Support For Educators and Families
Resources to Support Students at Home
You do so much to support your kids. Let us support you.
COVID-19 has exacerbated the learning gap for many kids in need. Supplementing the school day with helpful work at home remains important. We know there is a lot of information out there. We’re working to provide you a list resources that can be shared with your students and their families. Please use this page as a source for tips and information that can be used in varying circumstances.
We will continue to update this list regularly. Please bookmark it and check back often.
For Educators at Home
1. Self Care
- Free meditation classes with Calm
- Free meditation classes with InsightTimer
2. Connect with educators online via Social Media
- Search Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using the following hashtags to find support, free downloadables, and more for you and your students. #teachertipscovid19, #freeresourceloop, #OperationStorytime, #KidLitQuarantine, #QuaranTeaching
3. Professional Development
- Share My Lesson – Professional development & lesson plans
- Bibliovideo: for young readers, librarians, teachers, parents, authors, illustrators, researchers and others who want to locate and learn more about great Canadian books for young people. (English/French)
4. Provincial Education Curriculum
- British Columbia
- Alberta
- Saskatchewan
- Manitoba
- Ontario
- Quebec
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Prince Edward Island
- Yukon
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
For Students Learning from Home
1. Free Internet Access
- Connecting Families
- Shaw Go has opened all its WiFi hotspots to the public
2. Web-based Learning
2.1. Resources for all subjects:
- Free Online Resources from We Are Teachers
- Resources from Save the Children, and More
- Chapter and picture book read alouds, mini-lessons and more
- Teacher & Family Resources from Springboard Collaborative: Free activities that support family engagement, lessons for students, and more.
- Wide Open School: A free collection of the best online learning experiences for kids from over 25 organizations curated by the editors at Common Sense.
- Khan Academy Resources to keep everyone learning
- Scholastic Learn at Home: offering new age-appropriate lessons every day, for kids in preschool up to grade 9.
- Curio.ca: educational streaming platform in Canada. Access thousands of programs, documentaries, audio content and archival material from CBC/Radio-Canada for free.
- Kanopy Kids: Free with a public library card or university log in. Includes TV Series, Learning Languages, Animated Storybooks and more educational content for families.
2.2. The Arts, Movement, and Mindfulness:
- Daily drawing classes on Instagram with New York Times-bestselling illustrator Wendy Macnaughton
- Summary of live virtual concerts from NPR
- Museums – 12 world famous museums offer virtual tours
- Live nightly streams of the Metropolitan Opera – https://www.metopera.org/
- Movement & mindfulness for kids – GoNoodle
- Calm for kids
- P.E. with Joe: Join the “International PE Teacher” for daily 30 minute kid-friendly workouts on YouTube.
2.3. Reading, Math & Coding:
- Practice Math at home with DreamBox for 90 days free
- #QuaranTeens from Words Alive! – Writing prompts and activities to help teens cope with the impact of COVID-19
- Read and learn with Simon Kids videos
- Listen to Giller Prize-winning books on Audible for a limited time
- Code.org: Free coding courses for grades K- 12
- Tynker.com: Self-paced coding classes age 5- 13+, Free during school closures
- Scratch: Created by MIT for kids aged 8-16
2.4. Read Alouds by Authors & Illustrators:
- Publisher guidelines for reading books online during COVID-19
- Picture Book Read Aloud videos for lessons
- List of KidLit authors and their live events
- Canadian authors and illustrators read their books online
- Mondays with Michelle Obama– Penguin Random House and PBS story time
3. For Students & Families
- Child Mind Institute’s resources support parents, guardians and families during COVID19. The list includes daily Facebook live chats with expert clinicians, remote evaluations and telemedicine, parenting tips during COVID19 and more.
- Mothers Matter Centre’s guide to parents for weekly, in-home schedules.
4. French & Inuit Language
- Angirrami Ilinniarniq: Online Inuit language resource of books, magazines, learning materials and more put together by the Government of Nunavut
- Inuktut Language Support: Books, Videos, and resources for preschool to grade 12.