Resources & Facts
Looking for resources, information, and websites for your child? As an active educator and parent, I'm also browsing for credible sites to use in the classroom and at home. Those links will be categorized and shared here. This page will be helpful for you to bookmark!
Christian/Spiritual
Family Life Blended is a great resource for couples with biological children, step-children, or adopted children. Ron Deal's Christian-oriented site also has a daily one-minute podcast that provides conversation starters for any couple to consider when marriage is upcoming. The audio link is here.
Christian Bookstore has a variety of products for those seeking biblical activities for children. Options range from VBS (Vacation Bible School) crafts, Bibles, Bible study kits, music, and DVDs.
Real Men Connect has a podcast and YouTube channel led by Dr. Joe Martin. He has various guests that help guide and direct men on the essentials as a Christian male: Love your wife, lead your family, leave a legacy. Remember, "a male is a terrible thing to waste."
Enduring Word is a helpful site that provides Bible commentary, based on King James Version (KJV). The text and interpretation is broken down "chapter by chapter, verse by verse." There is also comments provided from other Bible scholars.
All Pro Dad provides information and motivation for fathers on various topics. There are resources for your marriage, parenting, and helping men find a healthy balance in their lives.
First Things First helps you improve relationships with people that you care about. Readers can focus on marital bonds or strengthening relationships with their children. Lots of great articles on the website!
Below is a list of children's Bible story books
(ages 4-8 years old, grades PreK-3rd):
God's Big Plans for Me: Storybook Bible
Read and Learn Bible: American Bible Society
Math
IXL has been around for a while. I haven't gone in depth, but colleagues have shared that it has a great diagnostic assessment and allows students to work on lessons tailored to their strengths and weaknesses.
Quotient Cafe is wonderful for practice with division fluency. The program is ran under the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). This school year, my students have had issues accessing due to Flash not being accessible.
MathAids is a terrific resource with free printouts and plenty of options for different topics and skills for students to work on. You can also select problems based on grade level! This was one of my favorite resources as a math teacher.
Math Fact Cafe provides free worksheets covering different skills and content. The material available is for various elementary (K-5) grade levels. You can sign up for a paid subscription for more access to different PDFs.
Take Charge America provides resources for helping classroom teachers, parents, and caregivers teach children about managing money. There are resources for using different personal finance calculators.
Math Composition Book
Many educators (especially in elementary schools) use interactive journals to help students. Below are links to google documents on various topics in math.
Dividing: Long Division
Fractions: Comparing Fractions
Fractions: Multiplying and Dividing
Multiplication (2-digit by 2-digit)
Number Forms (Standard, Expanded, and Word Form)
Prime, Composite, and Square Numbers
Reading & Writing
Reading Rockets is a great resource to help students that struggle with one of the five skills of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Diverse BookFinder provides a source to find picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC).
JustUsBooks provides resources for children as well as another option or site to order books. They have a wide selection ranging from literature for Women's History month, Black cowboys book bundles, and poetry.
Reading While White provides racially diverse and inclusive books for children. Their blog contains a massive list of literature to choose from.
Sora is a subscription-required site that provides books online for children to read. They have a great selection of literature. If your school uses Sora you have access. Also, check if your local library can grant the ability for you to use at home with a virtual library card.
Picture Books Based on Holidays and Themes
January
(Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
Dream March: Dr. Martin Luther King J., and the March on Washington- Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
March On! The Day My Brother Changed the World- Christine King Farris
9- Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves- Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice- Marianne Celano
February
(Black History Month)
28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World- Charles R. Smith
ABC's of Black History- Rio Cortez and Lauren Semmer
Black Heroes: 51 Inspiring People from Ancient Africa to Modern-Day U.S.A.- Arlisha Norwood
Don't Touch My Hair!- Sharee Miller
Sulwe- Lupita Nyong
March
(Women's History Month)
A Computer Called Katherine- Suzanne Buckingham Slade
Hair Love- Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison
I Am Enough- Grace Byers
I Am Truly- Kelly Greenawalt and Amariah Rauscher
One Riddle, One Answer- Lauren Thompson and Linda S. Wingerter
She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World- Chelsea Clinton
Ruby's Wish- Shirin Yim Bridges
(Music in Our Schools Month)
Charlie Parker Played be bop- Chris Raschka
Sweet Music in Harlem- Debbie A. Taylor and Frank Morrison
Little Man- Dionne Warwick
March Madness (basketball)
Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game- John Coy
