google-site-verification=GPkr-2UVG0wTcqx_PEd9At1CUysni7vTeE7ZS_lzXSs
top of page
Archway COVID19 Resources_header graphic
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES

​

Archway is continuing to monitor the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the individuals, children, students, teens, adults, residents, families, staff and community partners throughout the state of NJ

 

Our team is dedicated to providing resources and information that support the wellbeing of our community. You will find here a regularly updated list of resources that we hope will help you during this uncertain time.  Although some of our programs are temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, our staff is available during normal business hours to answer any questions you may have. Click here for program specific contact information.

RESOURCES FOR OUR FAMILIES

 

     EDUCATION + REMOTE LEARNING

 

  • Boardmaker: Sign up for a 30-day free trial to create visual supports and picture schedules.

  • Centervention: Social Emotional Learning activities (K-5)  

  • Scholastic: Daily thematic activities (preK-6+)    

  • Khan Academy: Free online learning platform for students that offers practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dashboard for subjects including math, science, computer programming, history, art history and economics.

  • Outschool: Free live online classes conducted over video chat for students ages 3 to 18 affected by public school shutdowns. The 10,000-plus classes cover topics in English, math, social studies, science, coding, health and wellness, music, art and world languages. Search courses by subject, length, format (live online or flexible schedule), age range and timeframe.

  • Storyline Online: Free literacy program where Celebs read stories to children

  • PBS Kids Video App: Free on-demand educational videos and a livestream of PBS Kids 24/7 (no subscription required) available on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices. In addition, the PBS Kids Games app includes nearly 200 educational games that can be downloaded to play offline. 

  • IXL: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish lessons with assessments (K-12)  

  • Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program: Resources for teachers and parents full of free activities, printables and reading tools

  • ABCmouse.com: A comprehensive curriculum for pre-K through grade 2.

  • Adventure Academy: Educational multiplayer online game for elementary and middle school students, with thousands of learning activities covering reading, math and science.

  • ReadingIQ: Digital library and literacy platform for children ages 12 and under, with thousands of books to choose from.

  • Adapted Mind: Reading and Math activities with ongoing assessment to personalize the instructional level (K-6)  

  • CK12: Math, Science, and Social Studies lessons (grades 1-12)  

  • Breakout EDU: ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies games (K-12)    

  • SplashLearn: Math games (K-5)   

  • Epic: Sign up for a 30-day free trial to access 35,000 published books with videos and quizzes (K-6)

  • Lightsail: 6,000 published books with assessments and special education modifications (K-12)  

  • Handwriting Heroes: Videos for print handwriting practice  

  • Mystery Science: Science videos and activities (K-5) 

  • Zooniverse: World's pre-eminent Citizen Science portal, featuring primary research in most branches of science, from astronomy through botany, sociology, zoology, etc. Each project comes with tutorial, FAQ, Field Guide and own dedicated Talk forum for grades 6-th through 8th, high school and independent studies.

  • Zoolingo: Educational, interactive games and activities for kids (grades K through 8th) in various subjects such as reading, writing, foreign language, early childhood and special education in over 13 different languages.

  • Author Mo Willems: Fans of the Elephant and Pigeon books will enjoy this daily doodling and story time  (preK-4)

  • Science Experiments: At Home science experiments for every age

  • zShot Editing App: Tool to help teachers and parents creating videos, photos, collages and scanned documents into PDFs, etc.; all apps are now free

  • Creative Ways to Stay Busy at Home: Creative and educational ways to stay busy at home by Growing Leaders.

 

 

   ART, MUSIC & LANGUAGE

​

  • Virtual Painting Classes: Follow this page on Facebook for live free paint nights every Friday.

  • Formal Art Classes: Outschool offers a number of free art lessons and tutorials

  • Drawing Classes: Author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka is hosting daily drawing classes 

  • Cartoon Classes: Animator Mo Willems is hosting daily cartooning classes

  • Painting Tutorials: The Art Sherpa has a number of painting tutorials on YouTube

  • Free Opera performances: The Royal Opera House will be streaming performances for free on YouTube

  • Virtual Ballet Studio: The Cleveland Inner City Ballet studio will be offering free classes and tutorials on their Facebook page

  • Duolingo: Free language learning app so you can learn a language through short, game-like exercises that motivate you to continue learning with a "streak" feature that tracks the number of days you've reached your point goal.

 

   COOKING + DIY CLASSES

​

  • Free Digital Cooking Classes: Delish's editorial director Joanna Saltz and her kids will be going live on Instagram every week day at 1:00 p.m. EST to share cook along videos. To learn more, click here.

  • DIY.org: Thousands of courses and projects with how-to videos for ages 4-13 and over, in drawing, photography, science, music, Lego-building and Minecraft-video making. DIY.org is currently offering 90% off its library of hands-on projects, how-to videos and safe learning community for kids, with the code TOGETHER. 

​

   FUN WITH ANIMALS 

 

  • Virtual Zoo School: Cape May Zoo in NJ is offering virtual zoo tours with free informational videos, posted on their website and Facebook page, Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m.

  • Virtual Zoobrary: Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton, NJ is conducting a Virtual Zoobrary with the animals at their zoo, posted on their Facebook page.

  • Virtual Zoo & Aquarium Tours: A list of other zoos and aquariums that are offering live feeds while they’re closed can be found by clicking here.

