Japhet School

Specialists’ Classes & Enrichment Distance Learning

This page has optional activities your child can do if he or she would like. We’re also using this page to share general links that have great opportunities for distance learning — just to keep things fun!

ACTIVITIES & FUN LINKS RECOMMENDED BY OUR TEACHERS, ORGANIZED BY SUBJECT

Multiple Subjects
Free Educational Websites in Multiple Subjects
Scholastic Learn at Home — 20 Days of Free Fun Learning Challenges
TED-Ed
FreeSchool
Khan Academy
Kids Learning Tube
Online Activities from the MSU Extension Program for Children of All Ages
Stuck Indoors? Ideas from Ranger Rick
Educational Resources from PBS Kids
Calendar of Virtual Events in the Detroit & Ann Arbor Area
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt — Kids’ Edition
Lakeshore Learning — Videos & Free Materials

Science and Social Studies
Virtual Marine Biology Camp
Virtually Tour the World’s Musems
Go on Virtual Field Trips from Mammoth Hot Springs to Mars
A ‘Daily Dose’ of Science Videos
‘Treasures of Orion’ Live Facebook Video
Cincinnati Zoo Goes Live at 3 PM Every Day
SciShow Kids
Girl Scouts of Colorado Virtual Spring Camp
“Wow in the World” NPR Podcast “for curious kids and their grown-ups”
Scavenger Hunts, Crafts, and More: Virtual Metroparks Programs
Ranger Rick: Free Digital Magazines, “Stuck Indoors?” Ideas for Kids
Online Activities from the MSU Extension Program for Children of All Ages
Wonders of the World You Can Visit from Home
Watch Live Science Experiments at the Michigan Science Center

Just for Fun
25 Family Movies (from weareteachers.com)

Art from Ms. Minard
“Art is all around you,” as students have often heard me say during art classes. So let’s think of this as an opportunity to observe art in many forms, from the objects we see inside to the natural beauty outside. Observation can lead to inspiration and creativity! Hands-on art activities are a great way to foster original thinking, use materials for recycling, and discover the joy of creating something unique together. It could be something as simple as a pencil sketch or an amazing  tower of cardboard. You may want to set up a work table in the corner of a room for ongoing projects. Parents, I encourage you to ask your children this as they complete their masterpieces, “Tell me about your artwork.” You may be surprised at how much wonderful detail they will want to share! Here’s a suggested list of materials you may already have at home: pencils; washable markers; crayons; watercolor paints & brushes; glue; scissors; a sketchbook or copy paper; paper bags; scrap paper; wrapping paper; old maps, cards, magazines, newspapers; paper plates & bowls; cardboard boxes & tubes; ribbon; yarn. And here are some websites I recommend for creative projects you can create at home. Enjoy!
artbarblog.com
artfulparent.com
freekidscrafts.com
Mo Willems’ Daily Doodle Lessons

Art Museums with Free Virtual Tours
(Keep in mind that museums reflect the human experience; these general museum tours are not necessarily curated to children, and could include nudity and war depictions. Explore as a family.)
The Louvre 
British Museum, London
Guggenheim Museum, New York
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
Pergamon Museum, Berlin
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
MASP, São Paulo
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

Physical Education from Mr. Herrick
Here are some ideas to help you stay active. Going outside and helping your family with a bit of spring clean-up will surely be appreciated. But as you all know the saying of “April showers bring May flowers” and when those showers keep you from being active outside, I hope to inspire you with some indoor activities. I know most of you know GoNoodle and how silly and fun it is!They have some new videos you should check out. Also, feel free to start on a journey with a new avatar and see how far you can evolve it before we go back to school! See you all soon, stay moving!

