Resources to supplement student learning

You may be looking for resources to supplement your students’ learning or, as parents, to support your children at home. This list is intended to provide resources for all ages and skill levels; not all resources will be appropriate for all students based on their learning level.

There are learning opportunities that can be found in everyday activities. You can talk about math when cooking, watch and discuss nature shows, read books together. Even video games can provide the opportunity to problem solve.

The following are resources that can be used to support different areas of curriculum. If you have any suggestions for additional resources, please email HSTA Instruction and Professional Development Specialist Diane Gibson at dgibson@hsta.org.

Featured resource

Battleship Missouri Memorial

The Battleship Missouri Memorial offers free virtual field trips for grades 5–12. The one-hour online classroom experience takes students on a tour back in time and explains the ship’s place in history, length of service, and impressive magnitude. For students grades 7–12, the discussion also includes a more in-depth conversation about World War II and the Missouri’s famous role in that war. Each field trip concludes with a student-based question-and-answer session.

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Art a la Carte

Creative art instruction that goes beyond drawing. (YouTube)


Art at Home

This Google Doc created by Caroline Valezquez, an art teacher in Richmond, Virginia, offers an extensive matrix of art-related resources and activities that students can explore.


Art for Kids Hub

Quick and easy drawing tutorials. (YouTube)


Circle Line Art School

These videos are great for older students wanting to develop paper pencil techniques. (YouTube)


Disney coloring pages

The Farm Girl Gabs Blog offers 1,000 free Disney coloring pages for download.


Drawing Pop Art for Kids

Short videos showing how to draw fun and funky artwork. (YouTube)


Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

The Kennedy Center’s education artist-in-residence shows viewers how to draw, doodle, and explore new ways of writing. New episodes will be posted each weekday at 1 p.m. ET and remain online to be streamed afterward. Visit Mo Willems’ official website.

Hawaii Teachers Economics Library

An online repository of Hawaiʻi-centric economics lesson plans, teaching resources, and student opportunities.

The following Facebook pages have activities and ideas for teachers, and are great resources for parents who are home with kids.

Formative

This online program can be used to create learning opportunities with real-time assessment of student learning and activity. Units can be created by the teacher, and pre-made options are also available. Formative is donating access to all features for the remainder of the 2019–20 school year for teams who may be in need of virtual teaching due to COVID-19.


How to create the perfect study environment for online learning

This article by Purdue University Global addresses how to create a study environment for online learning that minimizes distractions and puts you in the mindset to concentrate. Online learning presents unique challenges compared to traditional in-person learning. With so many students adjusting to this type of learning for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this article provides actionable tips that you may find useful.


Socrates

Socrates is a learning engine and classroom management tool that creates individualized learning paths for each student and engages them so that they are excited to learn. It is being made available to all impacted students for the rest of the school year and through the summer at no charge.


Teach from Home

Google has become a go-to resource for teachers to connect to their students. Its Teach from Home website provides resources and ideas for all Google Suite products. This site also offers a downloadable toolkit to keep as a desktop reference.

Battleship Missouri Memorial

The Battleship Missouri Memorial offers free virtual field trips for grades 5–12. The one-hour online classroom experience takes students on a tour back in time and explains the ship’s place in history, length of service, and impressive magnitude. For students grades 7–12, the discussion also includes a more in-depth conversation about World War II and the Missouri’s famous role in that war. Each field trip concludes with a student-based question-and-answer session.


Can Hawaiʻi’s Aloha Spirit Survive a War? World War II curriculum

Can Hawaiʻi’s Aloha Spirit Survive a War? is a humanities-based learning resource that leads students to consider the extent to which war has an effect on the people involved. In this curriculum, students research the sociopolitical effects of World War II on the Territory of Hawai‘i, including delving into the personal stories of the Japanese American soldiers from Hawai‘i. The unit meets two Hawai’i Department of Education educational standards, Inquiry Standard SS9-12.4.2 and Content Standard SS.MHH.3.19.2.


