Learning while at home can be a difficult task to accomplish, but with the resources below, the RPL Youth Services team has done the legwork for you! Many of the links below should help to ease the burden of locating verified educational resources for you to access at your convenience.
Learn at Home Resources:
From Gale Resources:
If you get asked for a password for any of these resources, use “open” (no quotes).
Gale in Context: Elementary School edition introduces elementary schoolers to database searching with easy-to-use resources featuring age-appropriate, reliable, curriculum-related content covering a broad range of educational topics.
Gale In Context: Middle School combines reference content with age-appropriate videos, newspapers, magazines, primary sources, and more.
Gale OneFile: High School edition supports student papers, projects, and presentations while empowering the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills with content aligned to national and state curriculum standards.
Also check out the rest of our Gale Resources on our Online Databases page.
To help students use the Gale library resources, take a look at this 1 page printable guide, or watch these short tutorials:
PebbleGo:
Two modules: Animals and Biographies. Designed for K-2 students, each module is packed with informational articles, ready-made activities, and literacy support for students of all abilities.
Watch a tutorial for parents and educators HERE.
Encyclopaedia Britannica:
Britannica Library Suite: The go-to reference resource for learners of all ages, interests, and learning journeys.
Fundamentals : for K-2
Children
Young Adults
Britannica School Edition (K-12): A PreK-12 resource hub offering diverse, interactive content for students and educators.
Elementary School Edition
Middle School Edition
High School Edition
Get started with a short tutorial:
Other web sites
Boston Children’s Museum: Their current learning resources address the needs of parents, afterschool educators, and classroom teachers, and include both free online learning resources and paid professional development workshops. Sign up for a Daily Activities email.
Cincinnati Zoo Home Safaris: Join the Cincinnati Zoo for a Home Safari Facebook Live each day at 3 pm EDT where they will highlight one of our amazing animals and include an activity you can do from home. Recordings of past events are available.
Crash Course Kids: Science, engineering, and fun on YouTube (grade 5 level).
Discovery Museum at Home: Some of their staff’s favorite at-home fun-and-learning activities, and also interactive opportunities offered by museums, individuals, organizations, and other creators around the world.
Jarrett J. Krosoczka: The author of Lunch Lady and the Platypus Police Squad gives drawing classes for free on YouTube.
Khan Academy: A free website that includes thousands of educational videos aimed at self-paced instruction in math, humanities, and more.
Mo Willems: The author of the Gerald and Piggie and the Pigeon books gives daily lessons on how to draw with Lunch Doodles on the Kennedy Center YouTube page.
Museum Virtual Tours: 12 famous museums from London the Seoul offer Virtual Tours you can take on your couch.
National Geographic: Facts about the virus, science, and Boredom Busters.
National Parks Tour with Google Earth: Click on a National Park site to fly in for a 365° tour.
Pacific Marine Mammal Center: Free webinar series, sign-up required.
Smithsonian Learning Lab Distance Learning Resources: Digital resources from across the Smithsonian’s museums, research centers, libraries, archives, and more, including pre-packaged collections that contain lessons, activities, and recommended resources made by Smithsonian museum educators as well as thousands of classroom teachers.
Storyline: Award-winning children’s literacy website streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations.
Virtual Field Trips – over 30 virtual tours and animal cams, from the Boston Children’s Museum to Mars.
WGBH Distance Learning Center: WGBH — in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and WGBY/New England Public Media — is supporting students and parents by gathering some of their free, trusted digital resources from PBS LearningMedia and their award-winning educational preschool programming. PBS LearningMedia resources span disciplines for grades PreK-12, are aligned to national and state standards and include videos, comprehensive lessons, and other activities.