GoNoodle: Good Energy at Home!
Read GoNoodle’s letter to parents
Jump, Squat, Turnaround Challenge

Especially for Primary and Middle Class students:
My Super Schedule Sheet
Pokemon Scavenger Hunt
Take Care of Your Body, Take Care of Yourself

Library from Mrs. Mazurkiewicz
Here are some wonderful links to enjoy a book being read to you, or free e-Books!
Maistory — Picture books with an emphasis on teaching a lesson about the book and vocabulary
Storyline — Picture books read by celebrities
Brightly — Picture books and a read-along; highlights words that are being read; plus fun activities!
Vooks — Video Books (one month free then 4.99 a month)
Operation Storytime — Authors read their own books aloud
Storytime from Space — Astronauts read books to you from the space station
ABDO Library — All e-Books Free through June
Audible — Free from Amazon through June
Storytime Online — Stories read aloud in English and some in Spanish!
Read with Michelle Obama — The former first lady reads aloud every Monday!

Life Skills from Mrs. Pospisil
Cooking with kids is a great way to connect as a family and a wonderful way to practice all kinds of classroom and life skills. Everything we do comes with a recipe or set of directions; from laundry to setting up a computer to building with Legos. Recipes and cooking teach us to follow directions, to prioritize tasks, manage time, work cooperatively, be creative, and of course practice math and reading. At the end of the “assignment,” we are rewarded with something great to eat and share. I will be sharing some simple-to-prepare and student favorite recipes on this page over the coming weeks. I know that I have been doing some extra baking and cooking as a positive way to share with my family and a few neighbors in my area. If you have any questions about the recipes posted or need other ideas, feel free to email me at robin.pospisil@japhetschool.org. I look forward to hearing about your results. You can email or text me pictures of your creations and I will share them as well.

The first recipe is one that many Japhet School students have used over the years — Kids’ Cookie Dough (click here for recipe)! This easy-to-mix dough becomes moldable, like PlayDough after a short chill time. Then it is on to the creative part as it can be molded into almost any shape. If you are learning about bugs, make bug cookies. You could make shapes, numbers, letters, penguins, cars or trucks or anything that catches the imagination of your kids. Sugars, candies, chocolate chips, pretzels, etc. can be added before baking, or colorful frostings can be used after baking. In Life Skills Class we have used this dough to make maps of Michigan and other states, butterflies and moths, birds, trees and leaves just to name a few projects. Enjoy!

March 27 recipe: Corn Oysters — a delicious side dish students can make! Click for recipe and historical context.

April 3 recipe: Brick-oven Ginger Cookies — it’s dessert time! Click for recipe and historical context.

April 17 recipe: Charleston Cheese Corn Bread — take a picture of your cornbread masterpiece and email it to Mrs. Pospisil!

Music from Mrs. Munaco
Click to listen to Mrs. Munaco sing “It’s a Wonderful World”
I’ve created a Musical Bingo game (download Bingo sheet here!) for you all to have fun with and work on while we are away from school! I challenge you to try and find new ways to incorporate music into your daily life! When we return to music class, I would love to see who has checked off the most squares on their musical bingo sheet! Feel free to email videos of you completing some of these activities! I miss you all and look forward to seeing you soon!  Here are links to the websites I mention on the Bingo sheet:
Chrome Music Lab https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com
Incredibox https://www.incredibox.com
The Cup Song Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Grb1oa72kmk
Cello Wars Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgAlQuqzl8o
Line Rider Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/DoodleChaos
Bim Bum Biddy Hand Clapping Gamehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXZWgOf2lSA

Spanish from Sra Flores
¡Hola amigos! Here are good resources for online Spanish practice. I hope everyone has FUN practicing their Spanish. I can’t wait to see you again. ¡Hasta pronto!

Spanish for Kids – 123TeachMe
Spanish Vocabulary for Children – 123TeachMe
Spanish Flashcards – 123TeachMe
Spanish Quizzes for Children – 123TeachMe
Basic Spanish Grammar for Kids – 123TeachMe
Spanish Verb Conjugation – 123TeachMe
Preschool and Kindergarten Songs
“Buenos días” (Good Morning)
“Ponte A Bailar / Start Dancing”
Spanish Number Song
Los Colores: The Colors in Spanish

Peace-building Activities from Kids for Peace
Be a Peaceful PenPal Through Kids for Peace!
Peace-building Activities for Children and Families
Ideas & Activities for Families (5-page PDF)

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