Hawaiian and Pacific Island Studies textbooks

Bess Press Education is offering open access to all students and teachers in Hawaii through June 30. This platform is built upon content derived from foundational curriculum centered around ancient Hawaii, the Hawaiian Monarchy, and modern Hawaiian history.


Keiki TV

ʻŌiwi TV offers animated versions of traditional Hawaiian legends and additional Hawaiian language content, all designed to be engaging and culturally appropriate. (YouTube)

ABC Kids — Tracing and Phonics

ABC Kids is a free phonics and alphabet teaching app that features a series of tracing games to help kids recognize letter shapes, associate them with phonic sounds, and put their alphabet knowledge to use in fun matching exercises.


Autism Emotions

Autism Emotion uses music and a photo slideshow to help teach about different emotions.


Austism ihelp Collection

Collection of apps that support at-home learning for autistic learners.


Camp Discovery

Designed by experts in the field of applied behavior analysis, all Camp Discovery learning games incorporate evidence-based teaching principles. Although Camp Discovery is designed for children with autism, all children can benefit from the carefully developed teaching procedures.


Endless Reader

This app introduces “sight words,” the most commonly used words in school, library, and children’s books. Each word features an interactive word puzzle with letters that come alive, and a sentence puzzle with words that become what they describe.


Endless Numbers

Kids can learn number recognition, sequences, quantity, numerical patterns, and simple addition with the adorable Endless monsters. Each number features interactive sequences and equation puzzles with numbers that come alive, and a short animation that provides context and meaning to each number.


Hopster: Preschool Learning

Children can learn phonics, play educational games, and watch family-friendly preschool shows, all in a safe and ad-free digital environment.


Hopster Saturday Club for Kids

Designed to develop kid’s fundamental social and emotional literacy skills. As they play the mini-games, they begin to recognize and understand different emotions and learn new “feelings words” to describe how they and the characters are feeling.


Kids Puzzle Games Puzzingo

Puzzingo puzzles are full of interactivity, animations, and sounds for repeat learning and play. Unlike jigsaw puzzles, every Puzzingo puzzle piece is named, so preschool children, toddlers, and babies will build vocabulary while playing. Puzzingo supports learning in many languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and UK English. It is well-suited for bilingual parents looking for tools to help kids reinforce a second language.


Kidtopia

A dynamic app that runs the gamut of early education and teaches a huge variety of skills to kids of younger ages. It covers everything from math, language skills, social skills, creativity, and self-expression, all the while engaging kids with stunning visuals and fun and exciting gameplay.


Language Therapy for Kids — MITA

A unique, early-intervention application for children with language delay and autism. MITA trains mental integration and language, starting with simple vocabulary, and progressing toward higher forms of language, such as adjectives, verbs, pronouns, and syntax.


Ninja Focus: Kids’ Mindfulness

Help your child get to sleep faster, regulate their emotions, and learn to focus. Ninja Focus drives positive behavior with its wealth of guided meditations, bedtime stories, yoga flows and poses and music for children ages 3–12.


Preschool and Kindergarten Games

Twenty-four interactive educational games for your preschool and kindergarten kids. As your pre-K child progresses through the lessons, they earn stickers to add to their board, rewarding them for learning and playing.


See.Touch.Learn.

Replace your flash cards with 4,400 pictures and 2,200 exercises. This app combines the effectiveness of picture cards with the power and interactivity of the iPad. Create custom exercises and lessons, automatically track performance, and carry your entire library collection with you at all times.


Sesame Street and Autism

For parents and caregivers, the Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children app provides tools to help families with preschool-aged children on the autism spectrum. Resources in this app are part of the Sesame Street and Autism initiative. You can access additional project materials online here.


Sight Words

An educational, multi-sensory learning tool that helps your child rapidly learn to recognize and read words by sight, sound, and touch. Ideal for ages 0 to 6.


