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Learning From Home: Resources for Parents and Students

With school closures ongoing for students in British Columbia, parents and caregivers are looking for ways to support continued learning at home. This is new territory for many, and the demands of working from home and homeschooling children while trying to maintain a sterile home and provide social-distance friendly activities can be a lot to manage. I’ve shared advice on how to talk to kids about COVID-19; here are some resources for those balancing home and school under one roof:

  • The Ministry of Education has recently launched Keep Learning, a website for parents and students that provides resources and information to support learning at home. Also included on are helpful guides to maintain routines as well, as important mental health resources.
  • Make sure to check the Safe and Healthy Schools hub, set up by the Ministry of Education to keep parents and students updated.
  • Pia Russel, an Education and Children’s Literature Librarian at the University of Victoria, has compiled a wealth of resources. She’s a librarian specializing in the study of education, as well as being a parent, and offers tips on getting started and staying focused, with the reassuring caveat of “perfection is not possible”.
  • Pearson Canada is providing open access to their kindergarten-to-grade-12 resources at no cost. This includes online versions of textbooks for students, as well as help for parents and caregivers.
  • Scholastic has created a free Learning at Home hub, with 21 days of learning for students from pre-kindergarten to grade nine.
  • 3P Learning shares five tips on how to get distance learners motivated.

I would like to recognize the teachers, educational assistants, support staff and administrators across the province who are currently developing plans for ongoing learning opportunities while in-class instruction is suspended. Your ingenuity, adaptability and commitment your students is exemplary. To all working and living with children and young people, please remember to be kind to yourself, and to reach out if you need some help too!

What’s worked for your family in regard to home schooling? Share your successes with me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.