  • Live Streaming at the Georgia Aquarium: To see live streams of the Georgia Aquarium, click here.

  • Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA): To view virtual videos, participate in fun activities and join online events, click here to check out the AZA calendar.

  • San Diego Zoo: Animal information, stories, videos, activities, games (K-5) 

  • Georgia Sea Turtle Center: Offering virtual nature preserve lessons called “Scute’s School” every day on their Facebook page. Scute's lesson is usually either a link to an informational resource they've created or an upload of an educational video.

  • Virtual Marine Biology Camp: Ocean’s Initiative is offering a free virtual marine biology camp. Every Monday and Thursday, they’ll be streaming live on their Facebook or Instagram pages.

  • Africam: Live stream of wild animals every day in remote African locations.

  • Alaska Zoo: Live stream of polar bears at the Alaska Zoo

​

  VIRTUAL ACTIVITIES + TOURS

​

  • 360 Degree Cities: the largest collection of stock 360 degree images and videos  

  • Hogwarts Digital Escape Room: Complete a Harry Potter themed Digital Escape room as a group (compete with friends) or as an individual.

  • National Parks: Explore some of the best National Parks.

  • Gardens Virtual Tours: Virtually visit five beautiful gardens just in time for spring

  • Musée d’Orsay Paris: Virtual tour the famous Musée d’Orsay Paris and view beautiful artwork throughout history

  • Van Gogh Museum: Go on a virtual tour of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to see largest collection of Vincent van Gogh.

  • National Gallery of Art, Washington DC: Everyone in the family will enjoy a virtual tour of the famous National Gallery of Art Museum

  • British Museum: Click here to start a virtual tour of the British Museum

  • Colonial Williamsburg: Escape to the 18th-century with interactive learning and fun activities brought to you by Colonial Williamsburg

  • Great Wall of China: Go on a Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of Chin

​

PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

​

  • Genius of Play: A great resource for parents with school-aged children full of expert advice, ideas for creative games, activities, and outdoor fun

  • Kids Exercise Videos on YouTube: Get your kids moving with these fun exercise videos

  • Workout videos: Free workout videos for all ages to keep you healthy

  • ​Yoga & Mindfulness Classes: Sign-up for yoga and mindfulness courses, offered by Yoga Ed., providing free access to all K-12 teachers, school administrators and supporting staff, and parents worldwide.

  • Mindfulness Class for Kids: Click here to sign-up for a free class offered by Mindful Schools, full of mindfulness activities, read-alouds and movements.

  • Movement Stories: When you aren’t able to get outside and get some fresh air, there are still things you can do inside to stay active. Cosmic Kids and Go Noodle have yoga and movement stories your family may enjoy.

  • Smithsonian Workshop on Meditation and Mindfulness: The Smithsonian Institution is offering free 30-minute online meditations four times each week led by DC-based meditation teachers.

  • Calm (meditation app): Calm has put together a free resource for people to cope with the stress of COVID-19 that includes mediations (adults/kids), mindful movement exercises, grounding exercises, breathing exercises and more.

  • Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR): Learn more about this technique, why PMR can be therapeutically useful, and checkout the list of resources for children, parents and adults.

  • Ten Percent Happier – Coronavirus Sanity Guide: Free guide to help you cope with anxiety, stress and fear offering blog posts, meditations, videos, podcasts and more to encourage a positive mindset.

  • Managing Stress & Anxiety: the CDC shares tips for handling stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • “The Science of Well-Being”: Free online course from Yale designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits.

  • COVID-19 Anxiety Toolkit: Shine created this set of materials and resources

  • Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Click here to view a SAMHSA Factsheet providing ways to cope with stress during this time and signs of what to look for when you may need outside support

  • TeenCounseling.com: Access a network of licensed, accredited, and experienced counselors who can help you and your child with range of issues including depression, anxiety, relationships, bullying, trauma and more.

  • Betterhelp.com: Access a large network of licensed, accredited, and experienced counselors who can help with a range of issues including depression, anxiety, relationships, trauma, grief and more.

  • How to Explain Coronavirus to a Child with Anxiety: Expert tips for talking to your child about COVID-19 and navigating the next few weeks at home together.

  • Talking to Children about the Coronavirus: The National Association of School Psychologists and the National Association of School Nurses provide expert advice for parents during these uncertain times.

  • Mindfulness Parenting: Useful tips on mindfulness parenting during stressful times.

  • Creating a New Schedule Together: Growing Leaders provides a helpful guide for families, highlighting the importance of a creating a new schedule, maintaining structure and routine habits.

  • Tips for Talking with Children: A resource created for parents/guardians by the US Department of Health and Human Service Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

  • Stop, Breathe, and Think Kids: Raise awareness of feelings and create your own sense of calm using this app; for children ages 5-10. Also available at home ‘Alexa skills’ using your Amazon Echo or Dot.

  • Social Distancing Shouldn't Mean Social Isolation: DCF shares ways on how we can stay connected during these times. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Additional resources for families including a list of educational activities for all ages to maintain your mental, emotional and physical health and well-being during this time can be found by clicking on the buttons below. Explaining COVID-19 to children and individuals with disabilities can be challenging which is why we put together a list of helpful tools and resources for you to use.

Archway 55 logo.jpg
bottom of page