Category: Press Release

Billings, MT, March 26, 2020 –(PR.com)– In today’s world of adjusting to living with social distancing, business and school closures and the ever-present fears of contracting COVID-19, countries across the globe are struggling in various ways; while thousands of school children settle in at home, parents, youth and caregivers are adapting to a “new normal.”

This kit called the “Coronavirus Education Kit*” provides detailed, scientifically accurate information about viruses, epidemics, pandemics, explanations of contagion, immunity, and the role of treatments, isolation, and quarantine. Through 6 hands-on activities, individuals will gain an appreciation for virus transmission, better understand the importance of hygienic practices, and begin to understand the consequences and responses of spread through a community.

“In a time of uncertainty, all of us have many questions – about our safety, our health, and our future. In the new Coronavirus Education Kit, we don’t claim to have the answers. Rather, we hope to bring to life the science behind the recommendations of world health authorities; things like washing your hands, social distancing and quarantines. The hands-on activities in this kit allow students of all ages to understand and explore disease transmission and consider ways they can help reduce the spread. While uncertainty will remain, we hope this kit provides students and families a strong scientific foundation through which they can interpret current circumstances and that what they learn here inspires them to explore even more,” says Trevor Zuroff, Ph.D., HST Product Development Manager.

The kit includes six hands-on activities:

1. Testing hand-washing techniques for the removal of simulated viruses and germs on hands; practicing proper hand hygiene;
2. Exploring person-to-person virus transmission using simulated “germs”;
3. Assessing the possibility of surface-to-person transmission;
4. Demonstrating droplet-based transmission from a sneeze or cough;
5. Finding the source of a virus outbreak in a fictitious scenario; and
6. Creating a potential solution that could be implemented in the fictitious community to protect citizens, prevent the spread of infectious disease, and care for infected patients.

This Coronavirus Education Kit can be found here.

“Teaching science is one of the most challenging subjects for most of our homeschool families and many other customers. Finding the time, knowing what to do, and gathering the necessary materials are part of the challenge. Regardless of where you or your kids are in your/their science journey, Home Science Tools is here to fully support you. We provide the expertise, products, and services to save you time and make your life easier while bringing science to life,” says Frank Schaner, Founder/President.

Over its 25+ years in business, HST has created a strong collection of 500+ science projects, experiments and/or guides, which are accessible to anyone through its online “Learning Center.” “We deeply value being able to offer quality tools and tips to families who are actively looking for relevant learning to share at home,” says Frank. “That’s always been our company’s primary focus, and we are hopeful we’ll be able to share valuable resources to those looking for help now with social distancing and an increased need for in home learning.”

AUSTIN, Texas, March 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ –In a new and exciting effort to inspire kids to learn to code, CodeWizardsHQ announces The Dragon Quest, a free coding challenge for kids ages 8-18. The Dragon Quest is a 21-day virtual event in which aspiring coders complete 21 levels of Python and JavaScript challenges with one final “Boss Level” question where participants write code. The 21 levels are a staircase to both continue to spark a passion for coding and reinforce skills that young coders have already learned.

The Dragon Quest, designed by Alex Van Winkel, a CodeWizardsHQ senior instructor, was inspired by Tolkien ideals creating a storyline in which kids become heroines and heroes by defeating a trespassing dragon while learning to code. To broaden the reach of this event, CodeWizardsHQ is partnering with homeschool education blogs, STEM nonprofits, and edtech leaders Terminal Two from Endless, Coder Bunnyz’ and ChickTech.

“T2 games are entertaining coding games because they are made by gamers,” said Virginia McArthur, Executive Producer, Endless. “Our games are the perfect companion to CodeWizardsHQ, as they keep students engaged with the core hacking and coding mechanics and reinforce the skills they have been taught.” Winners of this challenge will receive free Steam Access codes and become Ambassadors to the Endless Mission.

As to the importance of coding, Samaira Mehta, Founder of CoderBunnyz, comments, “Coding is more than just lines and lines of letters and numbers. It is something that gives you a different mindset about problems, and that is what coding is: a simple way to solve problems.” Samaira donated two games to amp up excitement through a giveaway.

Jey Iyempandi, Founder and CEO of CodeWizardsHQ underlines, “The best impetus for a student’s success is the motivation and curiosity. We wanted to offer a kids coding challenge to spark curiosity amongst students globally. Without a doubt, this event will provide much-needed fun and an interactive reprieve at the right time!”

About CodeWizardsHQ
CodeWizardsHQ is the leading online coding school for kids and teens ages 8-18. We deliver the most fun and effective live, online coding classes that teach real programming languages like Python, Java, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and more to give our students the programming knowledge, skills, and confidence to thrive in a digital world.

About Terminal Two, by Endless
Terminal Two (T2) is a collection of online coding games that guide students systematically through the invaluable first steps of learning to code. Targeting ages 10-15, our games start simple, only to unfold into more and more advanced concepts, each teaching a specific programming concept.

About CoderBunnyz, CoderMindz & Yes One Billion Kids Can Code
Coder Bunnyz is a coding board game that was created by Samaira Mehta. Coder Bunnyz is designed for 1-4 players ages 4 and older, and the difficulty scales up as players master game skills. Samaira has also developed an online curriculum with learning objectives that align with both CoderBunnyz and CoderMindz. “Yes One Billion Kids Can Code” is a non-profit organization with the mission to get all 1 billion kids into coding and computer science.

