Remote learning? While being a parent? A parent who also has to work remotely? S.O.S! Send help!
These are definitely challenging times that are coming with a whole new set of hurdles that we’ve never seen before.
Life is stressful enough, but now you have to worry about monitoring your child's remote learning. You have a lot to juggle, and that’s why utilizing the right resources can make your life a million times easier.
We are living in a time where most of our children's learning is coming from an online, or remote setting. It’s likely that once we return to some sense of “normalcy,” aspects from distance learning will be here to stay.
There’s really no way to know what the future holds, but I’d like to make the best of it with the resources that are readily available to us.
There's a ton out there, especially for helping kids learn and practice literacy and math skills. The websites that we discuss below are highly-rated for their ability to engage students, as well as the ability to utilize them in a classroom setting. These sites can be used as reliable, go-to destinations for your kids all year long (maybe even after remote learning goes away, too!). They are great tools for students to pick up new skills and build solid foundations in math, science, reading, and more.
With just a solid internet connection, you’ll have so many educational resources available right at your fingertips.
Ok, now take a deep breath — you can rest assured with the resources I’m about to share, because they are safe and highly rated.
Here are three of my favorite sites for children to explore, all while utilizing high-quality and effective content for your child to learn from.
An Extensive Library of Over 1,000 Short Animated Movies to Quiz K-12 Learners!
Paired together with quizzes and related materials, this library makes learning fun again. Covering the subjects of science, social studies, english, math, engineering and technology, health, and arts and music this resource is a no-brainer.
Whether you’re looking for a teacher for a specific grade or an instructor with a background in numerous subjects, Jill’s Tutors has a wide variety of online tutors and educators available for all disciplines and all levels of learning.
You can call or text us anytime at 512-812-9502 or email us at jillstutors@gmail.com, and we’ll help you find the best solution for your needs.
BrainPop was founded in 1999, and displays animated, curriculum-based content that supports educators and is intended to be fun and motivational for students to watch.
The videos and other materials are designed to engage students and assist teachers and homeschoolers — even better, they are aligned to state education standards.
In addition to BrainPop.com for older children, the same company offers:
BrainPop Jr. for younger children (grades K-3)
BrainPop Español
BrainPop Français
BrainPop ELL for non-native speakers learning English
BrainPop Educators, a free site for teachers and parents to post materials and interact with BrainPop and each other (GameUp and My BrainPop) — a tool for students and teachers to record learning accomplishments. (See the image below to get an idea of what this breakdown looks like.)
BrainPOP’s core values ensure a playful, educator-focused, reflective, and global experience. And since many school districts in the United States utilize BrainPOP, it’s a great tool to bridge the gap between learning and understanding, all while in a remote setting.
Virtual “Hands-on” Help with Math (and So Much More) in a Fun and Entertaining Platform!
This resource will easily become your best friend. Teaching your children while keeping them entertained and motivated? Yes, please! Making learning fun and not something you feel like you have to force your child to do? Double yes please.
That’s where Funbrain comes into play. A website heavy on educational games and videos that promise to keep your kids entertained. Funbrain organizes the games and video offerings by grade level. This makes it easier for kids to focus on what matches their educational levels.
Funbrain offers a variety of learning opportunities. Want to focus on math? Well they’ve got a math site, so for kids in need of sharpening up their addition and subtraction skills, this brings plenty of good practice. It is great because it presents the math help in a fun and entertaining way, so kids will enjoy the process while they learn. No more meltdowns at the kitchen table during homework time!
And if you have a kid that loves to read, Funbrain offers a selection of books to download — like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Cat that Broke the Internet’s Back. (Fun fact: It was on this site that Diary of a Wimpy Kid was first published before being turned into a successful book series and movie franchise!)
The site categorizes books by grade, leaving the choice simple for kids in grades K-8. Reading is not only enjoyable, but an excellent way to keep kid’s learning on track. It’s as easy as clicking a button (as you can see below!).
The company boasts some impressive numbers, saying the site has 65,000 teachers registered, 35 million visits per month, and 60,000 page visits per day.
Bottom line: Funbrain is a game with no interaction with other players, limiting conversation and other adverse conditions of chatting.
Creating the Perfect Spark for Discussion in a Group Learning Setting...
I’m sure as an adult, you’ve heard of or even watched a TED Talk — and you know just how informative and inspiring those can be. Some of the best lessons or motivational words I’ve ever heard have stemmed from there!
Well now your child can share that same experience in a way that they can understand: the company has created a spin-off called TedEd.
From the company’s website:
“TedEd is TED’s youth and education initiative. TedEd’s mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Everything we do supports learning — from producing a growing library of original animated videos , to providing an international platform for teachers to create their own interactive lessons, to helping curious students around the globe bring TED to their schools and gain presentation literacy skills, to celebrating innovative leadership within TED-Ed’s global network of over 650,000 teachers. TED-Ed has grown from an idea worth spreading into an award-winning education platform that serves millions of teachers and students around the world every week.”
TedEd Originals are short, award-winning animated videos about ideas that spark the curiosity of learners everywhere.
Oh, and did I mention that Jackie Bezos and Melinda Gates are just two of their many well-accredited advisors?
This safe and reliable site is a great tool to be used in group settings — since the animated videos can be used as a resource to spark group discussion.
I hope these resources can give you some peace of mind. At the end of the day, we just want to provide our kids with the safest, and most reliable experiences and these resources should help you accomplish just that.
Speaking of peace of mind, a learning pod could be a great opportunity to help your child learn. What’s a learning pod you ask? Well in a nutshell, learning pods consists of a small group of students who study together regularly in a shared space. These learning pods function as micro-schools, where a few families choose to teach their children together in the same setting each day, with the appropriate teacher leading these daily learning sessions.
This will allow your child to have a positive screen time experience in a safe environment with their peers.
To get the full rundown on how a Learning Pod works, check out our blog post here.
And if you're in need of some extra help, give us a call or text at 512-812-9502 or email us at jillstutors@gmail.com — after that, we’ll set you up with one of our talented, remote educators!