With Minnesota schools remaining closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year, it’s more important than ever that students are able to continue learning while at home. This presents challenges for families who don’t have the resources to dedicate time to home-schooling children. We’ve compiled a list of fun, free educational resources so that students can keep learning throughout the rest of the year and through the summer.

Online Learning & Educational Entertainment

Dive into history. Visit the Minnesota Historical Society’s History at Home webpage to find videos, activity pages, family records, and more.

Get reading! The Arrowhead Library System allows patrons to check out eBooks, audiobooks, and more. If you need to sign up for or renew your card, you can do so online. The Grand Rapids Area Library is running a Stay Home Superhero challenge on their Facebook page, in which children complete activities to earn prizes.

Learn about nature! The Minnesota DNR has coloring and activity pages and online learning resources to help children learn about local animals and plants.

Take a virtual field trip! Discovery Education features tours of museums, laboratories, and even virtual road trips. Search by topic to find a field trip that suits your interests, and complete the accompanying activities.

Explore the arts. Join the MacRostie Art Center’s tour of museums around the world, or take in a performance or class from Lincoln Center at Home.

Try cooking. America’s Test Kitchen’s Kitchen Classroom program offers simple recipes and activities to help students learn cooking skills, weaving in math and chemistry lessons.

Stay active! Spending so much time at home can mean that kids spend more time sitting and less time moving. Make sure kids get some exercise each day with GoNoodle, which has free videos, activities, and worksheets to structure active time.

Watch a documentary. Netflix has made a number of documentaries and accompanying educational materials free.

Talk about what’s happening. Discussing the coronavirus with kids might be made a little easier by downloading My Hero is You or A Kids Book About Covid-19 or checking out Scholastic’s age-appropriate learning tools.

For more online learning resources, check out ISD 318’s website or this article from the School Library Journal.