Independent Learning Resources
Podcasts
brains on!
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
But Why is a show led by you, kids! You ask the questions and we find the answers. It's a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world.
Fierce Girls
The producers of Fierce Girls search for inspiring tales of Australia's most extraordinary women, which take them all over the world. Some of this diverse cast of women include: the youngest Australian to summit Mount Everest, the engineer who turns trash into treasure, and the queen of leftovers who feeds the hungry. These women dare to do things differently, and are often driven by their desire to help other people.
Forever Ago
Brains On presents Forever Ago®, a history show for the whole family! Every episode explores the origin of just one thing — like sandwiches, video games, clocks and more — while teaching listeners to think critically about history.
Kids Listen
KIDS LISTEN is designed to help you find podcasts you’ll love. Find curated playlists in categories based on your interests. You can listen to individual episodes, or, if you find a show that you dig, click on the name and you can listen to all their episodes. Click “Listen” to go to the player.
KidNuz
Created by 4 Emmy winning journalists, KidNuz is a daily 5-minute news podcast made with kids in mind. The podcast provides briefings on the day’s top stories that are appropriate for kids ages 8-14.
Million Bazillion
Million Bazillion is a podcast about money for kids and their families from Marketplace, in collaboration with Brains On! Hosted by Jed Kim, we answer the awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes surprising questions that kids have about money.
Molly of Denali
Are you and your kid daydreaming about traveling or living somewhere else? Molly of Denali follows Molly Mabray, an Indigenous girl who lives in Qyah, Alaska and loves adventure.
Six Minutes
The most downloaded family audio drama in history. 11-year-old Holiday is pulled from the icy waters of Alaska with no memory of who she is or where she came from. Are her mom and dad really who they say they are? And when she begins to develop incredible abilities, she’ll soon discover she’s not alone in the world.
Smash Boom Best
Smash Boom Best is a debate show for kids and families from the makers of the award-winning podcast, Brains On! Every episode takes two cool things, smashes them together and lets you decide which is best. Our debaters use facts and passion to make their case -- teaching listeners how to defend their own opinions along the way.
Story Pirates
The Story Pirates are a nationally renowned group of top comedians, musicians, best-selling authors and incredible teachers with fifteen years of experience creating content that celebrates the imaginations of kids.
Wow in the World
Hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz share stories about the latest news in science, technology, and innovation.
Quiet Independent Activities
Art Hub for Kids: A YouTube channel that inspires and teaches children to create art.
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems: Learn to draw with author Mo Willems.
Math at Home: Click on your grade for daily math activities, collections of practice pages, family games, and online games. No login or registration required.
Wizarding World: For Harry Potter fans, J.K. Rowling has launched an online hub called Harry Potter At Home. Explore the wonderful world of Harry Potter.
Wonderopolis: Welcome to Wonderopolis, a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages. Each day, we pose an intriguing question—the Wonder of the Day—and explore it in a variety of ways.
Mindfulness
West Mindful Minutes
Guided Meditation Exercises on YouTube
Audio Meditation - The Mountain
UCLA Health Exercises
Audiobooks
Videos
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Bill Nye the Science Guy videos
BrainPop
password: westies
Good Mythical Morning
Goofy, pop culture show appropriate for middle school.
Houston Zoo
Mike Likes Science
Science! Hip-hop! Rhymes!
PBS Kids
Providing the highest-quality programming and learning environment for children, PBS’ children’s media invites kids on a journey to explore the world around them with age-appropriate content that offers positive role models for children to learn from and grow with.
Sci Show
Ted Ed
You may have heard of Ted Talks. These TedEd videos are similar but are geared toward school aged children and tend to be animated and presented in short bites.
The Brain Scoop
The Field Museum's channel on everything natural history and archeology.