*Sometimes I use affiliate links in my content. This won’t cost you anything and will not harm our mother earth. I just might get some funding to go toward filling my logbook and sharing more with you.
Self-isolating…social distancing….all boredom inducing. I wanted to join in on sharing free experiences and science projects you can do at home. A lot of these are from my Facebook timeline, but I wanted to put them in one place. I will attempt to organize them! Even though we are being given an invitation to stay home and do nothing, why not stay home and learn something also?! Educate yourself, educate your family, and educate your friends!
I will also warn you that most of these are science and what I think is cool. So this is not everything out there. They are hyperlinked so just click on titles you think suit you.
***I will be updating this as I run across things!***
Upcoming Events
Story Maps
These are interactive platforms about varying topics!
- My Story Map: Mitigating Marshes Against Sea Level Rise: Thin Layer Placement Experiment
- List of Story Maps (there are tons of subjects)
- NOAA Data in the Classroom: these are Story Maps but also include teacher guides
- NOAA National Ocean Service
Virtual Tours
- Calendar of Virtual Field Trips until the end of May (Mon-Fri)!
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- National Gallery of Art (there are lesson plans and activities on the site too)
- Google Arts & Culture: tour literally thousands of places and museums
- National Parks
- National Marine Sanctuaries Virtual Dives (my friend helped make the Monterey Bay one!!)
- Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
- Over 30 Virtual Field Trips
- Arizona State University: Virtual Tours from Ask A Biologist
- Cincinnati Zoo: Home Safari EVERYDAY at 4pm EST & activities to accompany
PARENT HELP (for those screaming SOS)
- Khan Academy schedules for school closures (all ages)
- North American Marine Environment Protection Association: Parent Survival Series
- World Ocean Observatory: Distance Learning Resources
- NOAA’s list of things to do at home for kids and families
- Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies: Science Learning At-Home & Outside
- UCAR: Center for Science Education
- NASA: Climate Kids
- Hour of Code
- Science Sparks for Kids: at home science experiments for kids
- Tree Tools for Schools
- Dig a hole in your yard, let your kids play in the dirt and you should too, and identify what bugs and critters you find! Use BugFinder!
- Same with any wildflowers blooming in your yard or the flowers you planted, try to have the kids identify them!
- Parent Toolkit
- Discovering Galapagos
- Become a Junior Ranger virtually at Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania (designed by Juniata students)
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Learn Outside, Learn at Home and Learn Outside Facebook group!
- National American Association for Environmental Education: COVID-19: Resources, Tips, and Support
- Leading Indoor & Outdoor Science Programs for the Beetles Project
- Serious Games for Coastal and Marine Conservation, Management, and Adaptation (broken down by target audience and language)
Videos
- TED-Ed
- National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR): Estuary Video Gallery
- Chesapeake Bay Program
- UCAR: Center for Science Education
- NASA: Climate Kids
- Mystery Doug
- Skype a Scientist (if you are a scientist, you should totally sign up!)
- Documentaries
- Marine biology story time with CBNERR every Thursday
- Atlantic White Shark Conservancy doing live activities 10am EST
- 5 Ocean Documentaries To Get Kids Excited About Conservation
Coloring Sheets
- Sea Turtle Conservancy
- Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument: Song and Coloring Pages
- Arizona State University: Ask A Biologist Coloring Pages
- Chesapeake Bay Coloring Pages by David Scheirer
Podcasts
You can find most of these wherever you get your podcasts!
- Stuck At Home (let your kids make their own podcast!!)
- Science Vs
- The NOAA Ocean Podcast
- Smithsonian’s Sidedoor
- Stuff You Should Know (I love this one!)
- Climate Cast
- Overhead at National Geographic
- Radiolab
- But Why (for kids, hosted by kids)
- NPR Wow in the World (good for families)
- Brains on! (good for kids)
- Tumble: A Science Podcast for Kids
- Arizona State University: Ask A Biologist Podcast
Relevant and Hip Lesson Plans
These are what the teachers usually get but if you are teaching yourself or your family members, then you will need this! There will be background information and activities included in them. Think of it as a whole recipe, not just the ingredient list or the cake.
- Sea Turtle Conservancy
- Chesapeake Bay NERR in Virginia
- NERR Estuary Education
- PolarTREC
- If Trees Could Talk
Mental Health Check
Last but not least, you need to check your brain and make sure you are okay during this time.
1. American Karate Academy
Master Clark is providing live karate classes and also has a YouTube channel! Great for the whole family and he is who helped me get my 2nd degree black belt.
2. PE with Joe! (great for the kiddos and you! sent to me by Sarah Nuss)
Monday-Friday at 9am, live on his YouTube: The Body Coach TV
3. Daily Questions (sent to me by Coach Justine Black):
- What am I grateful for today?
- Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?
- What expectations of “normal” am I letting go of today?
- How am I getting outside today?
- How am I moving my body today?
- What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?
4. Go on a walk in your neighborhood or in your yard.
5. If your trails are still open, go on a hike…and play in a stream!
Obviously, there’s a lot out there…
And this is only a small percentage of what is available!
Let me know if you have a favorite resource that you want me to add to this list!
And please, only use the term quarantine if you are distancing because you are sick or have been in contact with someone who is sick. If not and this is simply to reduce your contact to save you and others, then use the terms “self isolating” or “social distancing”.
Stay safe and wash your hands!
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