With schools closed for who knows how long due to COVID-19 and children stuck at home, we put together some free, virtual learning resources for children (and adults) of all ages.
Virtual Farm Trips
Virtual Farm Trips is offering free recordings of past virtual farm tours. It includes a trip to an Ohio soybean farm, Ohio and Pennsylvania beef farms, an Ohio pig farm and dairies in Michigan, Indiana and South Dakota.
The Ohio Pork Council also hosted a live field trip March 19 as part of the program.
Link: virtualfarmtrips.com
American Dairy Association North East
The dairy checkoff also has virtual farm tours of three dairy farms for different age groups. They also have dairy lesson plans.
Link: https://www.americandairy.com/for-farmers/dairy-education-in-schools/index.stml
Cleveland Metroparks
Cleveland Metroparks is offering different types of virtual classrooms weekdays on Facebook Live starting March 23.
First up at 11 a.m. is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Join biologists from the zoo to check-in with your favorite zoo animals and learn about what it takes to care for some of the most endangered species in the world.
Link: www.facebook.com/ClevelandMetroparksZoo
Next up at 1 p.m., visit the Cleveland Metroparks Facebook page for outdoor experiences as park naturalists explore the Emerald Necklace trail. Kids will be able to learn about early signs of spring, the forest floor, birds and more.
Then at 3:30 p.m. on the Metroparks page will have a class on outdoor recreation with the park’s outdoor recreation team. Topics will include things like backpacking, watersports, cycling and park exploration.
Link: www.facebook.com/ClevelandMetroparks
After each live session, the full videos will be available at clevelandmetroparks.com/virtualclassroom.
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
The Cincinnati Zoo is streaming a live Home Safari weekdays at 3 p.m. on its Facebook page. Each safari features one of the zoo’s animals and an activity children can do from home.
The videos are posted on the zoo website at cincinnatizoo.org after they air live.
Link: www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/
Discover Dairy
Discover Dairy, an initiative of Pennsylvania’s Center for Dairy Excellence, will soon be launching a virtual learning library with lessons and resources for educators. But for now, the program put together a list of webinars, resources, infographics and videos from the National Dairy Council and other sources on dairy.
Link: www.discoverdairy.com/2020/03/virtual-learning/
Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program
Parents can get a variety of educational materials for free at OOGEEP’s website. There are printable worksheets and activity books as well as STEM and geology curriculum and labs with videos and hands-on activities.
Link: www.oogeep.org
Stark and Tuscarawas County Cultural Collaboration
Six area museums are partnering to bring daily virtual programming to people at noon Monday through Saturday.
Mondays: McKinley Museum and Presidential Library: www.facebook.com/McKinleyMuseum/
Tuesdays: Massillon Museum www.facebook.com/MassillonMuseum/
Wednesdays: Canton Museum of Art www.facebook.com/CantonMuseumofArt/
Thursdays: National First Ladies’ Library: www.facebook.com/FirstLadiesLibrary/
Fridays: Pro-Football Hall of Fame: https://www.facebook.com/ProFootballHOF/
Saturdays: Denniston Railroad Depot Museum: https://www.facebook.com/DennisonRailroadDepotMuseum/
