home school

5 Ways to Keep Kids Engaged and Learning at Home

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Article by Kittrina Thompson for National 4-H

boy squeezing limeAs communities across America experience the impact of school closures it can be stressful for parents and families to find resources available to maintain a sense of normalcy and make sure kids don’t get off track in their daily development. And while some schools are implementing a virtual learning plan, others don’t have the resources to continue student lessons.

If you are looking for ways to keep your kids engaged during this impromptu time off, 4‑H offers learning resources that are hands-on, fun and engaging. Check out these five fun at-home educational activities:

  1. Inspire your kid to do
    4‑H’s free Inspire Kids to Do™ activity guides collectively feature over 100 activities that will turn your home into a learning oasis! Your kids can learn essential life skills like giving back, health and wellness, cooking, and leadership.
  2. Family fun comes first
    If the entire family is spending extended time at home, you may be wondering how you can make the best of your time together. Plan activities that everyone can participate in that are fun and educational. Try some family recipes (featured in the free downloadable Healthy Living Activity Guide) to bring the household together!
  3. Take a homeschool approach
    If you don’t want to break your kids from the structured learning that is adopted in many classrooms, 4‑H Curriculum can help. From photography to cooking, robotics to entrepreneurship, each 4‑H Curriculum is developed and supported by an accredited university and includes full lesson plans, instructor guides, and student worksheets.
  4. Create your own learning lab
    Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills are applied to many school subjects and everyday tasks. The free 4‑H STEM Lab uses basic STEM concepts and learning to bring you fun activities for kids of all ages. You can sort activities by grade and topic, as well as see items needed for each experiment. Also, each activity shows the mess level—a great added feature for at-home experimenting!).
  5. Combat cabin fever with mindfulness
    With extended time at home, it’s easy to get a little stir-crazy—for both parents and kids. Our guide to mindfulness is a great way to protect and care for your mental health, staying clear- and level-headed and relaxed.

Thinking about using any of the above tips? Use hashtag #InspireKidstoDo on social media to share photos of your kids doing any of the activities to give other parents ideas on engaging with their kids!

Originally posted by National 4-H

Things to Do While School is Closed

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science Saturday kidsIt is time to get creative to find some constructive ways to fill our time. It won’t take long before the board games have been played, the favorite TV shows have been watched and everyone in the house is starting to get cabin fever. In an effort to help you stay focused on something other than COVID-19 and how you are getting bored, our UConn 4-H team is passing along a few sites where you can find hands-on, educational activities to keep your brains exercised.

Here are a few recommendations:

  • The website Mystery Science has made some of their most popular lessons available to everyone for free right now. I have used this site many times as part of my STEM programming and really enjoy some of the interesting topic areas they offer. Each lesson has a video and a hands-on activity. Check them out at: https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning
  • 4-H STEM Lab has hands-on, fun learning activities on a host of topics that are easy to follow and for the most part can be done from anywhere. These activities are for many different ages. I have used some of them in my programming, usually to great delight and learning. https://4-h.org/parents/stem-agriculture/youth-stem-activities/
  • Washington State University 4-H has assembled a webpage with links to dozens of sites with activities and learning for kids of all ages. These activities are great for parents looking for ideas to keep kids engaged and learning while they are out of school. You can find the link at: https://extension.wsu.edu/king/learning-links-4-h-and-more/
  • Are you interested in computer science? Then you should check out https://code.org/. This site will connect you with a large variety of coding activities, lessons and courses that you can participate in free of charge. Whether it an Hour of Code activity or a multi lesson course, all you need is access to a computer and imagination.

Please let us know which sites you tried and what you enjoyed the most. Email any comments to Marc.Cournoyer@uconn.edu. If there is a great resource out there that I have not highlighted and you think others should know about it, please pass it along to me and I will be sure to share it with everyone else. Be safe, be healthy and stay curious during your time away from school.