Scholastic Teachables
Thousands of searchable and printable educational materials—created by teachers and precisely leveled—for teachers, homeschooling caregivers, and learners from Pre-K to Grade 8.
Gale in Context: Elementary
Elementary-aged learners will find reliable, engaging content designed specifically for them while developing research skills and information literacy.
History Reference Source
Explore topics in U.S. and world history from the earliest civilizations through the 21st century. This database contains full-text journals, magazines, reference books, and thousands of primary source documents.
MAS Complete
MAS covers popular high school magazines and reference books over a wide range of subjects, including art, history, sports, and music. Find over 1,000,000 photos, maps, and flags plus the full text of magazines like Discover, US News & World Report, Scientific American, and more.
Middle Search
Access a broad range of general reference subject coverage for middle school students, with topics including social studies, math, history, language arts, technology, geography, culture, and science.
Miss Humblebee’s Academy
Miss Humblebee’s Academy offers thousands of fun and safe online, offline, and printable activities for ages 3 – 6 to help develop school readiness.
National Geographic Kids
Magazines, books, videos, and images will engage curious young learners as they explore science, animals, technology, cultures, and history.
Peterson’s Test and Career Prep
Prepare for academic and career-related tests, from the SAT and graduate entrance exams to vocational tests like NCLEX and ASVAB. You can also research college and career options, search for financial aid, and get help with resume building.
Points of View Reference Source
Explore multiple sides of over 500 issues. This resource helps students assess and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues, and develop analytical thinking skills.
Science Reference Source
Access the full text of hundreds of science magazines, journals, reference books, and high-quality videos. The database also contains science experiments, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, and a vast image collection.
More General Reference Resources
PBS Learning Media – Videos curated by subject make learning fun and easy for preK – high school students and educators.
Common Sense Media – Tips, resources, and practical advice on helping students find credible information online
American Library Association – Look to libraries for media mentorship, make a family media plan, etc
Virtual Field Trips
Discovery – A collection of videos and learning guides to explore the world from the comfort of your home
National Park Service – Virtual tours of Yellowstone National Park
Google Arts and Culture – A collection of museums from all over the world that offer virtual tours.
China Guide – Virtual tour of The Great Wall of China
Monterey Bay Aquarium – A collection of live cams at the aquarium allows you to visit without ever leaving home.
Hoopla
Check out a variety of titles from Hoopla’s selection of ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music, comics, and TV shows.
Novelist K-8 Plus
Includes picture books, children’s chapter books, and young adult titles. Search or browse by subject, plot summary, grade level, and more.
Novelist Plus
Find your next read with Novelist. Looking for a good fiction or nonfiction book? Search by subject, plot summary, grade level, and more.
TeachingBooks
An online collection of resources for children’s and young adult books, selected to encourage the integration of multimedia author and book materials into reading and library activities for K-12 students.
Transparent Language
Learn a new language using a self-paced, online language-learning system. Transparent Language offers courses in over 100 languages.
TumbleBooks
Animated e-books for young children with read-along narration and sound. Also features games, puzzles, and quizzes for young readers.
More English Language Arts Resources
ReadWorks – Free content, curriculum, and tools to power K-12 learning
ReadTheory – Personalized reading comprehension exercises for K-12 and ESL students
Reading Rockets YouTube channel – Short video segments on how to help children learn to read
Storytime From Space – Picture Books are shared by astronauts on the International Space Station.
Art and Music
Creativebug — Enjoy more than 1,000 online art & craft video classes taught by designers and artists. Creativebug’s classes cover everything from drawing and sketching to sewing and bookbinding.
ArtyFactory — Free visual art lessons
Math
Bedtime Math — Sign up for a free daily email from this non-profit and turn math into a fun family activity.
Khan Academy — Non-profit, free learning resource for grades 1-12, plus college!
Math Playground — Math games for grades 1-6 can be played free without an account.
Physical Activity & Games
Go Noodle – A collection of physical activities and tutorials, designed to get kids up and moving.
Move Your Way – Use this HHS tool to find ways to fit more activity into your child’s day.
NFL Play 60 – Interactive lessons and family activities aligned to learning standards.
Science and Engineering
The Tinkering Studio – The Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio has a ton of hands-on projects, across a wide variety of subjects.
TinkerLab – Science projects that are kid-tested
Nat Geo Kids – Science facts and experiments from the makers of National Geographic Kids Magazine
Explore.org Livecams – Animal webcams provide wilderness livestreams. Look for Kenya’s Mpala Nature Lab, Alaska’s Katmai National Park and the Decorah Raptor Resource Project.
Social Studies
Nat Geo Kids – History – Facts and Biographies presented in an engaging full-color format.
PBS Learning Media – A collection of videos and activities from WTTW.
Smithsonian Learning Lab – The Smithsonian Museum has compiled resources for learning at home, using their museum collections.
Westmont CUSD201
South Early Childhood Center
C. E. Miller Elementary School
J. T. Manning Elementary School
Westmont Junior High School
Westmont High School
Maercker D60
Holmes Primary School
Maercker Intermediate School
Westview Hills Middle School
Downers Grove CSD99
Downers Grove North High School
Downers Grove South High School
Downers Grove D58
Elementary: Belle Aire, El Sierra, Fairmount, Henry Puffer, Highland, Hillcrest, Indian Trail, Kingsley, Lester, Pierce Downer, Whittier
Middle Schools: Herrick, O’Neill
Health / Social-Emotional Resources
DuPage County Health Department Children’s Health Page
Map of WiFi Hotspots — For families who may not be within our district
Homeschooling Basics
Illinois State Board of Education:
CRHE (Coalition for Responsible Home Education):
Homeschooling Styles
There are many different types of homeschooling styles, such as a more traditional approach that mimics a classroom, or different, more child-led approaches. Here are some websites to help explain the different options.