It has been rainy here quite a bit lately, so I thought I would share some of the things that we love to use on rainy days. We do plenty of playing and normal "school" stuff, but we are also big fans of using technology in our home classroom when we can't get outside. Here are some of our favorites:
Okay, seriously... if you have a little one at home and have not tried these FREE kids yoga videos you are missing out! We love them all, and they even have a Star Wars one! Each episode includes a cute story with a good lesson as kids move through different poses.
Over the past couple of years we have tried several online learning sites, both free and paid, and this one is by far our favorite! I am not going to say that it taught Aiden to read, because we have been doing different things with him for a while now, but I will say that it is a big hit with him and both Matt and I tend to be impressed with watching him use it. It is a paid site, but they often offer free trials.
If you have not seen these FREE online piano lessons, you need to check them out right away! I am simply amazed at how well Aiden is learning to play from these video lessons. He enjoys the creative and engaging teaching method, and is happy to practice throughout the week. They offer supplemental materials in their shop to accompany the videos, but we haven't tried those yet. They are very reasonably priced (think 20 lessons for less than what one in-person lesson would cost) but we just haven't gotten around to really checking them out yet. The videos are definitely awesome though!
I loved Adventures is Odyssey as a child, and it is fun to be able to share it with Aiden. Sometimes we listen together, but it is also a great thing for when I need to get some work done. He is happy to listen to a podcast with headphones while he draws in his notebook.
It is not uncommon for Aiden to just want to sit and listen to the audio Bible with me, but he also really enjoys "his Bible" on my kindle or his nabi. It is free, which is always good, but also high quality. They are regularly adding more content, and each Bible story is interactive and includes little quizzes that he enjoys. This is a great tool to have handy when I am focusing on my own Bible study and want some time to really dig in without turning Aiden away from the Word. I love that he loves to hear and learn about scripture and I never want to discourage that!
Aiden has his own profile on our computer, and pretty much all he can do on it is access PBSkids. He has to request time when he logs in with his own password, but once we grant it he is content to just hop onto this site. I love that I can trust the site to be both safe and appropriate (not all kids websites encourage the best manners and behavior... no obnoxious cartoons for us!) and he loves seeing some of his favorite characters. The funny part is that he almost never watches the actual shows, or any tv for that matter. He prefers to use his screen time allowance on this website, but he also gets to know many of the characters through books from the library. Having those connections to books can be great! I also love how much he can learn while playing. The Wild Kratts games have taught him a lot about habitats and animals, and it is fun to hear him share new facts. He loves Postcards from Buster, and this really inspired his year-long focus on geography that is only just now starting to drop off a bit. The Electric Company is his favorite for games right now, though.
We love exploring nature. Aiden is definitely fascinated by all kinds of living things. While we regularly check out different field guides from our library, and enjoy using them, it is also nice to have quality resources online for when we find something new and don't have a book on hand! So I was super excited to find this FREE website that is overflowing with information. We have only just scratched the surface of what they have to offer! Any family who enjoys nature studies should definitely have this site bookmarked!
What online resources would you add to this list?
Please share so we can check them out!
awesome resources thank you for sharing! i needed some new ideas!
ReplyDeleteThank You!! I have a couple kids wanting piano lessons but we are just too overscheduled. The on-line ones are just what we need!
ReplyDeleteSuch great resources - that is wonderful! Love the yoga involvement... never too young! I want to get into yoga - this is encouraging!
ReplyDeleteWe recently moved & haven't found a piano teacher yet! Thanks for the heads up about the online option! i never thought of that! my kids love spelling city! I can enter their spelling words weekly & theres tons of free games to help them practice. You can also opt to use their lists. They're broken down by grade levels to make it easier. My 6 year old loves to practice from the 1st grade sight & dolch words lists in addition to her weekly words. It's a great site!
ReplyDeletethey tried to teach me to play the piano when i was a kid - didn't work out - oh well
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