PBS Resources for Children and Families:

As many families and teachers face school closures, PBS KIDS and PBS LearningMedia are offering a variety of tools to help support learning at home, including educational videos and games from favorite series, and related skill-building offline activities.

PBS KIDS offers a variety of free resources to support families and caregivers, including a 24/7 channel with anytime access to trusted educational series for kids ages 2-8 (check local listings) and the following digital tools:

PBS KIDS Video App
Available on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices, PBS KIDS offers on-demand educational videos and a livestream of the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. No subscription is required.

PBS KIDS Games App
Includes nearly 200 educational games, which can be downloaded for offline play anytime, anywhere. Learn more about this and PBS KIDS’ other apps at pbskids.org/apps.

PBS KIDS for Parents
A robust website with information, activities and tips for parents, including resources for talking with kids about coronavirus, encouraging healthy habits, managing worried feelings and supporting playful learning at home.

PBS KIDS Daily Newsletter
A new weekday newsletter with videos, games, related offline activities and tips parents can use to keep their children playing and learning at home. Sign up here.

PBS Resources for PreK-12 Educators:

PBS LearningMedia is a free resource that offers the following resources for PreK-12 educators:

PBS LearningMedia Virus Information & Prevention Collection
This collection of resources helps PreK-12 educators teach the nature of viruses (including novel coronavirus), how they are transmitted and the healthy habits we can all engage in to prevent their spread.

Distance Learning Resources
PBS LearningMedia offers educators a variety of features that support distance learning, including easy searching by grade level, curriculum area, and state and national standards, as well as integration with Google Classroom and Remind.

Webinar: “Distance Learning with PBS LearningMedia”
On Wednesday, March 18, PBS offered a one-hour professional learning event for PreK-12 educators that included tips and techniques to support distance instruction. Use the link above to watch the recording.​

PBS Digital Content and Resources:

PBS NewsHour Novel Coronavirus Web Portal
This website contains breaking news coverage on the novel coronavirus. Additional PBS NewsHour resources include:

PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs (SRL)
SRL has created a new e-learning student journalism unit, “Making Sense of the Coronavirus Through Storytelling and Media Making,” that empowers students to take positive action by producing vital news stories from their community. SRL will host a webinar for educators on how to use the unit to lead student journalism projects on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Educators can register here.

PBS NewsHour Extra will continue to provide up-to-date lesson plans from the PBS NewsHour Coronavirus coverage, featuring student-produced stories and media literacy.

PBS NewsHour Education Coverage will continue to report on how the pandemic is affecting education, from child care to K-12 and Higher Education.

Educators can sign up for the NewsHour Education Newsletter for weekly updates.

PBS’s “What You Should Know About the Novel Coronavirus”
Visit this web portal for evolving coverage and important background information.

NOVA: How Serious is the Coronavirus? Video
A short video from NOVA examines what medical experts know—and don't know—about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease it causes, called COVID-19.

PBS Digital Studios is developing a program on early steps to preventing the spread of germs for its series IT’S OKAY TO BE SMART. The network remains a leading destination for educational resources on YouTube with a number of scientific videos on the human body and viruses. Programs explore “Why Do We Wash Our Hands After Going to the Bathroom?,” “How Do Hand Sanitizers Work?,” “Where Do Viruses Come From?,” and “Our Immune Systems: Part 1, 2 and 3.”

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