List of Free Educational Resources (and Free High-Speed Data)

Here is a list of newly-available resources to help folks manage having their kids home all day long for weeks at a time! From getting free data to free lesson plans and materials.

Free Data Access

• All four major US carriers — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon agreed to waive late fees and will not disconnect anyone due to missed payments. In addition, their WiFi hotspots will be opened to all. Everyone can also connect to xFinity WiFi hotspots and other broadband WiFi hotspots for free.
• AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile (including Metro by T-Mobile) customers will get unlimited data for the next 60 days, even if that is not part of their plan. This should be automatic. They also promise an extra 20 GB of free hotspot data “soon”.
• Mint Mobile is also offering free unlimited data. See site for details, you can manually purchase unlimited “add-on data” for free through April 12th.
• Comcast is increasing the speed of their Internet Essentials package for free. In addition, new customers of their $10/month service will receive two months of free service.

Free Educational Materials

• Khan Academy Kids has been a favorite app for us (ages 2-7). Khan Academy is for older children up to adults. They are providing additional guidance and sample daily schedules.
• ABC Mouse Early Learning Academy, ReadingIQ, and Adventure Academy are all free with promo code AOFLUNICEF or try SCHOOL7771. These usually cost about $10 a month or $80 a year, I believe. I don’t know about all of them, but I was able to sign up for ReadingIQ without needing a credit card.
• Scholastic Learn at Home is a new service that offers daily lesson plans and activities.
• Google Arts & Culture lets you virtually explore museums and art galleries from around the world.
• Here are some recommendations for educational YouTube Channels, Streaming Shows, and Podcasts.

The trickier part is finding engaging non-screen activities. Our next project is to make homemade giant bubbles (with honey instead of having to find glycerine?).