With student learning settings being variable and challenging across the world, Brightways Learning is committed to providing helpful resources and tips for students, educators, and parents to continue to build connections and resilience during this time of uncertainty. As an educational nonprofit organization, we are also offering useful tools to help unintended home-schooling parents be more successful and to reduce stress. We are here to support you, so don’t hesitate to contact us.

Tips, Strategies, &Videos

PROMISING PRACTICES BRIEF: Improving Student Engagement and Attendance During COVID-19 School Closures. This ED-funded brief by Insight Policy Research and American Institute for Research provides a resource to states and districts on promising practices in measuring and improving attendance and engagement during extended school closures. Brightways Learning shared strategies that our Global Academy uses to engage families and students remotely and measure attendance through distance learning. http://bit.ly/PromisingPracticesBrief. See page 24.

REACHING OUT WHILE STAYING IN. During these times of change and uncertainty, it is important that we do not lose sight of one of the key elements of being human — CONNECTION. As we social-distance for communal safety, staying connected will keep our Webs of Support strong and help ensure everyone’s health & well-being. Our Web of Support Connection Tips include both offline & online ideas. Download the handout and view the 3-minute video.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WEBS OF SUPPORT. In order for youth to succeed in school and life, they need at least five caring & connected adults (Anchors) in their Web of Support to guide and support them. Webs of Support consist of 7 key metrics, what we refer to as “factors,” of a youth’s developmental ecology — that is, the nature of the youth themselves and the world around them that affects them. Learn more about Webs of Support in this handout and this video by Derek Peterson, founder of the Integrative Youth Development™ framework.

STAYING ORGANIZED (AND SANE) WHILE SCHOOLING-AT-HOME. Emily Hendricksen is the Family Support Representative for our Brightways Global Academy. Emily has been homeschooling her four children for 10 years and and shares her knowledge and expertise through the following 10 brief videos and PowerPoint slides. Her specific and practical time management and other tips provide guidance for parents who are suddenly schooling their kids at home.

MORE RESOURCES COMING SOON! SIGN UP FOR UPDATES.

Student Activities

Knowing how much connection matters, our team has developed a free weekly Connection Challenge activity for your students! Every challenge can be completed online or offline and be adapted to your local safety standards. To receive a new activity each week, sign up for UPDATES or follow us on Facebook.

Full Color Celebration! (May 15) — This week’s challenge will be the last one for the 2019-20 school year. So, it’s the perfect time to complete a creative project of your choice that expresses some things you have learned, some ways you have grown, some ways you have connected, and some things for which you are grateful that you gained over the last few months.

Roy G Biv Target Practice (May 8) — For this week’s challenge, you will play a version of BINGO to target at least one activity that relates to strengthening each color in your Web of Support.

Caring for your Anchors (May 1) — For last week’s challenge, you connected two key adults in your life to help strengthen your own Web of Support. For this week’s Connection Challenge, you will connect the same two adults or a different pair to focus on Indigo — Caring for the Carers.

Connecting Anchors (April 24) — One thing we know is that each student’s Full-Color Web of Support is stronger when that student’s Anchors are in contact with one another. When Anchors are connected, then they are better able to support the student. So, this week’s Connection Challenge is about connecting two adults in your life.

Treasure Hunt Chain Game (April 17) — An individual makes a treasure to hide and prompts another to find it. As each hunter finds a unique treasure, they pass along the clue to another hunter. This makes a treasure hunt chain.

Cooking Up Connection (April 10) — Today, many of us are cooking more meals at home. Who better to ask to teach us about cooking and meals than the caring adults in our lives? Maybe it is a mom, dad, parent’s best friend, neighbor, teacher, grandparent...any caring adult you choose will do!

Connection Challenge (April 5)— Capture the activity in a capsule using whatever media you want - e.g., take a photo, record a video, make a drawing or comic strip, write it as a journal entry, step-by-step instructions, or as a poem.

Other Free Resources

These free educational resources have been vetted by Brightways Learning. We will continue to add to this page. Sign up for UPDATES and please let us know if you have recommended resources to add!

Multidisciplinary

BrainPOP - https://www.brainpop.com/

The Walking Classroom Podcasts - https://www.thewalkingclassroom.org/our-program/adopter-educational-podcasts/

PBS - Full-Time Kid (arts, crafts & science experiments): https://montana.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/full-time-kid/

NCES Kids’ Zone (quizzes and skill building about math, probability, graphing, and more): https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/

StoryCorps Connect is a new technology developed in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic to share stories in order to build connections between people: https://storycorps.org/participate/storycorps-connect/

Reading/Literature

K-3: Storyline Online - A variety of trade books read by celebrities via video - https://www.storylineonline.net/

3-6: Into the Book - An engaging interactive that breaks down reading comprehension strategies - https://reading.ecb.org/

K-12: Audible is offering FREE books to listen to - https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

STEM

K-6: Mystery Science - https://mysteryscience.com/lessons/seasonal/current-events

K-12: OLogy - https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology

6-12: Learn.Genetics - https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

All Ages: At-home Science Experiments - https://www.explorationworks.org/experiments

Fitness/Health

PE Geek’s free guide - https://beacon.by/connectedpe/100-ways-to-use-technology-in-physical-education

Kitchen Classroom: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/home

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As an educational nonprofit organization, our work depends on financial support from individuals like you. Your generous donation helps children and teens learn how to build Webs of Support to keep them from falling through the cracks. Students with strong Webs of Support are more resilient and less likely to engage in risky behaviors like suicidal thinking, drug & alcohol use, bullying, and more. You will also be helping our schools by providing educators with the knowledge and resources to support youth and them them thrive. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of youth! Learn more about our Mission & Values, and contact us with any questions

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Coronavirus Schooling Resources for Students, Educators, and Parents.