About ChickTech
ChickTech is a 501(c)3 US-based nonprofit dedicated to retaining women in the technology workforce and increasing the number of female- and nonbinary-identifying youth and adults pursuing tech-based careers.

For a full list of partners visit https://codewizardshq.com/challenge-partners

Contact: Ana-María Medina, CodeWizardsHQ
512.957.9102
Email: 236764@email4pr.com

SOURCE CodeWizardsHQ

MCLEAN, Va., March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Parents are scrambling to meet the ever-changing needs and demands from school closures, shelter-in-place orders, trying to work from home, and homeschooling. Things that have been working include building a routine, deciding collectively on a plan for screen time and daily movement, and setting academic expectations.

To help with homeschooling, edHelper.com has been releasing daily math, puzzle, and reading workbooks for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade. In the last week, parents have downloaded over 500,000 books free to the public.  But has this been working?  EdHelper reached out to parents to see, and results show that parents who have reduced screen time to a period of 3–4 hours during the day have experienced sanity in their family life. During this time allotment, kids can read, play, exercise, and do chores, and edHelper suggests they work for 15–45 minutes on math worksheets. Some parents also have put a poster on their refrigerator with ideas for this time period.

You can read more about the feedback on edHelper’s program on Facebook:

“[I] love how easy it was to access these without registering and jumping through hoops. Thank you! And these are way better than the tons of supplies and workbooks I’ve been buying for my second- and sixth-graders.”—Josie R.

“My son is in first grade and just loves math! I had just printed a packet for him, and he immediately went to work. He got halfway through and begged me to print ALL of the papers that I could! I can’t thank you enough for giving out these free worksheets! It gets him off of his tablet and using his brain … and he has fun!!!”—Brenda G.

While there are several options for online math games, videos, and tutorials, research still showcases the power of paper and pencil when it comes to developing and internalizing skills and standards. These resources can help limit screen time and encourage strategic academic growth.

New homeschooling parents have a new appreciation for what their child’s teacher does each day, especially when you consider that he or she works with close to thirty students at a time! When school finally resumes, parents will no doubt be ready to shower their children’s teachers with praise, but until then, edHelper.com will keep them engaged with high-quality and engaging materials.

About edHelper, Inc.

edHelper is an online service that provides printable worksheets and educational resources to teachers and homeschooling parents. As a leader providing weekly math workbooks and supplemental reading materials, developed by educational experts, for over 20 years, edHelper now serves more than 100,000 educators in 150 countries.

Press Contact: Russell Frey, author@edhelper.com, 1-571-329-5536

SOURCE edHelper, Inc.

ERIE, Pa., March 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For parents who unexpectedly find themselves homeschooling teenagers who would rather watch Netflix than read a book, and for teachers who are suddenly educating in virtual classrooms, now is the time to utilize izzit.org’s video-centric, online teaching units.  They are convenient, entertaining, educational and – best of all – available at no cost to any educator including parents and grandparents.

For more than a decade, izzit.org has been providing educators with videos for grades 6-12 that inspire critical thinking, stimulate lively, civil discussions and motivate students to research further.  The teaching units include Teachers’ Guides, discussion questions, vocabulary lists, activities, quizzes, and more. Its library of more than 120 video teaching units, courses and Teachable Moments contains everything needed to lead a lesson on various subjects, from world and U.S. history to science, economics, and government/civics. Two Current Events lessons are also available each school day, including vocabulary words and higher-level discussion questions.

izzit.org is also the exclusive producer and distributor of educational resources on the U.S. Constitution for the new 3-hour PBS television series, A More or Less Perfect Union, A Personal Exploration by Judge Douglas Ginsburg.  izzit.org has created an interactive on-line course, The U.S. Constitution & Black History, that is also suitable for lifelong learners. Additionally, there are over 10 stand-alone videos including Becoming Equal Under the Law which looks at how the Constitution was changed over the years to better represent how “All Men are Created Equal.”

“izzit.org has been an invaluable partner to classroom teachers and homeschool parents for more than a decade,” said izzit.org President/CEO Rob Chatfield. “Over 400,000 educators have registered with izzit.org and you can find an izzit.org video lesson in nearly half of the public high schools and middle schools in America.  With the extraordinary circumstance of nationwide school closures, we wanted to let parents and teachers alike know that we’ve got them covered.  Educators often tell us about the profound classroom discussions that take place and the a-ha moments students experience after viewing our videos. And above all, teachers appreciate that our teaching units are – and always have been – available at no cost. That’s why we’ve said izzit.org is the best substitute teaching plan you never knew you needed.”

izzit.org teaching units are available via streaming or downloading directly from izzit.org. U.S. classroom educators can opt to receive a free DVD version as well.

About izzit.org:
izzit.org specializes in creating free, standards-aligned content for teachers that fosters critical thinking and respectful debate among students. A recent independent survey by a Dun & Bradstreet subsidiary estimates izzit.org’s educational materials are currently creating more than 11.3 million views per year. Results from over 30,000 recent quizzes taken by middle and high school students show izzit.org video lessons have an exceptional 76 percent comprehension rate.  izzit.org also offers a Current Events service, complete with two daily articles, discussion questions, and vocabulary, all at no cost to educators. Each school year, U.S.-based classroom educators can receive one free DVD from izzit.org’s library as well as unlimited downloads and streaming. For more information, visit the website, www.izzit.org.

For Further Information:       
HAWKINS PUBLIC RELATIONS
Marjory Hawkins  |  512.838-6324
mhawkins@hawkinspr.com