With some many kids quickly transitioning to home education this coming week, we want to give you some great resources for learning. Surf Skate Science was born out of #1 Our love for for surfing and skating, #2 Our love of science and STEAM education, #3 Our love of making learning FUN, hands-on and active, #3 The fact that we have home-schooled all 3 of our kids.
This month we will be working alongside our partners to provide some great online content for our Surf Skate Science students and a few added resources open to all who are homeschooling (n the current climate) through a partnership with National Geographic explorers. With all of these virtual classes, our goal is to make learning fun, to introduce youth to carers in STEAM-based careers, and to inspire the next generation.
To sign up for our National Geographic LIVE SESSIONS, head to our Facebook Events Page and grab a FREE ticket!
SURF SKATE SCIENCE SPECIAL CLASSES
(Updated as we add new sessions)
In 2013 journalist Paul Salopek set out on an epic 21,000-mile odyssey called the Out of Eden Walk. Paul is walking around the world, following the pathways of the first humans who migrated out of Africa in the Stone Age. Along the way he is covering the major stories of our time by giving voice to the people who inhabit them every day. Join him from a rest stop in Myanmar and learn more about his journey. Join us for this National Geographic Virtual Field Trip FREE
Step into the National Geographic Technology Lab to meet biologist Kyler Abernathy! Kyler designs and builds Crittercams, special research camera systems worn by animals to help learn about their behavior and ecology. Join us for this National Geographic Virtual Field Trip FREE
Engineer and technologist Shah Selbe works on developing and deploying technologies that can help solve conservation challenges. He has built drones for coastal monitoring, open-source environmental monitoring sensor networks in the Okavango Delta, acoustic monitoring buoys in the Pacific, seismic recording stations in Canadian glaciers, and much more. Join him in his lab for a look at his new projects! Join us for this National Geographic Virtual Field Trip FREE
Jeff Kerby is an ecologist and photographer. His work explores how climate affects how species interact with each other in extreme environments. Join hear about his recent arctic adventures and learn what rapid warming in the region means for plants, animals, permafrost, and all of us! Join us for this National Geographic Virtual Field Trip FREE
Join us for this (tentative) live workshop. All ages are invited to design their own Create-A-Skate deck with local artist Blair Hess (Cost $40). Sign up now
Andrej Gajić is the head of National Geographic’s Shark Tales team. His current research is focused on the effects of habitat loss and pollution on the health of sharks and other elasmobranchs. Join him to learn about the threats sharks are facing and how you can help! Join us for this National Geographic Virtual Field Trip FREE
TEMPORARY FREE LEARNING SITES
Here’s a list of online education sites that are offering FREE subscriptions due to school closings: With schools closing across the nation, parents and educators are in bit of a panic as they try to figure out how kids can learn and obtain their education from home. If this sounds like you, stop stressing! This is going to be super helpful.
Each of these websites will allow you to sign-up for FREE and help your child along with their education. It is perfect for homeschooling which is something we are all needing to do right now.
Just click the link and follow the instructions on that website to sign-up. For those of you who already homeschool, now is a great time t try these sites for FREE!
ABCMouse/Adventure Academy - We just started using Adventure Academy this year and my middle schooler loves it!
Scholastic - Day by day lesson plans during the COVID-19 closures for 3rd - 5th graders
More FREE Multi-Subject Resources
Ellen McHenry’s Basement Workshop (Extensive treasure trove of high-quality lessons and printable game, project, and activity PDFs. Don’t miss!)
Scholastic’s 20 Days of Reading and Learning (Lesson plans for 4 weeks. Material is organized first by grade, and then sequentially by day.)
Lucy’s List of Educational YouTube Channels (An incredible master list of dozens of educational video channels.)
National Geographic Educational Resource Library (Sort by grade, content type, and subject.)
Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids (Designed for kids, with moon phases, weather, animal facts, and more.)
TEDed Lessons (Two separate sections — one for kids, and one for educators, with teacher-created lessons.)
Project Explorer (“Educational videos and lesson that inspire global citizens.”)
Twinkl (Original ebooks, high-quality PowerPoints, and student printables. Due to COVID-19, Twinkle is offering parents and teachers a one-month ultimate membership FREE with code PARENTSTWINKLHELPS. How can you use Twinkl during a school closure? Read here.)
Newsela (Current events, social studies, and science articles. Due to COVID-19, Newsela is offering instant, free, access to all teachers through the end of the school year.)
NeoK12 (Kids’ online encylopedia with large database of videos, articles, and quizzes.)
CK12 (Full digital courses for math, science, social studies, and English)
Khan Academy (Free K-12 education across all subjects.)
All-in-One Homeschool (Full grade online-based curriculum; faith-based.)
Seneca Learning (UK resources for middle- and upper grades, including geography, literature, and French. Lesson plans, videos, games, worksheets, and more)
Curriki (PK-12; curriculum, lessons and on-demand content, sorted by grade and subject.)
Ambleside Online’s Homeschooling in a Crisis Plan (Uses materials freely available online to help you suddenly homeschool; faith-based.)
FREE Interactive Notebook / Paper Printables
The Notebooking Fairy (This site gives you free open-ended printables to encourage creativity. Create an interactive notebook by gluing papers, printables, maps, and more into a blank book. See also: 50 Things to Put in a Notebook.)
Interactive Notebook Labels (In it for the long haul? Label composition books and spiral notebooks by subject.)
Graph Paper Generator (Generate custom printable graph paper with dots, grids, triangles, lines.)
STEM Sheets (“Free customizable flashcards, worksheets, and diagrams.” Amino acids, mitosis, roman numerals, and more.)
Life Skills Bingo (Taxes, sewing, tipping, and more. Includes clickable how-to links with lessons, and student worksheet to complete each activity.)
FREE Art Project Ideas and Lessons
Deep Space Sparkle (Lessons include a video demonstration of the project as well as related printables.)
Tinkerlab (preK-12; many art and science project ideas for a wide range of ages.)
Half a Hundred Acre Wood (Includes links to coloring pages, copywork printables, and hands-on projects.)
Kitchen Table Classroom (Lots of great ideas and printable PDF lesson, like Color Theory for Kids)
Art History Kids (Email subscriber section has free art lessons.)
FREE Foreign Language Learning Enrichment
The Fable Cottage (Video and audio fairy tales and fables in multiple languages.)
The Italian Experiment (Website; Italian lessons for beginners. Also available: French, German, and Spanish.)
Duolingo (Website and app; 30+ languages.)
Mango Languages (Website and app; 70 languages. Many library systems provide free access via your library card number.)
Spot of Sunshine Chinese (Many, many fun Chinese-English learning activities you can do at home)
Chalk Academy (Hands-on learning for Chinese, Korean, and English. Check out this post on free multilingual books for kids.)
FREE Geography Lessons and Curriculum
Building Geography Skills for Life (Grades 4+; full text of student workbook as a 238-page printable PDF.)
Seterra (Online map skills quizzes)
Geography KS3 National Curriculum (UK Years 7-9 / Ages 11-14; videos, maps, worksheets, and games to teach geography)
FREE Geography Reference Materials / Maps
Interactive World History Atlas (See how borders have changed through history, ~3000BC to modern day.)
National Geographic Education Mapping Resources (Create, view, and print maps.)
PDF Quads from National Geographic Maps (Renders U.S. Geological Survey topographical maps into multi-page PDFs for easy printing.)
The True Size Of… (Drag and drop countries around on a map to compare their true size.)
d-Maps (The ultimate black-line outline map generator for easy printing.)
FREE Language Arts / ELA Lessons and Curriculum
NaNoWriMo Young Writers (Full writing curriculum for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12, from the creators of National Novel Writing Month)
Writable (Hundreds of writing prompts and assignments, sortable by grade.)