2- Dr. Seuss Day/National "Read Across America" Day
Goin' Someplace Special- Patricia McKissack
Richard Wright and the Library Card- William Miller
Schomburg: The Man Who Built the Library- Carole Boston Weatherford
April
2- Autism Awareness Day
My Brother Charlie- Holly Robinson Peete
22- Earth Day
Just a Dream- Chris Allsburg
The Great Kapok Tree- Lynne Cherry
May
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre- Carole Boston Weatherford
(Mental Health Month)
I Am Human: A Book about Empathy- Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds
The Power Of One: Every Act of Kindness Counts- Trudy Ludwig
Teacher Appreciation Week
The Best Teacher in the World- Bernice Chardiet
The Teacher's March- Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace
June
(summer and family vacations)
Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later)- Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
Boundless Grace- Mary Hoffman
In My Momma's Kitchen- Jerdine Nolen
Opening the Road: Victor Hugo and His Green Book- Keila V. Dawson
Ruth and the Green Book- Calvin Alexander Ramsey
Summer Ball- Mike Lupica
19- Juneteenth
Freedom- Gary D. Schmidt
Freedom Bird- Jerdine Nolen
Henry's Freedom Box- Ellen Levine
So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt- Deborah Hopkinson
The Story of Harriet Tubman- Christine Platt
July
4- Fourth of July
A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent- Anne Rockwell
Blue Sky, White Stars- Sarvinder Naberhaus
Coming On Home Soon- Jacqueline Woodson
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence- Gretchen Woelfle
Pink and Say- Patricia Polacco
(July/August- Olympics)
A Picture Book of Jesse Owens- David A. Adler
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman- Kathleen Krull
August
(beginning of school)
All Are Welcome- Alexandra Penfold
Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong- Frances Park and Yangsook Choi
Mr. Lincoln's Way- Patricia Polacco
The Day You Begin- Jacqueline Woodson
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read- Rita L. Hubbard
The Story of Ruby Bridges- Robert Coles
The Two Tyrones- Wade Hudson and Mark Page
Think Again- Doug E. Fresh
September
(Hispanic Heritage Month)
Be Bold! Be Brave! 11 Latinas who made U.S. History- Naibe Reynoso
Frida- Jonah Winter
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez- Kathleen Krull
My House, Mi Casa- Rebecca Emberley
My Very Own Room- Amada Irma Perez
Salsa Stories- Lulu Delacre
Say Hola to Spanish- Susan Middleton Ely
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation-
Too Many Tamales- Gary Soto and Ed Martinez
November
(Native American/Indigenous Peoples' Month)
Dancing Drum: A Cherokee Legend-
(first Tuesday) Election Day
I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference- Mark Shulman
Grandaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box- Eric Stein
Grandaddy's Gift- Margaree King Mitchell
Folktale Week
John Henry- Julius Lester
December
25- Christmas
The Black Snowman- Phil Mendez
Black-owned Bookstores (in Florida)
Science
This blog on PrepScholar has 37 science experiments children can do at home ranging from magnetic slime to baking soda volcanoes, and a colored celery experiment. They also included one called edible rock candy!
Milwaukee with Kids has projects like lava lamps, elephant toothpaste, and something called "dancing raisins" are some of the 20 experiments listed here. The site includes a list of ingredients and materials needed.
Social Studies/ History
Zinn Education Project helps provide specific topics, skills, and tasks for educators based on grade level, time frame, and subject content. If you're looking for something that incorporates multiple perspectives, and diversity, check out this site.
Learning for Justice (formerly known as Teaching Tolerance) helps teachers create safe conversations about Race, Diversity, and equity in their classrooms. This site provides lesson plans and activities for students become aware of social justice battles and issues that occur in their schools.
Home Crafts/DIY Projects
Backpack and Shoe Station (Rack and Shelf)
This is a simple, compact build to keep your children's shoes and backpacks organized. The shelf is built with 3/4" plywood and the frame with scrap 2x4s. There are three levels of shelfs for shoes. The 2x4 frame stands about five feet tall- allowing jackets to hang.
This frame is built to secure two standard-sized trash cans. The purpose is to keep wild animals and rodents such as bears, stray dogs, and raccoons out from ripping trash bags across your property.
Miscellaneous Resources
GoodReads is a great site to find reviews for books. The site posts books by category and is very user-friendly. One of the best parts about the website is that having an account is free!
Khan Academy is a great, FREE resource with no strings attached. I've used this resource in class with various Math topics (2-digit addition, long division, decimals, multiplying fractions, etc). They provide content on other subjects as well.
YouTube is a great resource for children and adults. For children, you can find instructional videos to teach any academic topic and informational videos on an array of subjects and events. Find shows such as The Magic School Bus or Bill Nye the Science Guy. For parents and teachers, research crafts, and how-to videos from do-it-yourself (DIY) innovators. Simply create an account and follow quality videos and YouTubers that you are interested in. Click here to follow my channel for read alouds of popular picture books.
"Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe? All things are possible for one who believes.'"
Mark 9:23