In the transition to distance learning, we know that families may be looking for ways to continue their children’s learning experiences. Each day during this transition, we’ll share a few featured ideas to support your children’s learning at home. Keep in mind that these activities are NOT required. We are simply providing ideas to help support you and your students while at home. You can view the featured teacher videos on our YouTube Channel.
Preparing for Distance Learning These ideas will support families as you prepare for distance learning.
Being flexible and having a contingency plan when things are not going as planned is important to develop a plan for as distance learning begins tomorrow. You will find ideas to start developing a Plan B here.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning. Scholastic Learning at Home offers day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing for the first two weeks of learning at home. The segments are in grade level bands and are grounded in a meaningful story or video with four different learning experiences.
Exploration SpotlightThese ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
Take the math art challenge! Try the looping intersecting line or the repeating circle. Watch the videos for directions and go for it! What would you create if you were in charge of Math Art Challenge 3?
Try your hand at How to Draw Anything from Numbers by turning the numbers 1-9 into pictures. Draw the pictures on the video or make up your own!
Preparing for Distance Learning These ideas will support families as you prepare for distance learning.
Self-care is essential during this time and it’s easy to overlook it. Family discussions about the ways we take care of ourselves help us all function better. You’ll find things to think about here as you plan for self-care.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
The Washington Post features a section for kids with a focus on news, features and activities for kids. Check out which actually did come first - the chicken or the egg - in this article. You’ll find other interesting articles at KidsPost.
Teaching Kids News has more than 1,000 articles in its archive for students of all ages. It includes entertainment: like this musical collaboration with 75 performers; articles about kids and technology; and articles from the world of sports, like the story about the Zamboni driver who stepped into a hockey game to play goalie.
Exploration SpotlightThese ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering. PBS KIDS offers math games to support young children as they learn early math concepts. Try Peg's Pizza Place and help her place toppings on pizzas.
Yummy Math problems offer an opportunity to apply fundamental skills and concepts to interesting real-world situations. These problems emphasize the thinking and processes used to solve the problem rather than one right answer.
Preparing for Distance Learning These ideas will support families as you prepare for distance learning.
Sharing spaces, coordinating schedules, and finding materials can be a lot to manage. Planning and preparation help things go smoothly as we learn and work from home. When conflict does arise, it’s very helpful to have a plan for ways to manage these challenges ahead of time. Read here to learn more about the ways we can plan to effectively handle conflict.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
Reading independently for an extended time is a powerful tool for learning. This guide shows how to develop this skill with elementary age kids. Begin with the parent introduction and then you’ll be ready to use these eight videos developed to build reading stamina.
The Minnesota Historical Society has a rich website to learn about the history of Minnesota. Did you know the Meals on Wheels program began in Minnesota? Learn about it here. Have you seen the Governor of Minnesota? Learn about the governors before him here - and what do you think will be written about Minnesota's current leader, Gov. Tim Walz?
Exploration SpotlightThese ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
The Science Museum of Minnesota has ideas for science experiments to do at home. Check out the EagleCam in Minnesota by clicking the link at the bottom of the page and watch the eagle’s nest live! Sketch a picture of what you see, research eagles - what did you learn?
If you like live camera feeds of animals, check out these 87 explore livecams. Watch for Pandas, Elephants, owls and more.
Preparing for Distance Learning These ideas will support families as you prepare for distance learning.
Goal setting is another important life skill that keeps us focused on our tasks and helps us feel a sense of accomplishment when we reach our goals. Distance learning offers a great opportunity to build these skills. Read here to see questions to help develop goal setting skills.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
We Are Teachers has created a list of more than 50 authors who are reading their books to kids in different formats. Looking for a picture book? Try Debbie Ridpath Ohi reading her book Where Are My Books?
Author Neal Shusterman has set up a YouTube channel kids can subscribe to and listen to him share his short stories.
High School students might enjoy exploring Tracey Baptiste’s website where she shares some video lessons and insights about her writing.
Exploration SpotlightThese ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering. Mystery Science offers videos as introductions to follow-up experiences, such as Be a Weather Watcher for younger students. Or check out the mini-lesson videos, like this one on Black Holes written for older students, and continue exploring the topic on your own. Then create something to show your learning and teach to someone else!
Preparing for Distance Learning These ideas will support families as you prepare for distance learning.
School provides structure and routine for most kids which is comforting. The key elements in creating structure are consistency, predictability, and follow through. Developing schedules and routines with kids empowers them and helps build life skills. Read more about setting up schedules and routines here.
Literacy SpotlightReading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
Choose a book to either read, listen to, or both from Unite for Literacy. Choose from Spanish or English for the written text and from multiple languages for the audio option.
