At-Home Learning Activities

Thank you to our community for creating this resource page!

General Suggestions

Khan Academy has a broad range of lessons: https://www.khanacademy.org/

As does IXL: www.IXL.com

Education companies offering free online resources: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NUKLZN7hGSu1Hzm70kfzBKs-lsSELaEMggS60Bi2O2I/htmlview?usp=sharing

Phys Ed and Movement

A MESSAGE FROM BOKS 
Since learning of the school closures impacting so many areas of the globe, the BOKS team has been working diligently to bring you the best at-home tools to keep your kids active and healthy. Now, more than ever, kids need their endorphins and families need our support. As such, we will be offering Facebook LIVE BOKS classes each week day at 12pm EST/9am PDT.
 
Please join us and a number of our wonderful Trainers at www.facebook.com/boks today and each weekday for a fun dose of physical activity for you and your kids. If you aren’t able to join our events in real-time, don’t worry, the workouts will live on our Facebook page and can be watched at your convenience.
 
Interested in contributing an activity video or hosting a live workout? Reach out to us at info@bokskids.org. 
 
For additional BOKS resources please follow our social channels and visit our website www.bokskids.org.
 Health and wellness,The BOKS Team

Take time out and go for a walk. Lexington has some great conservation lands: https://www.lexingtonma.gov/trails

Cosmic Yoga offers YouTube yoga classes. You’ll ideally need a yoga mat, but a rug is okay.

Math

IXL is an online math resource used by some of the older elementary grades: https://www.ixl.com/

ACTIVITY: EdPuzzle.com

  • Materials: Computer, internet connection
  • Directions: Teachers or parents can set up a free account and assign YouTube videos to watch. There is a short quiz that can be assigned to check for understanding, not necessarily graded just used to check. I am a local high school teacher and use this resource regularly. I understand it’s a different age group but might be worth looking into. Just keep in mind it’s important to screen videos and quiz/answers first.

ACTIVITY: How high can you count?

  • Directions: Find a family member (great to do with a sibling!) and set a timer for however long you want (30 seconds, a minute…). Go back and forth saying a number and see how high you can get! Count by 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, or something else. Challenge yourself to count while hopping, jumping up and down, etc.
  • Resources: GoNoodle has a great skip counting song

Reading

Kids Discover offers online learning units on various topics. Some content free, some paid. https://online.kidsdiscover.com/

Writing

Music

There are a myriad of classical composers from which to choose. A good way to better understand music is to have children listen to two pieces, discuss the composer’s life, the time period in which they wrote the piece, and try to understand the meaning of each piece. Then, compare and contrast the two. I personally love Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata versus Ravel’s Bolero, or Copland’s Rodeo versus Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Google hangouts(provided free by google) can be used for Art and Music at the given time with instructors.

Art

Virtual Museums / Museum Collections online: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

Google hangouts(provided free by google) can be used for Art and Music at the given time with instructors.

Science

Have your children cook and bake. It’s a great way to work on measurements and to understand chemistry.

ACTIVITY: Soil temperature: does it change compared to the air temperature?

  • Materials: You will need two outdoor thermometers
  • Directions: To do this activity, have your child come up with a hypothesis as to whether the soil temperature will change as the air temperature changes. For older you kids, if yes, you can have them hypothesize how much the temperature will change in the soil relative to the air. Place one thermometer outside somewhere that will be able to read air temperature without influence from heat indoors or cold surfaces. Dig a hole in the earth and place the other thermometer in that with enough sticking out that you can see the temperature gauge. Over the next week, choose two times a day when you read both temperatures (usually morning and evening work best) and record them. At the end of the week, look back at the data and ask whether your child’s hypothesis was correct and discuss why or why not. (Tip: soil temperature can affect air temperature and vice versa.)
  • Resources: https://www.farmprogress.com/crops/7-facts-you-didn-t-know-about-soil-temperature

Social Studies

The National Park System manages sites all over the United States and its territories. Choose a National Park site to research. Learn when and why the NPS was established (and by whom!) and how it is funded, learn about the visitors that go through the sites and programs offered.

The NPS offers a slew of mail-in Junior Ranger programs. You download and print the booklet, fill it out, and send it in. You’ll get a badge in return, but the process of filling out the booklet requires research and discussion of many more interesting topics.

Local government is a great place to start when talking about civics and civic organizations. Groups like League of Women Voters, Girl Scouts, etc, are also good examples.

Foreign Language

Duolingo is a free app that offers foreign language lessons. https://www.duolingo.com/