External Online Resources
Overview
We’ve curated dozens of educational resources available for free online. These sites offer valuable and engaging articles, instructional videos, interactive games, and much more to supplement learning at home.
Benefits
Parents, students, and teachers can access a wealth of information and interactive learning experiences for research and inquiry, as well as to supplement coursework, deepen understanding, and foster further exploration.
Using External Resources
Many of these resources are available without an account. Sometimes, parents must set up a free account to use the resource.
Parents should preview resources to ensure suitability for their students.
Accessing External Resources
Kindergarten to Grade 5
Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies: Design Thinking and Making
| Curiosity Machine | Design challenges across various subject areas |
| Design Squad Global |
Compete to create solutions to engineering challenges |
| Instructables |
Learn how to make anything, one step at a time. |
| Makers Empire | 3D design tool to create, download, and print original or community-based objects |
| The Tech at Home | STEM and design challenge activities for K-12 learners |
| The Young Inventors | Challenges designed to demonstrate how inventions can improve people’s lives |
| Tinkercad |
Three workspaces where students can design: 3D Design, Codeblocks, and Circuits |
Arts Education
| 8notes.com |
Sheet music and resources for musicians, including tuners, chord charts, and lessons |
| Blob Opera |
Create your opera-inspired song; no music skills required |
| GarageBand |
Music creation studio with a complete sound library |
| Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM | Arts-integrated online learning experiences for students that include videos and lesson plans |
| MetKids |
Whimsical, kid-friendly intro to the wide art world with videos and interactive activities |
| PBS Learning Media’s Arts Education |
Resources, videos, and interactive lessons in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts |
| TedEd Visual Arts | Instructional videos with comprehension and guided discussion questions |
| Yo Kidz | YouTube channel featuring dozens of drawing tutorials |
Bible and Christian Studies
| Calvary Curriculum |
Bible lessons for grades 1 – 6 |
| Discover God 4 Kids |
Learn about God's character through family activities and Bible study |
| Douglas Talks |
Douglas, the puppet, uses stories from his life to explain God’s plan for him and you |
| Elevate Kids | Bible-based videos to show your child how to become the leader God designed them to be |
| Keys for Kids |
A daily audio devotional based on scripture passages |
| Kids Corner |
Audio adventures, Bible stories and activities for kids |
| Kids of Integrity |
Downloadable lesson plans that help parents instil Christ-honouring character traits in their kids |
| Kids World | Easy-to-read Bible lessons |
| Superbook |
Engaging kids’ games, radio, interactive questions about God, and more. |
Career Education
| Bankaroo | A virtual bank for kids where you can teach them about the value of money in a safe environment |
| EVERFI |
Standards-aligned, research-based digital lessons to teach students to thrive in an ever-changing world. |
| Thrively | Guides students through a student-centred journey to discover their strengths, increase their self-awareness, set goals and track progress, build skills, and learn real-world problem-solving |
Communication & Collaboration
| Lino |
A sticky-note tool to organize and collect information and can be shared with parents and teachers |
| Screencastify |
Empowering students to demonstrate and share their learning |
| Seesaw | Students share their learning with others through digital portfolios |
| Wakelet | Save, organize, and share any content from across the web |
Computer Science
| Code.org | Hundreds of computer science activities and tutorials |
| Codeable Crafts | Animate stories with accessible drawing tools and coding blocks |
| CS First | Makes coding easy to teach and fun to use |
| Scratch | Code, share, and remix stories, games, and animations |
| ScratchJr | As above, for ages 5-7 |
English Language Arts
| National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) | Draft an entire novel in just one month in motivational virtual spaces |
| Quill | Free writing and grammar activities and tools |
| ReadWorks | Differentiated reading passages designed to improve comprehension |
| StoryJumper | an easy way for students to write, narrate, and illustrate their stories. Find informative, expository, collaborative, narrative, and creative writing project ideas, suggestions on topics to write about and digital storytelling ideas. Your students can then use our tools to create and narrate a book, print it on-demand, and publish a book they can hold and hear |
| Storyline Online | read-along books read via video by actors and authors. Each book includes a supplemental curriculum a credentialed elementary educator developed to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills for English-language learners |
| Whooo’s Reading | a website with a clear mission: to help students think more critically about whatever they read through open-ended rather than multiple-choice reading quizzes. |
Physical and Health Education
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GoNoodle – movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts.
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KidsHealth – easy-to-follow articles, slideshows, videos, and health tools designed to help kids and teens learn, grow, and be their best.
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PBS Learning Media’s Health & Physical Education – resources that provide essential physical, mental, and emotional health lessons.
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TedEd has useful instructional videos with comprehension questions, additional resources, and guided Physical Fitness and Health discussion questions.