Science News for Kids brings a wide variety of science news for older kids. Learn about the secrets to colossal bubbles with this article.
Exploration Spotlight These ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
PBS Kids Build Challenges is a collection of videos, building and design challenges grounded in engineering and science. Watch a video as a launch that will activate learning and connect to the activity. Watch out...some of these challenges could last for days! Build something that balances on your finger and then add to your creation to balance it on your head!
More options on the same site are Design Projects and Watch.
Watch as 4.2 seconds of video turns into a music video with OK Go Sandbox. What can you do with 4.2 seconds of video? Watch Making “The One Moment” and learn how to use slow motion just like they did for the video.
Preparing for Distance Learning These ideas will support families as you prepare for distance learning.
As we prepare to learn and work in new ways, it may be helpful for children to talk through how this new way of learning will work for them and for those around them. Visit our "Preparing for Distance Learning" document to find suggestions on how to set students up for a successful transition to a different way of learning.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
Choose from stories on this padlet wall. These books are sorted into multiple categories and read-aloud to our younger students. Try Senorita Mariposa from the science category, read in both Spanish and English, Enemy Pie from the Friendship category or the first three chapters of Fish in a Tree from the author’s own category.
DOGO News shares articles and videos with a focus on reading, science and social studies for kids in grades 3-12 (see blue rectangle interest level button to identify grade levels targeted once you choose a reading). Check out this article How Animals Frolic in the Absence of Humans.
Exploration Spotlight These ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
Bedtime Math combines nonfiction reading with problem solving. Read the paragraph and choose from four different math questions. Choose the one that challenges you--or write your own!
NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge has been a season-long challenge for students to develop their own unique podcasts about topics that are important to them. Listen to this week’s update about the entries coming in and learn more about the kinds of things students in grades 5 - 12 are talking about. Interested in learning more about creating a podcast? Check out this special edition to learn more.
Distance Learning Essentials Ideas and support for families navigating distance learning in their home.
Keeping kids connected during social distancing can be difficult. Here are 3 options to keep younger kids connected when they miss their friends. Teens and tweens are already digitally connected. Included in this article combines real stories with tips on how to support them through social distancing.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning. TIME for Kids is a familiar school magazine. It targets current topics in grade level bands to engage kids in informational reading that is highly engaging. Find the grade level band you're interested in and start reading!
Brains On! helps find answers to fascinating questions about the world. Their mission is to encourage kids’ natural curiosity and wonder using science and history. Learn about this history of cameras, from the Pinhole to Selfies by listening here. Want to hear more? Here are a few of their most popular episodes.
Digital Resource Spotlight Digital Resources offer rich virtual experiences for our students. Mark Rober, former NASA engineer, comes up with super fun and engaging ways to explore science concepts and engineering challenges.
Bill Nye the Science Guy has a YouTube channel full of experimenting and explaining science to people of all ages. Now make your own science video!
Exploration Spotlight These ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration is offering interactive, live streamed programs each day March 30 -April 3 from 9:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time*. These opportunities are broken into grade bands K-2, 3-4, and 5-6. Adults need to register students ahead of time. Please register, by Grade Level, by clicking on the section for which you would like to register. Once you have registered you will receive a link from Zoom with connection information in it. You also will get a reminder 24 hours before the event and 1 hour before the event.
*Reminder: The times published for the sessions are for Eastern Time. Remember to adjust to Central Time by subtracting one hour from these times.
Students in grades 7-12 know that Integrating subjects immediately increases rigor and engagement in our learning. Watch this PBS Learning Media clip on how Lin-Manuel Miranda integrated writing, history, and music in the creation of his musical “Hamilton.” What subjects, interests, and talents could you put together to create something new?
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
Audible has announced a new service - Audible Stories - designed to provide free audiobooks for small children through teens. They plan to be open as long as schools are closed. You’ll find access to the entire library here.
Digital Resource Spotlight Digital Resources offer rich virtual experiences for our students.
Breakout EDU is education’s version of escape rooms. There are breakouts for all grade levels, K-12. Solve the puzzles and crack the codes on all of the locks to Breakout!
Exploration Spotlight These ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
Coding is for everyone! Hour of Code is a great way to generate excitement around Computer Science. Tynker and NASA teamed up to bring you exciting space-themed coding adventures (Grades K-12). Learn about real-life NASA missions while strengthening your coding abilities! Multiple levels from which to choose.
Space Quest is a collection of beginner-friendly coding puzzles for our youngest coders.
Intermediate coders, program an interactive model of our Solar System (Grades 6+).
