With recent school closures due to the Coronovirus, many parents are looking for resources to keep their kids learning and active.
Here's a list of some of our favorite free or cheap resources along with outdoor places to visit:
Educational/Entertaining Resources
Homeschool Resource Directory – this is a very comprehensive list for every online resource used by homeschoolers.
- Stop Motion Kids Camp – This camp is especially great for teens and tweens (or even adults) that have access to a camera. The course is normally $50, but if you share to your Instagram, you'll receive a code making it free. Go here for details.
- 75+ Entertaining & Educational Activities – this is a great list of websites and activities to do at home. My kids have already tried some free websites from this list and their favorites are:
- Fluency & Fitness – free unlimited access the next few weeks with over 900 videos and 60+ literacy and math topics for K-2nd
- Khan Academy – great free math website for all grades.
- Code.Org – teaches kids grades k-12 computer science.
- Scholastics – releasing free daily courses
- PBS Home School – this free website offers lesson plans, interactive content, games and more.
- Illuminations – this free math website offers complete lesson plans, mobile games for students, interactive actives, and brain teasers for grades PreK – 12.
- Over 30 Virtual Field Trips – includes places like Yellowstone, Mars, San Diego Zoo and more.
- Local Library – your local library offers free ebooks and audiobooks. You can access these online and get them digitally by entering your library card number. Just enter your county library email address and take a look, here's a link to the Salt Lake County Library.
- Activity Book Deals – Find some great prices on all kinds of activity books for different ages with prices starting at just $4.
Visit Museums Online
- Natural History Museum of Utah – is offering free online classes featuring Research Quest. Instructor-led virtual courses for middle school students or younger students with help. Sign-up here.
- The Leonardo – has announced The Leo at Home with various links for activities at home.
- Smithsonian
- National Museum of Art
- The Louve
- The MET
- NASA
Kid Podcasts
The following podcast are designed for kids and focus on science and learning:
Outdoor Places
In order to keep everyone safe from spreading this virus it's important to stay home and maintain social distancing with a recommended 6 feet distance from others when you do go somewhere. Getting outside is a great way to get some energy out and deal with the stress of everything, but I have also heard recommendations to stay away from parks with playgrounds because the virus can live on surfaces like plastic for up to 2-3 days (of course exposure to sunlight, heat, and cold can also affect those survival times) and playground surfaces are not regularly cleaned. So we have included some outdoor activities that include hikes or parks without playgrounds:
- Ensign Peak, Salt Lake
- Living Room Trail, Salt Lake
- Bonneville Salt Flats, Salt Lake
- Antelope Island, Salt Lake
- Jordan River Parkway, multiple cities
- Donut Falls, Big Cottonwood Canyon
- Bell Canyon Reservoir, Sandy
- Rocky Mouth Falls, Sandy
- Jungle Trail, Draper
- Bear Canyon Suspension Bridge, Draper
- Bridal Vail Falls, Provo
- Y Trail, Provo
- Hobbs Pond, Layton
- Great Salt Lake Shorlands Preserve, Layton
- Adam's Fall, Layton
- Grotto Falls, Santaquin
- Corona Arch, Moab
- Red Cliffs Falls, near St. George
- Pioneer Park, St. George
Elle says
April 14, 2020 at 1:18 amGreat List Holly! Thanks for sharing! You might find this one helpful too! https://alldigitalschool.com/ . It can be a good addition to your list.
Holly says
April 20, 2020 at 1:22 pmThanks Elle!
Elle says
April 23, 2020 at 8:33 amOf course!