Take Advantage of Online Learning Resources With Many Children Still Stuck at Home

Current as of Sept. 29, 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 continues to disrupt school and library schedules, presenting challenges for parents to keep their children engaged in learning actitivies. But the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Digital Library offers resources to supplement virtual and in-classroom learning.

The MWR library system offers access to many easy-to-use online resources for children, youth and teens. You’ll find eBooks and audiobooks for your child (parents and teachers, too) on a variety of topics, as well as databases, reference books, tutoring services and materials.

These resources are available free of charge to military service members and their families. Some libraries may require you to register and create an online account, but the resources are still offered for free.

Below are descriptions of some of the available resources.

• BookFlix This library from Scholastic pairs classic video storybooks with related nonfiction titles to reinforce early reading skills and develop real-world knowledge. This cultivates key reading skills, supports reluctant readers and ELL students, and builds fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Please check to make sure that every computer that will access BookFlix meets the necessary technical requirements.
• Britannica Academic Enjoy fast and easy access to thousands of articles, biographies, videos, images and websites. Includes ImageQuest, with more than three million images, all rights-cleared for educational, noncommercial use.
• Britannica Annals of American History This valuable online chronicle provides the original words of more than 1,500 authors who made and analyzed American history through their speeches, writings, memoirs, poems and interviews.
• Britannica Library Provides three sites in one — Children, Young Adults, and the Reference Center — where you can conduct research, complete school assignments, work on special projects or explore your unique interests. You can even store your research in your personal My Britannica account.
• Explora Primary Want to learn more about animals, arts, music, health, history, people and places, science, math and sports? Explora Primary can help. Grades K-5.
• Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia Explore this vast reference library for full articles about thousands of topics. Enter the password “1source” if prompted.
• Gale Academic OneFile This premier periodical resource provides millions of articles from scholarly journals and other authoritative sources with extensive coverage in key subject areas such as biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science and psychology. Enter the password “1source” if prompted.
• Gale eBooks is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These reference materials once were accessible only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7. Enter the password “1source” if prompted.
• Gale In Context: Middle School This library combines the best of Gale’s reference content with age-appropriate videos, newspapers, magazines, primary sources and much more. Students will find outstanding support to complete assignments in core subjects, including literature, science, social studies and history. Enter the password “1source” if prompted.
• Gale In Context: Science is an engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of today’s most significant science topics. The solution merges Gale’s authoritative and continuously updated reference content with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, experiments, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites organized into a user-friendly portal experience. Enter the password “1source” if prompted.
• Mango Languages Check out this digital language learning program for learners of all levels, with courses in more than 70 different foreign languages, 21 English language courses and 44 specialty courses. Mango’s language-learning methodology is designed to simulate the way people learn a foreign language when actually immersed in everyday, practical conversation. Mango Languages also offers more than 40 streaming international movies via its Mango Premier feature.
• NoveList K-8 Plus provides a trusted source of information curated specifically for younger readers. It helps kids find books that are just right for their reading level and interests.
• NoveList Plus helps readers discover books they want to read and connects them to library collections. Currently, the NoveList Plus database contains information on more than 500,000 popular fiction and readable nonfiction titles for all ages.
• ScienceFlix Offering more than 50 complete units of study with more than 6,500 science-related assets in a variety of media, ScienceFlix (from Scholastic) provides students with a better understanding of science concepts and ideas through hands-on projects, videos, multiple text types, interactive features and more.
• Teachables This library offers printable activities for any pre-K to sixth-grade subject: math, science, reading comprehension, STEM, writing and beyond. Download printable lesson plans, reading passages, games and puzzles, clip art, bulletin board ideas, teacher supports and skills sheets. Access more than 25,000 teacher-created, vetted printables to support your instruction. Enter “military” for your user ID and password if prompted.
• Teacher Reference Center Access indexing and abstracts for more than 270 of the most popular teacher and administrator journals and magazines.
• TrueFlix Offering dozens of units to supplement social studies and science core curricula learning, TrueFlix (from Scholastic) helps students improve literacy skills, build content-area knowledge, and cultivate the critical skills necessary for academic success and college and career readiness.
• Tutor.com Tutor.com for military children gives kids access to online tutoring and homework help from live, expert tutors in more than 16 subjects. Tutors can help with tonight’s homework or catch your child up on missed concepts and lessons, all for free.

Explore the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Digital Library today with your family to discover what adventures await your minds.

Stay up to date on COVID-19 developments

Our understanding of COVID-19 is changing rapidly. Stay up to date by checking the Coronavirus Updates for Our Military Community page for updates. For updates and information specific to your location, visit your installation’s official website. You can also follow your installation’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram platforms. For Department of Defense updates for the military community regarding the virus that causes COVID-19, visit Defense.gov and follow Military OneSource’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms.