25+ free online education sites

Parents, do you know that over the summer your child can lose up to three months of learning? Yes, it is scary! That is why it is always advisable to have your kid do some academic learning over the three months long summer, in addition to relaxing and having fun!

There have been multiple research conducted and all point towards summer learning loss, summer setback, or summer slide. According to NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) research, summer learning loss was observed in math and reading across third to eighth grade. They propose summer reading, school district led summer programs, as well as Math practice over the summer. According to Brookings.org, students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning.

As an educator and a mom, I always have my kids work on something academic in addition to relaxing and taking it easy over the summer. Now that they are teens, I don’t have to watch over them. My older high schooler has multiple extra-curricular activities and organizations that she gets involved with during the summer and my rising 8th grader gets some ELA & Math work from school every summer. Today’s post is learning about some Free online education sites!

SECTION I:

Elementary and secondary free online education sites:

I have made this list of 25+ free educational resources and free online education sites for kids of all ages. Although all of them are great learning platforms, I am breaking them into elementary and secondary categories; but you are welcome to look at all of them as they are all wonderful teaching and learning resources.

For elementary kids:

Sesamestreet.org

starfalls.com

pbskids.com

Izzit.org

abcmouse.com

tlsbooks.com (free printable worksheets)

Coolmath4kids.com

Khanacademy.org

BrainPOP.com

kidsdiscover.com. You can sign up for free here

minecraft.net (for free coding lessons)

nasa.gov/kidsclub

kids.nationalgeographic.com

kids.scholastic.com

suessville.com

For secondary kids:

khanacademy.org

Smithsonianeducation.org

edx.org (free online coding)

IXL.com

Discoveryeducation.com

Studyjams.scholastic.com

collegeboard.org (for AP resources)

coursera.org

duolingo.com

quizlet.com

explore.org

SECTION II:

Science educational videos on YouTube:

Parents, do you know that YouTube has tons of educational videos? These are just a few I would recommend for Science-

1. Amoeba sister video: Amoeba sisters
2. Crash courses: Crash courses
3. Bill Nye the Science guy: Bill Nye
4. The Organic Chemistry Tutor: The Organic Chemistry tutor
5. Science music video: Science music video
6. Make me genius: Make me genius
7. Ted Ed: Ted Ed
8. Steve Spangler: The Spangler effect
9. Netflix Jr: Storybots
10. Sci Show Kids: scishowkids

SECTION III:

Simple Science activities prepared by me:

Here are my 2 YouTube videos that I have made of Simple Science activities done in a classroom with my students, and these can easily be done at home with some prep and adult supervision.

• Video 1- DNA model lab. Click here

Materials needed for simple edible DNA model are licorice, marshmallows and toothpicks. For a non-edible DNA model you need pipe cleaners, toothpicks and pompoms. Yes! That is all what is needed. Watch my video here.

• Video 2- Hands-on Science activities. Click here

Includes flower dissection, DNA bracelet lab, mung lab, and yarn activity.

SECTION IV:

Hands-on home-grown plants:

These are some cool plants we have grown in our home from cuttings. Please try them out!

You can do vegetative propagation (plants growing from parts of plants) with celery, and carrot, and can try onions, potato, garlic and ginger too!

SECTION V:

Science experiments/project books:

This section contains affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

Below are Amazon affiliate links for the 2 books I would recommend buying for Science fun over the summer!

• Awesome Science Experiments for Kids

Awesome Science Experiments for Kids: 100+ Fun STEM / STEAM Projects and Why They Work (Awesome STEAM Activities for Kids)

There are 100+ fun STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, art and Math) projects with some all-time favorites. Some examples include Bean in a bag, lava lamp, rainbow rain and walking on eggs under the Science section; magic spoon, flying birds, magnetic puppets and mini lightning spark for the Technology, balloon-powered car, laser maze, pom-pom drop and straw rafts under Engineering; bubble painting, candy rainbow, magnet painting, and icy art under Arts, and penny dome, popcorn math, the greenhouse effect and soda geyser eruption under the Math section.

• Awesome kitchen Science experiments for kids.

Awesome Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids: 50 STEAM Projects You Can Eat! (Awesome STEAM Activities for Kids)

This book includes 50 STEAM projects that kids can eat! Example experiments include carbonated hacks and shape changing scones under the Science section; Bioilluminance in your kitchen and spinach chromatography under Technology section; Imitation apple pie and build a gingerbread house under the Engineering section; color swirl candy and potato people under the Art category; as well as popcorn on the fly and ice cream on a roll as some examples of yummy Science projects to eat! Make it right in your kitchen, and eat it straight out of your hands!!

Conclusion about free online education sites for kids of all ages:

In conclusion there are so many free online resources and education sites available for kids of all age groups at the tips of their fingers! It is always a good idea to check each of the site before you let your kids explore them on their own. More importantly explore the YouTube channels before you subscribe! Make sure your kids are also going outdoors, and doing hands-on activities in addition to using technology to learn and grow! Always use any learning opportunity at home to have discussions and explorations with kids!

It is the middle of summer, and most schools are scheduled to open in a month or two. Although it is not still decided by many school districts if the fall session learning would be remote/online, face to face or hybrid; we are hopeful for the future. In the meantime, use the above mentioned resources to keep your kids engaged, excited and looking forward to learning while at home during the summer break.

Dear readers, if you have any resources to share for kids of any age please share below in comment section or send an email to nishtha@dawnandhope.com!