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  • Writer's pictureDee Brissett

A THRIVING VIRTUAL LEARNING SERIES | Educational Learning Resources

Hey guys! It's March!!! We have officially survived one year of virtual learning here in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). What a journey... Honestly, If someone told me that for the last year I would have been a kindergarten student and teacher all at once I would of laughed in their face. Hahaha... Like seriously! I would laugh because I would think it was funny but it turns out it hasn't been funny. Let's just say, we've had our fair share of hiccups and mishaps but we made it and I wanted to share all the resources and tools we found helpful throughout our journey so far.


In this series, I will share with you educational learning resources we found helpful. I'll also share reading resources to help your child learn to read and make it an enjoyable process. We will also touch on STEM resources, music and staying connected with our community virtually. All of which I believe will provide the full foundation for a thriving virtual learning experience. So let's get to it!


EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

My biggest concern going virtual was if I would be able to provide the type of learning experience my kids deserved. I wanted learning to be our area where we thrived and didn't just survive. I don't want them to be behind compared to their virtual peers. For starters, my oldest daughter is five years old and in senior kindergarten. My youngest daughter is three and currently in our version of "homeschool preschool". We've used several different educational resources during both school years and some we found very exciting and useful while others simply didn't make the cut.


These resources needed to make 2 requirements:

  1. be kid friendly

  2. expand on learning ideas reviewed in class

If it didn't make our virtual learning experience better, it didn't make the cut. If my daughter wasn't able to navigate the learning resource independently then it also didn't make the cut. Virtual learning is hard enough on its own to keep up with so if there's additional work we can do to assist making our new learning module a better experience then we are all in! That's why we decided to sign up for IXL.


What is IXL?

IXL is a personalized learning website that offers the full literacy and math curriculum from junior kindergarten up to grade twelve. They allow anyone to complete a number of activities per day which you can do on almost any device or by using the app. You are limited to the amount of activities you can do for free before being prompted to purchase a membership. We took advantage of the free activities for over 6 months until I realized we NEEDED to get a membership. I secretly waited and hoped that my daughter's school would purchase a membership but even after bringing the idea to her teachers it still didn't happen.


How much does it cost?

That's when we decided to take matters into our own hands because we wanted to be able to track how our daughters were doing and better assist them with a positive learning experience. The last thing we wanted was for their love for learning to stop because they aren't in a traditional school setting. Memberships cost from $12.95/month per curriculum to $99/year per curriculum. We opted for the annual subscription for both literacy and math which costs $159/year but we also added a sibling for an additional $30/year. Fast forward to about $190 later we are happy with our purchase of a membership for both girls!

*By the way, we are not sponsored by IXL. I am simply sharing what I believe is worthy of sharing...


When do we use it?

We like to use IXL daily! Sometimes when there's a lesson reviewed in class such as skip counting and I feel we needed a little more time on the concept we will complete a couple fun activities about skip counting on the website or app. We find that this is the best way to help our kids fully understand the work and have a little fun with it too. Each activity is timed so you can keep track of how long it takes to master a skill. We also use IXL for our youngest while our oldest is logged into her Google Classroom. It keeps her engaged in an activity while I balance my work and assisting them with their work for the day. Sometimes throughout the day the girls can get a little rowdy and I reach for IXL then too. It helps bring a sense of calm to our home in those moments. Thank you IXL!


We also use IXL when I really need to get something done but want them to do something productive. I'll select a few activities that are easy to accomplish on their own so I can get a head start on dinner, finish up some tasks, or just a few moments of silence to be honest. I also make sure to save some activities for hubby to do with them because this is a collaborative effort and I refuse to tackle the learning at home bit all on my own.


What are the benefits to being a member?

When you become a member on IXL you get the full benefits of everything they have to offer. Some of the perks include:

  1. unlimited access to all activities

  2. tracking your child's progress

  3. daily rewards and certificates

  4. overall enjoyable learning experience

  5. less school paperwork for you to organize

What's the big deal?

The girls absolutely love IXL! They look forward to completing the activities because they love the rewards and having mommy or daddy watch them do it. They also love getting 100 points because to be honest 100 is just a big number for them!


What I like most about IXL is that when your child gets an answer wrong it lets them know and also explains why their answer was wrong. I feel like this is what I miss most about a traditional school setting for my girls. Usually a teacher would take control of these situations and all would be well in the world.


It also breaks everything down and shows them how to get the right answer. This is hands down the best thing ever for a parent and child (especially for parents who need a refresher on the learning activity). I will definitely be needing this for algebra when whey get in high school! They also show how many points, ribbons and rewards you get during the activity by getting the answers right. So when your child gets an answer wrong, they lose points but can easily gain it back by continuing with other questions or picking up later where they've left off. This allows them to improve their score so they can master a skill. In fact, every day I get notifications sent to my phone letting me know their progress and accomplishments after each use. I love it!


What resources do you use?

So here's my question for you. What educational learning resources are you using for your children during this pandemic? I didn't mention it previously but we also use educational workbooks and flash cards because it really helps with their penmanship and it's a lot like a traditional classroom. These you can find anywhere from your local dollar store, grocery store, and on Amazon (my personal favourite).


I hope that you found this information super helpful and that you consider integrating IXL into your daily learning routine for your children as well. Also, I'll leave a link to their website below for you to check out.

IXL website: www.ixl.ca


In this blog post I shared educational resources to cover literacy and math. Next time I'll be sharing what resources we've used to teach and assist our daughters to learn and love reading. You don't want to miss that or the remaining resources I want to share with you all to make your virtual learning experience a little less gruesome and a lot more fun!


If you enjoyed this post and want to see more SUBSCRIBE to the blog, follow me on Instagram @deeandfamofficial , SUBSCRIBE & check out my YOUTUBE CHANNEL (DEE AND FAM- www.youtube.com/deeandfam ) to see what I'm up to between my blog posts. Don't forget to SHARE my posts & videos with everyone you know!


LOVE,

DEE

(Your Virtual Learning Experience Expert)


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