Distance Learning EssentialsIdeas and support for families navigating distance learning in their home. Digital Life by Common Sense Media shares ideas on how to guide kids to make good choices so they can take advantage of the powerful technologies available to them.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
Squishy bags add a playful dimension to practicing letters, numbers, math facts, sight words, etc. Find the recipe for them at Learning4Kids.
Book Club for Kids features kids talking about books they’ve read and love. Find a book you’ve enjoyed and see what others think about it! Ready to get started? Check out Wonder, Monster, or Divergent.
Digital Resource Spotlight Digital Resources offer rich virtual experiences for our students.
Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, explorers and conservationists. They are broadcasting dozens of free, live events & field trips with scientists & explorers from around the world for parents, students & educators at home! Anyone can view their YouTube channel to watch their videos - Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants on YouTube.
Exploration Spotlight These ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering. Design a treehouse on the PBS Kids Design site and post your creation. Then choose from many more design challenges!
Distance Learning Essentials: Ideas and support for families navigating distance learning in their home.
Help keep your kids' online experiences positive and productive by learning the truth (and ignoring the rumors) about what really makes them safe. The article 5 Myths and Truths About Kids’ Internet Safety from Common Sense Media clarifies ways we can keep kids safe while they go to school online.
Literacy Spotlight Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
Children benefit from opportunities to write daily on topics they choose. And choice in writing is a powerful motivator - students learn to love writing when an element of choice is included. We suggest that you:
Set aside time daily for writing
Ask your child to write about books they are reading
Ask your child to write about their day
Have your child observe a plant or tree (or other objects) closely and write about their observations
Encourage your child to write everyday items:
Grocery lists
Things to do today
Letter to ____
A persuasive letter to you explaining why they need more time for any activity they want to do (for example, online games or TV)
Digital Resource Spotlight Digital Resources offer rich virtual experiences for our students.
Podcasts are a different way to engage in learning. They give the listener an opportunity to imagine and take in information while building their listening skills. These podcasts are great conversation starters.
Brains On! is an award-winning science podcast for kids and curious adults. Take a listen to their episode that answers the question Why does the sun make some people sneeze? (Grades K-3)
NPR’s Wow in the World episode Bored Out of Your Bonkerballs? makes the case for why being bored sparks creativity. (Grade 2-6)
NPR’s But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids answers questions that have been submitted by kids. This episode investigates the question Why is fire orange? and is one of multiple questions answered by a firefighter (for all ages).
Smash Boom Best is a debate-oriented show for kids and families. Every episode takes two cool things, smashes them together, and lets you decide which is best. Listen to Pizza vs Tacos and see what you think. (Grades 3+)
Exploration SpotlightThese ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering. Which One Doesn’t Belong? Look at four pictures and think of reasons why one doesn’t belong with the others. Challenge yourself and think of a reason why each of the four doesn’t belong...then create your own challenge!
Distance Learning Essentials:Ideas and support for families navigating distance learning in their home.
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and avoid being overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Mindfulness is a focus in Eden Prairie Schools, many students practice mindfulness each day in their classrooms. Mindfulness encourages students and families to take breaks and calm their minds at different points throughout the day. These mindful breaks bring more focus to upcoming tasks and allows us time to slow down.
Mindful Schools is offering a free Live online class Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time. You must sign up ahead of time to participate in real time. They will be posting the sessions online in case you are unable to participate in the live session.
Literacy Spotlight: Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning.
Reading is a powerful way to increase background knowledge, build vocabulary, and increase cognitive skills. It is an essential life skill. This is a great time to help your child find books they love and spend time reading - together or alone! Eden Prairie Schools offers several ways to access books online:
Epic! Is a robust online library with fiction and nonfiction books, books in Spanish as well as English, and more than 30,000 titles. Students access Epic! through a code from their teacher. If your child doesn’t already have access to Epic! check your email for the access code. Once your child accesses through the code, an Epic! app can be accessed through our Self Service app on your child’s iPad to make it easy to visit the Epic! library. Epic! Is available to students during school hours - Monday - Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
RAZ Kids is another library that is very popular with our younger students. Check your child’s iPad to see if this app is activated.
Abdo Digital is offering free access to their libraries for elementary and secondary students.
Elementary (grades K-6):
User name: ABDO elementary Password: 2020
Secondary (grades 7-12):
User name: ABDO secondary Password: 2020
Digital Resource Spotlight: Digital Resources offer rich virtual experiences for our students.
K-2
Mo Williams, author of books featuring the characters of Pigeon, Elephant, Piggie and more, hosts a drawing lesson at lunchtime! New episodes will be posted each weekday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time and then remain online to be streamed afterwards. Access episodes here Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems.
3-12
The Zentangle Method of drawing is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Zentangling increases focus and calms our bodies and minds while creating stunning masterpieces. View these videos to get started with your own Zentangles!