36-Week Spelling Curriculum, by K12 Reader (Grades 1-5; printable)
K12 Reader (Grades K-6; printables, lessons, and worksheets for reading skills, grammar, vocabulary, and composition. Use the left sidebar to navigate by subjects.)
Albert Grammar (Grades 5-12; complete curriculum)
ReadWorks (Reading comprehension courses, printables, quizzes, and more.)
FREE Language Arts / ELA Enrichment
Grammar Songs, by Shurley English (A playlist of jingles designed to teach parts of speech and grammar.)
Poetry Icebreakers Lesson, by Evan-Moor (PK-6; three different printable lessons.)
Crossword Puzzle Generator (Enter words and clues and use this tool to make your own printable crosswords.)
Typing Club (Learn to touch type through games.)
FREE Math Curriculum
CK12 (Online video and practice, organized by grade level and topic.)
CK12 Flexbooks (Digital lessons with corresponding online practice, aligned to standards for a full grade math curriculum)
Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching (CIMT) / Mathematics Enhancement Programme (MEP) Math Curriculum (Printable PDF lesson plans, student materials, and answer keys for full grade comprehensive math curriculum designed on a Hungarian / UK model.)
Zearn (Grades K-6, full online math curriculum includes digital lessons for students and PDF guides for parent/teachers)
FREE Math Enrichment
Prodigy Math (Grades 1-8; allows you to choose country, so the content aligns with your local standards. Integrates with Google Classroom, too.)
Math Games website (PK-8; simple web-based games designed to encourage fact fluency)
Exploding Dots by the Global Math Project (ages 10-adult; originally designed for using during Global Math Week, but can be used any time. Incremental lessons, printable PDFs, and virtual math challenge stations.)
Multiplication Facts Worksheets (Printable PDF matching activities for fact fluency.)
FREE Music Appreciation
Top 100 Classical Songs for Kids (Individual list of YouTube videos, organized by time period)
Classics for Kids (Designed for kids, this site offers composer biographies, worksheets, videos, music samples, and more)
FREE eBooks, Audiobooks, Reading, and Literature
Lit2Go (“A free online collection of [classic] stories and poems in MP3 audiobook format.” Includes text, audio, and student activity PDFs.)
Glencoe Study Guides (Grades 6-12; full-length PDF study guides for dozens of titles by authors like Dickens, Tolstoy, L’Engle, Austen, Twain, and more.)
Podcasts for Kids (List of children’s podcasts, compiled by Common Sense media.)
Aesop’s Fables (eBook illustrated by Milo Winter, available via web or app.)
Open Culture’s List of Audiobooks (Roundup of many titles, linked to various sources around the web.)
International Children’s Digital Library (Scanned books from around the world.)
Storynory (Elementary; streaming audio stories, poems, and music.)
Vooks (Early elementary; animated storybooks. Teachers and home educators get one year access, free.)
Hoopla Digital (Works with local library access; books, movies, and audiobooks.)
Overdrive (Works with local library access; ebooks and audiobooks.)
Libby (Works with local library access; ebooks and audiobooks.)
FREE Phonics / Reading Instruction
Teach your Monster to Read (Interactive game “covers everything from letters and sounds to reading full sentences.”)
Storybots’ Alphabet Jamboree (Learn the alphabet and letter sounds with this YouTube playlist of classic songs which pre-date the Netflix show.)
I See Sam (Early reader books in ready-to-print PDF format.)
FREE Reference Materials (Art)
Picture Study by Cottage Press (Easy-to-download PDFs of fine art, organized by artist.)
The Art Institute of Chicago (User-friendly galleries of famous art. Images marked “CC0 Public Domain Designation” can be downloaded and used for free.)
National Gallery of Art (“More than 51,000 open access digital images up to 4,000 pixels each are available free of charge for download and use.”)
John James Audubon’s Birds of North America (435 images available as free high-resolution download.)
