While a shelter-in-place order may seem like an introvert’s dream, it’s likely just a matter of time before a bit of boredom or cabin fever sets in. Instead of idly sitting around and binge-watching the latest Netflix docuseries, now is a great time to take a cue from the many homebound students nationwide and do some at-home learning and personal enrichment of your own!
Online Learning
Fresno Public Library Online Resources
Although Library Branches are currently closed, there are numerous great online resources that you can access through the public library. Rent ebooks or audiobooks, stream movies for free with Kanopy, receive free access to Lynda.com’s expansive online learning classes, learn a new language with Mango, and much more! All you need is your library card.
Browse Fresno County Library’s Online Resources
Attend a University Course for Free
Just because college campuses are closed doesn’t mean you can’t still get access to high quality higher education! In fact, you don’t even need to be an enrolled student to take advantage of these amazing resources.
Harvard University (yes, the Harvard) has a large catalog of free online courses available to the public.
Want to explore other schools? Coursera and EdX offer large libraries of online courses from top universities such as the University of Pennsylvannia, Stanford, CalTech, and more. While you can take the courses for free, you will need to pay extra if you want to receive a certificate of completion to put towards a degree.
Check out a Free E-book
Project Gutenberg is a free library of over 60,000 e-books. Read online in your browser, or download a version for your Kindle or other e-reader. This site is great for lovers of literary classics, as their focus is on older works for which the copyright has expired.
Learn a New Skill
It’s easier than ever to learn a new skill. Simply search on Google or Youtube, and you can find dozens of guides and how-tos to learn almost anything from auto repair to knitting. There are also entire sites and apps devoted to helping you learn a new skill. For example, the free language learning app Duolingo breaks language learning into small, bite-sized chunks that you can easily complete throughout the day. And for all of you aspiring guitarists, Fender is currently offering up 3 free months of Fender Play, their online guitar lessons, to the first 500,000 users who sign up.
Travel
See the World with Google Earth
Tired of the same old scenery? Travel to world-class destinations from the comfort of your home! With Google Earth, you can experience full 360° tours of incredible destinations from your computer or smartphone.
Tour a Museum or World Heritage Center
Go To the Zoo
You don’t have to be a penguin to enjoy the aquarium or zoo while it’s closed to the public! Many zoos and aquariums have live camera feeds set up for their most popular exhibits for the public to enjoy.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cams
Listen
Podcasts
If you haven’t get gotten into podcasts, now is a great time! Easy to listen to while working or taking care of other tasks around the house, podcasts are available on a number of apps – iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.
Audiobooks
Love to read, but find you just don’t have the time? Audiobooks are a great way to take in a good book. Browse thousands of audiobooks for free with OverDrive – you just need your library card to make an account and sign in! Another option is Audible, a popular subscription service for audiobooks. However, did you know that you don’t need a paid membership to enjoy a selection of their library? Audible’s Free Listens is a collection of recently released best sellers and Audible Originals of all lengths that you can listen to for free. In addition, during school closures, audible has put together Audible Stories – a massive library of free audiobooks curated for kids and teens, plus many literary classics that adults can enjoy as well.
[gvblog_contentupgrade cta=”Read Article” heading=”Free Educational Resources for Students at Home” link=”https://www.gvhomes.com/blog/free-educational-resources-for-students-at-home/” img=”https://www.gvhomes.com/wordpress/../wp-content/uploads/2020/04/resources-for-kids-cta.png”]Students everywhere have become “accidental homeschoolers” due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are a few free resources to keep them on track and learning.[/gvblog_contentupgrade]