Speech Blubs: Language Therapy

Speech Blubs is a voice-controlled speech therapy app designed to help children learn new sounds and words, and practice speaking in a stimulating, educational environment. Activities trigger sound and word production in toddlers, late talkers (speech delay), children with apraxia of speech, autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder. Don’t have an iPad? Don’t worry. Many of these resources are also available on their website. Speech Blubs also has a blog with more than 200 articles written by SLPs on various topics, including development, speech, and milestones.


Starfall Free

Starfall features English language arts, math, social-emotional development and anti-bullying activities for K–3. You can also visit Starfall’s website for learning activities, books, movies, songs, and educational games.


Wonster Words Learning Games

Award-winning ABC, phonics, and spelling games. Kids and toddlers put together words through interactive word puzzles. As the child drags a letter puzzle, the name of the letter and the phonics sounds will play. Once the words are completed, children will enjoy silly videos head-lined by the lovable Wonsters.

25 fun math activities and games to do at home

This blog post on Matr, a London-based online learning platform, offers suggestions for math and games that can be done at home with students.


ABCmouse.com

An early learning program designed to support students from preschool to second grade. Curriculum covers subjects such as language development, reading, math, science, social studies, and health. A subscription is required, first month is free.


ABCya

ABCya provides more than 400 fun and educational games for grades Pre-K through 6. Games are categorized by grade and subject, and cover topics such as multiplication, parts of speech, typing, pattern recognition, and more.


Bedtime Math

Fun math activities that parents can do with their students at home.


CanFigureIt Geometry

This interactive tool provides an easy-to-use workspace where students can practice proofs while exercising deductive reasoning muscles. Teachers can set up class sites to encourage asynchronous learning.


Carmen Sandiego learning resources

Super-sleuth activities aligned to the Carmen Sandiego television series on Netflix.


CK-12 Foundation

Free online resources in math, science, social studies, and photography.


Delta Math

Online learning platform that allows teachers to assign learning packets to classes. Each packet has step-by-step instructions for the concepts in the packet.


DreamBox

Adaptive, online K–8 math resource system that adjusts to the learner and their needs based on progress through activities.


Fun Brain

Fun Brain’s Math Zone offers math programs for students in kindergarten through grade 5. Games focus on basic skills for the grade level. The site also offers games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in reading, problem-solving, and literacy.


HippoCampus

Learning platform that allows teachers to create a virtual campus for their classrooms. Activities for math, science, and social studies can be added to the campus playlists.


Khan Academy

Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. Daily schedules and remote learning resources are available for students ages 2–18.


Marco Learning

Materials to help students study and prepare for Advanced Placement courses.


Math at Work Series

Industry leaders work with real students to demonstrate the importance of learning math.


Math Playground

Math and problem-solving activities organized by skill level, grade level, and interest. All games are free; no registration or login required.


MathScore

An adaptive math program designed to support learning in grades kindergarten through higher-level math programs. In free mode, users have full access to assessments and a limited, but useful set of topics. As students achieve success, paid upgrades are needed to access more advanced topics.


PBS Kids

Games related to popular PBS children’s programming; activities support primary learning.


Prodigy

A curriculum-aligned math platform that supports students in grades 1–8. Teachers, students, and parents can create free accounts.

Meditation for anger: How it works & tips for getting started

Choosing Therapy explains how meditation disrupts stress response and helps you remain calm. Learn seven meditation exercises to get started managing anger.


Headspace for educators

Learn the essentials of meditation and mindfulness, and mindfully guide yourself — and your students and children — through the COVID-19 crisis, or other tough times. Free accounts are available for K-12 educators, school administrators, and supporting staff.

Adventure Academy

Adventure Academy is an immersive virtual universe that gives users access to hundreds of hours of educational activities to develop essential skills in math, language arts, science, social studies, and more. Appropriate for kids ages 8–13. A subscription is required, first month is free.