Flowers, Plants and Trees (Nature illustrations from 1500-1900, from the New York Public Library digital collection, for free use and download.)
FREE Science Lessons, Curriculum, and Enrichment
Mystery Science (All the most popular free lessons, in one spot.)
Science Buddies (“Free project ideas and help in all areas of science.”)
Physics Central Comic Books (eBooks about phsyics, with separate downloadable teacher’s guide PDFs)
Science Snacks from the Exploratorium (“Fresh, exciting science activities based in amazing phenomena. Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested, and use cheap, available materials.”)
Glencoe Science Biology (500+ page PDF of a complete biology student book.)
STEM Resources from NASA (K-12; various learning modules and educator resources, including downloadable PDFs)
US Geological Survey Education (K-adult; “lesson plans and activities, maps, podcasts, online lectures, videos and animations, and much more.”)
FS Nature Live (Tons of nature-based distance learning from the USDA Forest Service, including lesson plans, videos, and more.)
Virtual Field Trips from Discovery Education (Video tours, and corresponding downloadable educator guides.)
South Pole webcam (See live weather and images from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.)
Mr. W’s Music Videos (AP-level science content, set to catchy popular music.)
Inner Body (Website lets students explore human anatomy systems.)
National Geographic Kids (Interactive website designed especially for kids.)
Bottle Biology (Free lessons from the book of the same name; create mini ecosystems in plastic bottles.)
Periodic Videos (A video for each element in the periodic table.)
Biology 4 Kids (Online encyclopedia. Also, Chem 4 Kids and Physics 4 Kids)
FREE Study Tools
Paper app (This is a digital notebook tool which features the ability to create many individual notebooks/journals inside the app. You can also place images onto virtual notebook pages and mark them up. Paper is especially useful if you have an iPad and an iPad Pencil.)
Quizlet (This is a digital flashcards tool. Content syncs seamlessly between the app and the website.)
Genius Scan app (This offers an easy way to snap a photo with your phone and turn it into a PDF.)
FREE Social Studies and History Lessons, Curriculum, and Enrichment.
Reading Like a Historian (Grades 6-12; complete list of lessons here. Produced by Stanford University)
Glencoe World History (Full textbook, in the form of PDFs organized by chapter.)
Glencoe Civics Today (Full textbook in PDF and audiobook form)
Izzit (Grades K-12; free streaming videos, lesson plans, teacher guides, quizzes, and student material. Use this chart to find lessons by subject and grade level. Standouts: Pups of Liberty: Boston Tea-Bone Party lesson and Pups of Liberty: The Dog-claration of Independence lesson)
Election Day Unit Study from Sonlight Curriculum (Grades 8-12; free 40+ page printable PDF)
Magic Tree House lessons (Includes printable PDF teacher guides, lesson plans, extension activities to accompany the books.)
Library of Congress (Grades 3-12; lesson plans for educators based on Library of Congress primary sources.)
MET Kids Time Machine (Interactive website designed especially for kids, to explore history, art, and inventions.)
Liberty’s Kids animated series (Playlist of 40 episodes for kids about early American history)
Ancient Greece/Rome coloring pages (Classical, black-and-white printable coloring sheets from National Geographic.)
Usborne Quicklinks: Encyclopedia of World History (Extension videos and links designed to accompany the book, but you don’t have to own the book to use this feature.)
Usborne Quicklinks: Encyclopedia of the Ancient World (Extension videos and links designed to accompany the book, but you don’t have to own the book to use this feature.)
FREE Theology and Bible Resources
Bible App for Kids (Bonus: supports multiple languages, so great for language learning.)
Scripture Memory System (From Simply Charlotte Mason; uses the spaced repetition method to help kids memorize verses. Downloadable verse cards and file box tabs.)
Songs for Saplings streaming music (Music based on Scripture and the Westminster Shorter Catechism.)
What did we miss? Feel free to add a link to your resource in the comments below.