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Lots of kids around the world are learning from home right now. In this post, I introduce free resources based on web technologies that will help them explore and learn from the safety of their living rooms. VR headsets and high-end graphics cards aren’t necessary. Really, all you need is a web browser!
Create a secret hideout
Hubs by Mozilla lets you share a virtual room with friends right in your browser. You can watch videos, play with 3D objects, or just hang out. Then, once you get the hang of Hubs, you can build almost anything imaginable with Spoke: a clubhouse, adventure island, or magic castle . . . . In Hubs, your little world becomes a place to spend time with friends (and show off your skills).
Play with the CSS Coloring Book
When kids (or adults) want to color, you have some options besides pulp paper booklets of princesses and sea creatures, thanks to Lubna, a front-end developer from the UK. Just click the “Edit On Codepen” button, and start playing. (The CSS color guide on MDN is a helpful reference). Young and old can learn by experimenting with this fun little toy.
Bring Bright Colors Into A Gray Day
Learn CSS Grid and Flexbox
The seasons are changing around the world—toward spring and toward fall. It feels like time to get into the garden and meet the frogs hopping from plant to plant. The Grid Garden that is, and Flexbox Froggy, to be precise. Educational software vendor Codepip created these attractive online learning experiences. They’re a great place for the young—and the young at heart—to get started with CSS.
Enter the Garden
Meet Flexbox Froggy
Fly to Jupiter
You don’t need a bus, car, submarine, or rocketship to go on a field trip. Educator Kai has created a variety of free VR experiences for kids and adults over at KaiXR. No headset is needed. Visit the planets of the solar system, Martin Luther King Memorial, the Mayan city of Chichen Itza, and the Taj Mahal in India. See dinosaurs, explore the human body, dive under the sea . . . and much, much more.
It’s great to share resources!
Have other suggestions to share, or favorite learning resources? Tell us about them in the comments. They may be included in a future edition of our developer newsletter, where a portion of this content has already appeared.
About Val Grimm
Val is a technical communicator with experience in cross-cultural environments. Past professional and volunteer experiences include IT technical writing, business analysis, educational publishing, academic administration, marketing, and press relations. Extracurricular interests include science fiction, computing history, and a computer art subculture called the demoscene. Val is also active in the Rust community.