic, Mean Mode Median & Range, Measurement, Mixed Problems, Money, Multiplication, Number Bonds, Number Lines, Number Systems, Order of Operations, Patterns, Percent, Place Value, Pre-Algebra, Probability, Properties, Pythagorean Theorem, Radicals, Ratios, Rounding, Significant Figures, Skip Counting, Subtraction, Telling Time, Venn Diagrams, Word Games and Word Problems.

We are adding new math worksheets to the site every day so visit us often. We will be glad to design any math worksheets you might need for your Lesson Planning. Just Contact Us, we will be happy to assist you.

Teachers and Home schoolers use the math worksheets on this website to measure the children's mastery of basic math skills, give extra practice, homework practice, and save precious planning time.

Parents use the math worksheets on this website to give their children extra practice with essential math skills. Using the math worksheets over breaks and during the summer will allow children to stay sharp and get ready for the upcoming school term.

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Teachers, please share the site with Parents during this time of school shut downs, so the students can continue on with math while at home. Math-Aids.Com provides free math worksheets for teachers, parents, students, and home schoolers. The math worksheets are randomly and dynamically generated by our math worksheet generators.