Educational Resources – General Studies
What’s on this list?
- General Studies (websites that offer a range of classes in multiple subject areas, including science, math, history, and the arts)
- Offline resources are flagged
The All-Important Disclaimer: I have not personally vetted all of these resources. There just isn’t enough time right now to do that. So if something looks interesting to you, be sure to check it out first to make sure it will work for you and your child.
General Studies
Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers virtual classes on a wide range of topics, including science, math, history, and grammar for kids at all grade levels. Registration is required, but courses are available for free.
- Visit Khan Academy
Great Courses Online via Kanopy Streaming Service
Just like many libraries offer access to free ebooks and audiobooks, some public libraries also offer free access to movies, documentaries, and the Great Courses lecture series through the Kanopy Streaming Service. If your library is one of them, register your library card with Kanopy to start streaming.
- Visit Kanopy to see if these services are available through your library
Workman Publishing’s Everything You Need to Know to Ace [Subject] Series
(Offline Activity)
At my daughter’s fifth grade Scholastic book fair, I was fretting about middle school, so picked up several books in the Everything You Need to Know to Ace [Science, Math, World History, English, American History] in One Big Fat Notebook series. We haven’t read them from cover to cover yet, but they’ve been handy backup references. I can easily imagine them playing a larger role in our new Educate at Home phase, especially since my daughter seems to enjoy dipping into them now and then on her own.
Homeschooling Association of California
(Requires Zoom and/or Facebook)
The Homeschooling Association of California is planning to offer free Homeschooling 101 sessions on April 1 and April 29 through their Facebook page.
Scholastic’s Learn At Home Website
(Website)
Scholastic has assembled a web page full of classes and other activites to keep kids learning during this unprecedented time of worldwide school closures. Activities and classes are sorted by grade, and are available for Pre-K through Grade 9.
- Visit the Scholastic Learn at Home website
COVID-19 Homeschooling Resources from The Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors
(Website)
The Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors website is a collaborative effort of dozens of writers who produce some of our favorite books for middle schoolers. These authors have created a new COVID-19 section on their website where they regularly post new resources, activities, and lesson plans for parents who find themselves suddenly serving as the primary educator for their kids on its website.
- Scan the options available to you on the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors
Classes taught by teachers on local TV
(TV/Offline)
USA Today recently reported that Los Angeles and other local school districts are experimenting with public access television as a way to broadcast lessons to students affected by school closures. Teachers in the Boston and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania school districts are also curating PBS content for students.
Wide Open School
Wide Open School has partnered with some big names including Scholastic, Khan Academy, Google, National Geographic, and the Sesame Workshop to create a curated catalog of classes for families with kids in grades PreK – 12.
Courses are available in all of the usual subjects like math, science, social studies, and reading, of course. But there are also special curated collections for English language learners, kids with special needs, and those looking to learn life skills or reinforce emotional well-being. There’s even a special section designed to help parents figure out this whole learn-at-home thing.
- Check out Wide Open School
Find a resource I’ve missed?
I’ll add more resources as I find them, but this list will be much better with your input too. You’re inevitably going to come across things I’d miss. If you do, please let me know about them, either by dropping a comment below or finding me on Twitter (@shalahowell).
Also, although I hope this won’t happen, I could easily add something to this list that either doesn’t exist anymore or really shouldn’t be on here. If you see something like that, please let me know.
Thank you and good luck!
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