Fun and educational resources for the end of summer
There’s still an opportunity to engage them through fun and educational summer activities - yes, it is possible to do both!
There’s still an opportunity to engage them through fun and educational summer activities - yes, it is possible to do both!
While we’re all stressed and preoccupied with how we will educate our kids in the fall, the summer isn’t quite yet over! There’s still an opportunity to engage them through fun and educational summer activities - yes, it is possible to do both!
We’ve done our homework and curate a list of resources that your child (and you) can enjoy together. All of them have free materials, though some require premium membership for additional content. Spend quality time with your child, learn a new skill or two and make the most of the next few weeks!
This is an awesome YouTube channel for kids of all ages. They have tons of art lessons videos, including how to draw for kids, and even painting and origami lessons. I finally managed to draw that LEGO person instead of the stick figure that I usually draw for my 2.5 year old son!
If your kids love art and the Elephant and Piggie books as much as ours do, then tune in to the 15 episodes of Lunch doodle with Mo Willems! The Kennedy Center has archived the episodes, as well as the downloadable activities. The episodes are all less than 30 min in length and will be fun for kids of all ages (and maybe even some parents too!)
Once most museums closed in the spring, they began offering resources and interactive activities for your kids. It has videos to help you and your kid create things like fluffy cloud dough or lava lamps! The CMOM is one of the museums that I particularly like, but don’t forget to check out the website of your local museums, you can search here on https://findachildrensmuseum.org/at-home/
If your child loves assisting you in the kitchen, America’s Test Kitchen will make them fall in love with cooking and baking even more! The website provides recipes and hands-on activities and experiments. They even made it simple for parents by offering simpler recipes or activities for weekdays and a bigger project the whole family can accomplish on Saturday or Sunday.
Netflix has made a selection of their documentary features and series available on their YouTube channel. Please check the ratings so that you can make informed choices for your child. When I last checked, the channel now has 34 videos across topics such as the forest to the stock market. Whatever topic your child loves learning, this channel will likely have something that he/she will enjoy.
Audible is providing free stories to kids and teens. Your child can enjoy the classics and new books, including titles across six different languages. All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.
National Geographic is a national treasure! In addition to the engaging content about animals, nature, and places that you would expect- they also have science experiments that you can watch and re-create at home including Lava Lamp hacks and Eggperiments for interactive fun.
Kids need exercise, and now more than ever with all the time at home and in front of screens. Yoga and kids is a surprisingly good combination. Cosmic kids does a great job of engaging the kids in movement through storytelling adventures (like Cinderella, Frozen, and non-film related stories too). I mean what kid wouldn’t want to bend like a rainbow or pretend to be an airplane flying to a beach party in Belize?!
If you’re comfortable with heading outside, the zoo may be a great educational option (note: though its’s best to avoid any rides or eating establishments there). Many major U.S. zoos are open for business including the renowned San Diego Zoo, Houston, Philadelphia, Denver, Columbus, the Bronx and Brookfield Zoos among others.