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Educational Design & Technology

Digital Learning Resources

Summer Learning

For children and students, the freedom of summer is an avenue for exploration and discovery. What an ideal opportunity to blend their interests with educational activities! To help students get started, we have collected resources that can be used to begin this adventure. Now is a perfect time to encourage a creative approach to a variety of self-chosen topics that will spark imagination and inspire learning.

For Parents and Guardians
  1. Educational Toolkit for At-Home Learning (Grades K – 12)
    The Barbara Bush Foundation has created an Educational Toolkit to Help Parents and Children Learn Together at Home. Free online resources that can help children continue to build critical literacy skills through the summer and while schools are closed. To help parents choose among the plethora of available options, literacy and education experts have curated a toolkit of trusted, high-quality online resources that can be used anytime, anywhere.
  2. 2022 Summer Reading at New York State Libraries (Grades K – 12)
    For 2022, the official theme is all things water and ocean related, so library staff are already hard at work planning exciting programs and events for Oceans of Possibilities! Public libraries will be reaching out to their school counterparts to collaborate on working together to provide learning activities and enriching events for students of all ages during the coming summer. Summertime means a chance to explore new books, e-books and other resources, learn new skills, and check out virtual and in person programs and activities. It’s the perfect time to discover what your local library has to offer!
  3. New York State Museum Online Education Portal (Grades K – 12)
    The New York State Museum (NYSM) offers a one-stop place for a wide variety of online educational resources for students and their teachers and caregivers. This portal brings together many of the museum’s resources, including links to virtual “Fieldtrips,” digital collections, online resources, and fun activities for kids based on the museum’s research and collections. 
  4. NYC Department of Education – Summer 2022 Rising (Grades K – 12)
    Summer Rising 2022 is a partnership between New York City’s Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). For grades K-8, Summer Rising programming will spark curiosity, joy, and a love of learning. Students will engage with peers and caring adults to experience all that our city has to offer. We will continue to combine academic support and school-based enrichment programming led by Community Based Organizations (CBOs), and students will have daily opportunities to play, create, explore, and develop new interests. For high school students, Summer Rising 2022 is the beginning of our city’s focus on reimagining each student’s learning journey – or pathway – to prepare, engage, and connect students to careers, with long-term economic security as the goal. In partnership with DYCD, DOE, and other city agencies, the Adams administration is providing a record 100,000 summer opportunities for high school students.
  5. National Summer Learning Association – Resources for Families (Grades K – 12)
    Provides resources and guidance on remote learning and news for families, with links to research, newsletters, and summer events. Includes the Top 10 Easy Summer Learning Tips for Parents
  6. New York State Library Personal History Initiative and Summer Reading 2022 “Oceans of Possibilities” 
    Ideas for Summer Reading Projects using the NYSL COVID-19 Personal History Initiative!
For Students
  1. Virtual Field Trips to the New York State Museum (Grades K – 12)
    Visit with NYSM educators, scientists, and historians as they take you behind the scenes of some of the museum's exhibits and collections to highlight cool finds and facts from New York State. This portal brings together many of the museum’s resources, including links to virtual “Fieldtrips,” digital collections, online resources, and fun activities for kids based on the museum’s research and collections. 
  2. Summer Guide – Growing Up NYC  (Grades 6 – 12)
    From the City of New York, guidance for Generation NYC on free things you can do indoors and outdoors this summer with your family. Activities and information for Teens and Young Adults, with ideas to make the most of the warm weather while staying healthy with free indoor and outdoor activities, learning at home, staying connected, updated information on the coronavirus, and more.
  3. NYS Summer Reading 2022 for Kids! (Grades K-12)
    Get creative this summer with ideas to spark the imagination! A variety of resources can be found including Booklists, Crafts, Games, video challenges, and Reading & Writing activities to keep kids of all ages engaged in learning.
  4. National Geographic - Bring Exploration to Life for Learners (Grades 6 -12)
    To support keeping young minds engaged this summer National Geographic shares the first-ever Summer Learning Series. Over the course of eight weeks, National Geographic offers opportunities for young people to stay engaged in meaningful learning and connect with others. Each week virtually visit a different part of the world and learn about its geographic features, population, climate, ecology, biodiversity, culture, history and more. Join on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The live video events, streamed on YouTube, connect young people with National Geographic Explorers—leading scientists, researchers, educators and storytellers—as they share their stories and experiences from the field.
  5. 2022 Summer Reading at New York Libraries 
    For 2022, the official theme is all things water and ocean related, so library staff are already hard at work planning exciting programs and events for Oceans of Possibilities! Public libraries will be reaching out to their school counterparts to collaborate on working together to provide learning activities and enriching events for students of all ages during the coming summer. Summertime means a chance to explore new books, e-books and other resources, learn new skills, and check out virtual and in person programs and activities. It’s the perfect time to discover what your local library has to offer!
  6. Camp TV: A Nationwide Day Camp 
    Welcome to CAMP TV—a day camp experience in your living room! An enthusiastic head counselor, played by Zachary Noah Piser, guides "campers" as they learn through play. Content partners include the New York Public Library, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Bedtime Math, Wildlife Conservation Society, the Memphis Zoo, and more. Here you'll find resources and activities to help extend the learning in each episode. You can stream full episodes of Camp TV on-demand at the Camp TV series website.