AP online classes and review sessions

College Board has assembled the country’s best Advanced Placement teachers to conduct live and on-demand AP classes and review sessions to help students still be able to test and earn college credit in 2020. (YouTube)


Highlights Kids

An online hub for children of all ages to play games and discover jokes, surveys, answers to science questions, and fun crafts and recipes from Highlights.


NeoK12

Educational videos and games for kids that have been reviewed and screened by K-12 teachers.


RoomRecess.com

RoomRecess.com was developed by an elementary school teacher with the goal of reinforcing fundamental learning concepts in math, reading, spelling, language arts, typing, and problem solving. Games are free, and students do not have to sign up or hold an account.


SchoolTube

SchoolTube is the nation’s largest K–12 moderated video sharing platform specifically designed for students and educators.


WatchKnowLearn.org

An index of approximately 50,000 educational videos, arranged in a directory of more than 5,000 categories. Search for videos by subject and age level.

Debbie Doo Kids TV

Fun learning songs, some with movement. (YouTube)


Kennedy Center Digital Stage

Experience live performances in music and dance.



Kiboomers

Kids music channel with fun songs to learn from, some with movement. (YouTube)


The Metropolitan Opera

Nightly live streams of past opera performances.


Cosmic Kids Yoga

Yoga, guided relaxation, and mindfulness adventures. (YouTube)


Fluency and Fitness

This program reviews essential K–2 reading and math topics while including physical movement. Parents can get three weeks free while students are home.


Glenn Higgins Fitness

Star Wars and superhero-based workouts. (YouTube)


GoNoodle

Songs with movement. (YouTube)


Just Dance

Dance move videos. (YouTube)


The Body Coach TV

Home workout videos for adults and kids. (YouTube)


YMCA 360

On-demand videos for YMCA classes that are suitable for all ages. These can also be found on the YMCA of Honolulu web page.

Authors read books on social media

Audible Stories

Stream a collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, for free.


Famous people reading children’s books is one good thing during the coronavirus shut-in

Romper.com compiles a list of famous authors, illustrators, celebrities, and educators reading children’s books.


HONOLULU Family Virtual Storytime

HONOLULU Family invites everyone to enjoy local community leaders reading their favorite books. Take a five-minute break with your whole family.


Mouse Circus

Neil Gaiman, author of “Coraline” and “The Graveyard Book,” reads books in their entirety on his official website.


Publishers adapt policies to help educators

As educators moved to remote learning, many worried about reading books aloud online and possibly violating copyright laws. In response, many children’s publishers have temporarily altered policies. School Library Journal offers this roundup.


ReadWorks

Free content, curriculum, and tools to support reading comprehension from kindergarten to 12th grade.


Scholastic Learn at Home

Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing, organized by grade level.


Spanish children’s stories

Well-known children’s stories translated into Spanish and spoken by a native Spanish speaker. Read along in Spanish or English.


Storyline Online

Videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Visit Storyline Online’s YouTube channel.


The big list of children’s authors doing online read alouds and activities

Compiled by We Are Teachers.


Time for Kids

This digital library is free for the rest of the year. Parents must fill out the form to activate the subscription.


Tokybook

Listen and download audiobooks for kids, including “Little House in the Big Woods.”


VocabularySpellingCity

Provides K–12 cross-curricular word study with online vocabulary, writing, phonics, and spelling programs that give students immediate feedback and record their progress on any device.

25 ways to learn at home with Lego

Childhood 101


60+ awesome websites for teaching and learning math

We Are Teachers


200 free kids educational resources: video lessons, apps, books, websites & more

Open Culture


All Digital School

This resource has more than 1,000 educational resources, including apps, tools, websites, ebooks, and videos, for all school levels (K–12) organized by subject, year level, type, as well as price, though most are free. There is also a special filter in the directory so that only resources made free by their owners due to the COVID-19 outbreak will be listed. The guides button at the top leads to resources for self-care and support ideas for online learning. This resource is useful for both teachers and parents.


Breakout EDU Fun at Home

Digital games that students can play at home.


