Parent and Family Resources

Tips for Keeping Your Family on Track

Although children may not fully understand the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, they do notice when there is tension or stress in the home. WVU's College of Education and Human Services shares some helpful tips to maintain a safe and stress-free environment for kids.

Lessons Learned from Homeschool Families

Many families are getting their first taste of homeschool education with pandemic-related closures. Education Week shares lessons and resources from homeschool families to help others just starting out.

Student Guide to Online Learning Success

Check out this resource from STEPS and learn what students (and their parents) can do to make the switch from classroom to remote learning easier, tips and tools to help them transition, and what makes an online student successful.

Keeping Kids Educated and Entertained

Keeping kids both educated and entertained can be a challenge. Thankfully, Common Sense Media has pulled together a hub of age-appropriate media for parents and educators to keep students engaged. This includes best practices for learning at home, ways to keep students supervised but entertained and tips for taking care of mental health. 

Sign Up for Apple Camp at Home

Kids have a unique opportunity this summer to experience Apple Camp from home. Each project takes about an hour, but Campers can create and work at their own pace. The Activity Book will be a project road map, guiding them from idea to finished masterpiece. They’ll learn what to expect from each project during a live Orientation session, and drop in to live Q&A sessions to get help. If you find that all sessions are full, we’ll be adding new sessions each week. Bookmark this page to check back and register. In the meantime, Campers can download the Activity Book and work on their own.

Participating in STEM Education at Home

The Center for Excellence in STEM Education at WVU offers resources and ideas to spark at-home STEM learning. These shows, sites and apps will keep students engaged with STEM anywhere they study. 

Put Your Kids to Bed with Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is releasing her ten week “Goodnight with Dolly” series starting on April 3. Each week, she’ll share a video reading one of her favorite children’s books.

Remaking Learning During COVID-19

Remake Learning has collected useful resources for K-12 educators and families to navigate the major changes COVID-19 has brought to education. Remake is also sharing success stories and opportunities for community building to make sudden changes easier to maneuver. Educators and guardians are also encouraged to share their at-home education practices and lessons learned on social media using the hashtag #LearningLessons!

West Virginia Families: Join a Rube Goldberg Competition

WVU Extension Service and Mylan STEMCARE encourage West Virginia families to participate in the Rube Goldberg Bar of Soap Video Challenge. This competition is open to families from all over the world to work together to build a Rube Goldberg machine that, after a chain reaction of events (10-20 total steps), drops a bar of soap into someone’s hands.

Virtual Camps: Summer Fun from Home

Because summer camps have been canceled due to COVID-19, groups like Common Sense Media have created resources for virtual camps to keep kids of all ages busy, learning new things and having fun from home!

Make a Magical Fort

Join Marla McLean to learn about forts around the world and make your own family fort at home! This is a great way to get kids engaged while creating a safe space.

Outdoor Adventures for Kids in Your West Virginia Backyard

Springtime is here, which means more opportunities to get outside and find adventures for yourself and your kids. Check out these 7 outdoor activities for children right in your own backyard!

West Virginia Themed Crafts to Do with Your Kids

Get outdoors and hands-on by making some rock art with your kids. This craft idea is a simple and fun way to celebrate the mountain state!

Join a Maker Workshop with KID Museum

KID Museum is offering a variety of ways to inspire creative learning while stuck at home. These programs, facilitated by professional Maker Educators, are tailored to different ages, interests, and time commitments. Choose the ones that work best for your family!

Libera Virtual Camp for Middle and High School Girls

Besides being lots of fun and providing connection with other girls, Libera camp will help girls find empowerment and purpose. They will learn more of who they are and how to use their voice. They will learn to overcome obstacles in their way. Teens will do some fantastic creative art and writing projects along the way. Libera camps will be offered multiple times during the summer, and will run 5 weekdays in a row, for an hour and a half a day.

Free Educational Apps, Games, and Websites

You don't always have to pay big bucks for great educational games, apps, and websites: Lots of outstanding free options are only a click away. Since the subjects here range from reading to math skills, kids can find all sorts of fun practice for all kinds of topics.

13 Activities to Make the Most Out of Video Chats With Kids

Pretend play vomiting aside, video chat is a great tool for staying in touch with distant family and friends. And it’s very different from other screen time because children get individualized, timely feedback to their gestures, expressions and language.

Resources and Examples: Learning in the Time of COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the education field is producing a growing body of useful resources to support student learning and well-being during school closures.

The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites About Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

It’s never too early to encourage kids and teens to pursue education and activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It’s important to set future generations up for success as careers in these fields continue to grow.

Helping Children Cope with Changes Resulting from COVID-19s

Families across the country are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most schools, places of public gathering, and nonessential businesses are closed, and parents and other caregivers are faced with helping their families adjust to the new normal.

Get the Family Involved – STEM at Home Activities

Don't limit the STEM fun to school—bring the STEM excitement home and get the whole family involved in the fun.

Photomath App

Math Superpowers for Every Student

Award-winning Photomath app makes math easy to understand and master.