Free Resources To Keep The Kids Busy At Home in Dardenne Prairie

We all love our kids, don't get me wrong, but all this time we are spending at home together… well it's just great am I right? Whether your school is providing "distance learning" resources, or you have decided to take it on yourself, you're still going to have quite a few hours with your tiny humans that might need to be filled with activities. There is only so much Fortnight and Netflix one can endure. So, Kim has compiled a list of completely free resources in Dardenne Prairie that you and your little bundle of joys can use to YOUR advantage. Enjoy!

*Kim here! Just wanted to make a statement saying these are just a few of the resources that are out there. I am sure there are many many more that would work for you and your children as well. I just came across the ones below and wanted to share them with you as well. Check them out and see if any of them would work with your household. Thanks!

---

Basic Educational Learning in Dardenne Prairie

Lakeshore Learning
They have a huge selection of printable resources for kids of all ages. There are lesson plans and worksheets you can print out as well as a "make your own" section which includes things like flash cards and award makers (how freaking cute is that). This was by far my favorite resource I looked into when it came to having multiple things to do in one place. https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/resources/free-resources

Scholastic
They have a new "Learn at Home" website. There, they offer free daily courses for kids. Each daily lesson includes age-appropriate writing, reading, and enrichment activities, and they're even offering virtual field trips. You can choose what grade level you want to use and it goes from PreK to 9th. These lesson plans seem to be very detailed and super interesting. Each level had 4 weeks worth of learning as of right now, and there could be more added in the future.
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

---

Dictionary

They have recently launched "Learning at Home Center" that provides English language lessons for students in grades Prek to 12th. All of the material has been created or approved by teachers, and includes spelling, grammar and word challenges, as well as fun family activities and writing prompts. This one seems to be all business. I feel like it would be a good resource to use here and there, but most children would end up getting bored of this if it was an everyday thing. Lots of words and not a lot of pictures to keep them entertained in my opinion, but I guess that's what you get from the dictionary website. https://www.dictionary.com/e/learning-at-home-parent-teacher-center/

---

Reading

Storyline Online
This might be the cutest thing I have ever found on the internet. The site offers a selection of videos of famous actors reading children's books. I actually sat in my office and listened to Betty White read me a 5-minute story and I absolutely loved it. It is geared toward the younger crowd as most of the books are picture books. This is definitely one that I think everyone should check out if they have a small child at home. https://www.storylineonline.net/

---

Story Time From Space

Have a kid who is space obsessed? Introduce them to Storytime from Space, where astronauts read children's books while in space. These stories are more geared towards the older children with chapter books, where they can follow along with the reading while the astronaut is floating around in the shuttle. Really neat and I might just follow along with one of these astronauts one day when I am feeling like I need to do something different sitting at home. https://storytimefromspace.com/

---

Animals

The Philadelphia Zoo
This zoo offers a weekly Facebook Live session called Philly Zoo at 2, which runs every weekday at 2 pm EST. This week kids met the zoo's brand new baby sloth bear cub, who is quite possibly the cutest fuzzy creature ever. I scrolled through their Facebook page and they have A TON of videos and information that kids could learn from on there. Just beware it is on Facebook and that is a social media platform. https://www.facebook.com/philadelphiazoo/

---

Science

Mystery Science
They have put together a fantastic selection of science lessons and experiments that can be done at home. They promote these as "open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science". Covering such intriguing subjects as "who invented pizza" and "why do woodpeckers peck wood," kids are sure to find the subjects engaging. This does require a membership to be able to access the lessons, but it is a free one and from what I saw it had some great material on there. https://mysteryscience.com/home

*At the time of this research, there was an alert on the top that said "Preparing for school closures? A starter list of k-5 science lessons that are easy to do at home is now free; no signup or login required".

---

Exercise

The Cosmic Kids Yoga Channel
It's a fun way to introduce children to yoga. Each video features a cute theme and simple, beginning yoga moves that are great for toddlers and older kids alike. I've been wanting to get into yoga a bit, so I watched some of their Frozen-themed video and did yoga with her. LOVED IT! My niece, if I was able to be next to her, would have loved it as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlg052EKMtk