Our Favorite Free Online Home Education Resources You Can Use
We love that there is so much sharing of resources for the benefit of new-to-homeschooling families everywhere. So much of it, in fact, where should a parent even begin?
Nevada Action for School Options carefully curated the following list of our favorite free online learning tools – kid-, grown-up- and educator-approved. Follow the live links, dive in with confidence, and please share your thoughts or other ideas our communities might find useful.
1. NASA STEM at Home (Grades K-4, 5-8, 9-12)
Thoughtful, engaging activities that kids can do on their own, others are more complicated and require parent involvement. The deep galleries’ Picture of the Day feature was a favorite here. Go NASA!
2. Mosa Mack Science (Grades 4-8)
High-quality science lessons by topic, good quizzes and assignments. Free for 30 days with registration (downside – have to choose one grade level).
3. World’s Greatest Art Museums’ Galleries Online
Kids can get lost for hours exploring museums. Some have virtual tours that let kids choose where they want to go. No grouchy guards barking “Don’t Get Too Close!”
Parents get involved and choose assignments from across the world-renowned CK curriculum for science, math, and social studies. From the people who brought you the “What Your (XXth) Grader Needs to Know” series.
5. Ology – American Museum of Natural History
All sorts of well-curated activities for kids at every level across these Smithsonian Museum’s broad offerings. Plus dinosaurs!
Archive of all sorts of fun, cool science experiments. We liked the Ask an Expert feature.
7. Poems recommended for kids from the Academy of American Poets
Kids can read out loud to each other. Plenty of silly poems here too…
8. StoryOnline
Stories read for kids by celebrated (and less celebrated) actors and actresses, including plenty of favorites.
9. Prodigy – Game-playing math learning grades 1-8.
Kiddos will actually find these fun! They need to be logged into personal email accounts.
10. Audible
Big archive of stories read aloud for kids, from Amazon – so much here. Even better when you find a story here you have a copy of so kids can follow along. Listen to a book together each day.
11. Brainpop
Tons of free content for upper elementary and middle school learners for many different subjects. If parents click on the educators’ option, it helps them create lesson plans. Check out the digital animation lesson.
The Bill of Rights Institute, a longtime renowned national nonprofit focused on civics and American government education, has made available its detailed curriculum, along with historical profiles and documents, best for middle and high schoolers
13. Scientific 7-Minute Workout
This is one I’ve used happily for years, especially during stretches of business travel. They say keep the intensity level around 8 (of 10), and by the time you feel it, you’re about done! From The New York Times – you can even fit this in this while the kids are working.