The past few months have been very stressful for both parents and children since the COVID-19 closures in March 2020. Trying to make sure that children could access their school materials and continue to learn has been hit and miss. The digital divide made it hard for students who didn’t have access to the internet or even computers. When the schools were finally able to get laptops for the students, they still faced the problem of an internet connection. The Charles County Public Library (CCPL) system was able to supply some of that need by checking out hotspots to families. Unfortunately, we found that we did not have enough to supply every student and adult that needed access to one.
CCPL rose to the challenge and quickly bought as many as we could afford from our budget. Then we sent out a call to our community for donations that would allow us to buy even more to meet the needs of our community. The community rose to the occasion and helped us to buy more hotspots! There is still a need, so please consider donating to our drive. You can go to Support CCPL to learn more about how you can support your community and your library!
Below are links to websites that give tips to help with virtual learning.
The Nora Project: “Provides a checklist for creating a home learning plan for your child. They provide free online strategies for Adapting Home Learning Activities. STEM. Supporting Education. Preschool – High School. Courses Inclusion academy, Why Storytelling, Defining Empathy.”
Boys & Girls Club: Virtual Learning Results: also gives Tips for Virtual Learning. “School will look different this year for families as schools work to navigate COVID-19. Review these tips to help K-12 students thrive doing school work at home. Hope for Kids in Need. Safety, Skills & Support.” On their Web site I found links to the following articles with tips.
Online educational resources for parents during COVID-19:
- Common Sense Media – Media, distance learning and stress reduction resources for parents and caregivers.
- Wide Open School – Free collection of online learning experiences for kids curated by the editors at Common Sense.
- Online Educational Resources – Education companies offering free subscriptions during school closings.
- Khan Academy – Library of lessons that cover math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics and more.
- Phet Simulations – Free collection of interactive science labs.
- Solar System Scope – Interactive model of the solar system that has everything you’d want to know about the planets, moons, comets, and more.
- Prodigy Game – Free online curriculum-aligned math learning platform that has fun games to help students practice their math.
- Music Impact Network – ‘Stay @ Home, Play @ Home’ resource now available! Virtual music programming, activities and tips for facilitation.
- Reading Adventure Packets by Reading Rockets – Reading adventure packs with a caregiver information sheet, two books, a creativity activity, an imagination activity, and a real activity.
- Scholastic Learn at Home – Resources to help youth across grade levels learn remotely and they have a video on their website called “Tips for Parents Supporting Remote Learning.”
Last but not least, talking to parents in the community I got a few good tips that help with keeping your child focused with learning from home:
Other articles with tips and information on how to do remote. Included are the websites that are mostly educational or non profit.
- Evidence-Backed Ways Parents Can Think Like a Teacher to Improve Virtual Learning
- 22 Remote Learning Tips For Parents Helping At Home
- Parent Tips and Tricks for Distance Learning
- Online Learning Tips: Practical Tips for Parents
Get them involved in a reading program at their local library. Check out CCPL’s Beanstack page here!