Exploration SpotlightThese ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
Fit together this jigsaw puzzle of an iguana. Set your own challenge by adjusting the number of pieces and solve away! You can even create a puzzle using a picture you take. Fun for all ages, K-12!
Distance Learning Essentials: Ideas and support for families navigating distance learning in their home. Read more about the ways you might talk with your children about COVID-19.
Literacy Spotlight: Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning. The Smithsonian offers intriguing news articles across grade levels - TT Junior for grade K-4, TweenTribune for grades 5-8. There is no need to register to read grade-appropriate stories from reputable organizations about current events, history, art, culture, and science.
Digital Resource Spotlight : Digital Resources offer rich virtual experiences for our students.
Play the Game of Set and sharpen your visual perception skills. Find a set of three cards from the 12 you see that are all alike or all different attributes. How many sets can you find from the same 12 cards? This one really stretches your brain!
Exploration Spotlight: These ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
The natural curiosity of children makes them excellent candidates for nature journaling. It’s a fun family activity and an excellent way to develop a child’s awareness and appreciation of the earth. It integrates science, art, writing, and research skills and slows us down so we pay attention to our surroundings in a different way.
Distance Learning Essentials - Ideas and support for families navigating distance learning in their home.
Building structure is important for all of us as we navigate more time at home together. This resource offers some ideas for creating structure at home and a sample schedule for your days together. Creating structure together provides comfort and certainty.
Reading and Literacy Spotlight- Reading and writing serve as the foundation of all learning. Storyline Online streams videos featuring well-known actors reading children’s books. As their website states, “Reading aloud to children has been shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills, logical thinking and concentration, and general academic aptitude, as well as inspire a lifelong love of reading.”
For older readers, Children’s Books Online is the largest collection of classic books arranged by age/interest levels from pre-K to advanced readers.
Digital Resources Spotlight - Digital Resources offer rich virtual experiences for our students.
Explore different aspects of theme park design, from characters to ride development. Get ready to bring your own magic as you design a theme park of your very own! Follow the course as written or watch the videos and design on paper. You choose!
Exploration Spotlight - These ideas focus on experiential learning in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
Which hand do you write with? Which foot do you kick with? Do you have a dominant eye? Do you throw with one side of your body but kick with the other? Are you ambidextrous? Answer these questions and much more with this fun science experiment for kids.
Use and hone your design and engineering skills to make a working model of a hand! Create using the suggested materials or make up your own--Get creative!
In this science project, you will design and create your own prosthetic hand model and put it to the test. Creating a prosthetic hand that performs all the tasks a human hand can handle is clearly a daunting task, so in this science project you will select only a couple of tasks to work on.
Scholastic Learning at Homeis developing day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. These segments are grounded in a meaningful story or video and include four different learning experiences. If asked for login information to Scholastic’s Book Flix, the user name is: Learning20 and the password is: Clifford
Digital Resources Spotlight
The Kid Should See Thisis a collection of 4,300+ kid-friendly videos to share smarter, more meaningful media. Selections are grown-up friendly, too. They include content from museums, organizations, and creators who celebrate curiosity, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, kindness, and other essential themes for all ages.
Exploration Spotlight
This activity will help students develop problem-solving skills through experiences developed to teach them how software engineers use math in order to solve problems in a logical and creative way. Coding is for everyone! Hour of Code is a great way to generate excitement around Computer Science. The videos feature famous people from multiple professions talking about coding and how it plays a role in their lives. Building a Galaxy through Star Wars is a great place to start. Choose between drag-drop block coding or a combination of drag-drop blocks and JavaScript. More options on the same site found atHour of Code™
Wonderopolis®, is a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages. Each day, they pose an intriguing question—the Wonder of the Day®—and explore it in a variety of ways.
Exploration Spotlight
PBS Kids Watch is a collection of videos, creative tasks, building and design challenges grounded in engineering and science. Watch a video as a launch that will activate learning and connect to the activity. Watch out...some of these challenges could last for days!
Eden Prairie Schools has a comprehensive list of supports for our students and families, including details about distance learning.District buildings are open on an appointment-only basis, except for child care, following the governor's stay-at-home order. District staff continue to work remotely.
Food support
Eden Prairie Schools will continue distribute meals to all youth in our community ages 18 and under, including TASSEL students.
How to contact us
If you know the employee you need to contact, email is preferred; use ourstaff directory. Staff may also be reached by phone, and you may need to leave a voice message. You may also browse by district department and our schools and programs. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, reach us at communications@edenpr.org and we will route your request.
For additional support that is not technology-related, use our "I Need ..." form, and an Eden Prairie Schools employee will respond.