Education in isolation

Digital Trends’ purpose is to keep its readers updated on the current world of technology. To inspire everyone who has committed to staying home, homeschooling, teaching virtual, and moving into the new reality of supporting needs virtually, the technology publisher created a comprehensive list of tools and resources that don’t just focus on education, but on surviving and thriving in this new normal.

ChemMatters

Peruse science-related articles arranged by the chemistry concepts they cover.


Discovery Education’s Polar Bear Virtual Experience

Virtual tour of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada for the annual polar bear migration.


Hawaiʻi Storm Patrol

Encourage primary-level students to learn more about and protect Hawaiʻi’s beaches and oceans! Free online workbooks, badges, and videos from the state’s Storm Water Management Program inspire keiki to join the Hawaiʻi Storm Patrol and take pride in their newfound roles as protectors. There’s also an instructor’s guide to facilitate activities and discussion questions. If you use these resources, please complete an online survey to share feedback and data with the state.


NASA STEM Engagement

At-home activities for grades K–4 selected by NASA STEM experts. Launch rockets, build a hovercraft, and more.


National Geographic Kids

Find amazing facts about animals, science, history, and geography, along with fun competitions, games, and more.


San Diego Zoo

Information about the animals at San Diego Zoo. Live web cams allow you to observe animals in their habitats. Games, activities, and stories support animal knowledge.


Science Mom

Science activities presented by Science Mom, a.k.a. Jenny Ballif, who holds a master’s degree in plant science.


Switch Zoo

Information about animals with make-and-play activity games, music, videos, and factual information to learn about biomes and habitats.

Pyramid Educational Consultants

Downloadable books to support at-home learning for autistic students.


Simply Special Ed

A special education resource activities blog developed by a former elementary special education and life skills teacher.


The Autism Helper

Download a home school emergency kit with eight weeks of curriculum at a range of academic levels, schedules and calendars to help organize your days and weeks, a path and plan for how to use these materials and put them together, visuals, and training resources.

Imagineering in a Box

Have you ever wondered how theme parks come to life? Disney Imagineers from hundreds of career disciplines around the world share how they use a wide range of skills — from story development and conceptual design, to math, physics and engineering — that all come together to create immersive experiences.

10 strategies for online learning during a coronavirus outbreak

Members of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) professional learning networks identify key practices for successful online learning.


105 tools for distance learning & strategies for student engagement

Albert, an online learning companion, offers a comprehensive list of helpful learning tools, common benefits and drawbacks of remote learning, and strategies for keeping students engaged while remote.


Flippity

This resource allows materials from Google Sheets to be turned into flashcards, quiz shows, manipulatives, etc. You name it, this resource probably has a template for it.


Wide Open School

Wide Open School is a free collection of the best online learning experiences for kids curated by the editors at Common Sense, organized so teachers and families can easily find it and plan each day. The website launched a Distance Learning Teacher Center with resources to connect with partners, set norms, find the right tools, and view how-to videos.

A trauma-informed approach to teaching through coronavirus

Experts from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network share their recommendations for educators supporting students during the COVID-19 crisis.

SafeShare

This resource allows you to share videos from YouTube or Vimeo without ads. Create a “SafeView” to ensure your viewers can watch your video free of distractions, which is especially important in an educational setting. You can also select a start and end time to show only part of the video, and edit the video title and description.


Safe YouTube

Safe YouTube allows users to watch and share YouTube videos in a safe environment without distractions, offensive comments, or the potential to access adult-oriented content.

Free Spanish lessons

The Spanish Experiment offers free online beginner Spanish lessons with audio.


Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is offering free access for students for a three-month period. This offer is available to parents and guardians of K–12 students who either attend a school that is closed in response to COVID-19 or are homeschooled.

BoomWriter

BoomWriter is a writing app that helps teachers inspire students in all types of writing. BoomWriter also offers resources to help educators deliver impactful remote learning activities.


Knoword

Knoword is a fast-paced word game that challenges your vocabulary, tests your typing skills, and stimulates your mind.

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