Finding Online Educational Activities
Engaging educational activities are numerous online today, with many being low cost or free! With the growth of online education, companies that are offering educational resources for parent and student learning have grown tremendously.Online education has many positive benefits for parents and students to consider including the ability to access educational resources on multiple platforms (websites, subscription services, mobile devices, computers, and tablets), the ability for students to work at their own pace, access to immediate corrective feedback, convenience, flexibility, and affordability (many are low cost or free). Many online educational resources are set up in a gaming type format , which makes them fun and educational activities for all ages.
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lXL: Online Education
One of the fastest growing online educational resources that has become highly recommended by teachers is IXL. IXL is an online education program that addresses mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish for Preschool-High School. Topics are arranged by grade , aligned to state standards, provide immediate corrective feedback for students, and are trackable. The program also includes an online prize option that will open a mystery puzzle every time a student masters a concept in the state standards. Another nice feature of IXL is the ability to download reports of student progress in each of the standards areas and a diagnostic testing tool that gauges the student's mastery of concepts. The program can be accessed through the company’s website or can also be downloaded as an app for Apple and Android devices. The cost is $19.95 per month or $159 per year, with an option to add additional children in the family for $40 per year.
Khan Academy is a free online learning resource created by teachers and academic experts. It has an accessible online library of lessons and skills at the link above. Skills are standards aligned for K-12 and address reading, mathematics, science, grammar, skills needed for college, including AP classes, ACT and SAT prep. Khan Academy also provided fun and educational learning activities for STEM topics (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The program is best suited for students in grades 3-12. Khan Academy is committed to provide a free , world-class education to students in the United States and around the world.ABC Mouse is another highly recommended online education program by early childhood educators. The target audience for ABC Mouse is children ages 2-8 years old. The program can be accessed through the link above. This website focuses on early learning skills including reading, phonics, math, science, colors, shapes, and art. Topic are presented in a child friendly format of interactive instruction and math games. The first 30 days of ABC Mouse are provided at no charge to families. The subscription price is $9.95 per month. The program can be accessed through the app or website.
Numerous companies also offer home education kits that provide parent student learning activities and educational resources that can be accessed as a one time purchase or as a monthly subscription purchase. The mass amount of online education resources can be a bit staggering, but parents searching for quality online educational resources will not be disappointed with the suggestions in this article.
