With schools closed or going to a hybrid model in much of Ohio, we’ve pulled together a list of some great resources for families who need to help kids learn at home. We’ll update this page as new opportunities cross our path, so please check back!

A number of Ohio Sea Grant classroom lessons can be adapted for use at home. “How well do you know the Great Lakes?” and “Climate Change and Aquatic Invaders” from the Great Lakes Climate Change Curriculum are particularly suited for picking up lessons at home.

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy offers a number of lessons for download, from board games to outdoor activities.

The National Sea Grant Office has collected education resources from a number of Sea Grant programs along the coasts. You can stay close to home with your state and its direct neighbors, or try a lesson from across the country!

Michigan Sea Grant’s H.O.M.E.S. at Home livestreams are back – these half-hour videos include fun Great Lakes facts, family activities and the chance to earn a certificate for completing daily challenges.

The team at NOAA Education has compiled a library of live and archived webinars for teachers and students, produced by Sea Grant programs and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offices. The page will be updated as new programs become available.

OSU Extension’s Environmental Education Series – All About Water is a collaborative effort to provide middle school students in Lorain County, the surrounding areas and all along the Lake Erie shore with practical, research-based knowledge on water, water quality, and ways that students can make a difference in water pollution prevention. Topics include the Great Lakes, Lake Erie’s physical properties, food webs, storm drains, how kids can make a difference to water quality, macroinvertebrates and ecosystems.

Ohio State’s Orton Geological Museum has created a wide variety of educational resources, and activities for classroom, homeschool, and informal education. More curriculum and activities are actively being added! The curriculum follows Next Generation Science Standards and is broken up into age categories.

Skype a Scientist matches scientists with classrooms around the world, and during the coronavirus pandemic, that classroom could be your living room. Families can sign up to chat live with a researcher from around the world, about a wide range of topics. Scheduled online events on topics from bats to bacteria also bring real-world science to anywhere with an internet connection.

Just need something to keep the kids busy while you’re on a Zoom meeting? Taaja Tucker at the Great Lakes Science Center creates Great-Lakes-themed coloring sheets that are available for download on her website.

5 Gyres has made their Trash Academy lessons available online, and continues to add to the program. Trash Academy teaches students all about the history of plastic and what they can do today for a cleaner planet and a plastic-free tomorrow.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife is now offering Chat With A Biologist to teachers and students on a variety of topics. Wildlife biologists, wildlife officers, land managers and education specialists can all be matched with your online classroom.

To request a presenter, please send an email to outdoor.education@dnr.state.oh.us with the following information:

• Topic: Please try to be as specific as possible in your requests. This helps the Division find the right person for your chat.
• Date and Time Requested: Please provide no less than 7 business days notice. The team cannot accommodate requests with less notice at this time.
• Length of Discussion Time Requested: i.e. half hour, one hour, etc.
• Platform to be used: i.e. Zoom, Google Meets, WebEx, Skype, etc.
• Age/grade level of the class.
• Contact information of the adult who is organizing the chat, including email and phone number.

The Virtual Field from the Organization of Biological Field Stations offers virtual teaching materials and events from field stations, marine laboratories and other research or educational sites around the world. Collaborative virtual projects teach field skills, such as observation, communication, and critical thinking. Associated instructional materials are designed for university faculty and are being adapted for students of all ages and disciplines.

Great Lakes Now is offering middle school curriculum for free download. The set is broken into three categories: an introduction to the Great Lakes, an overview of threats to the Great Lakes, and a video series that takes students on a virtual field trip through Great Lakes habitats.