Let’s face it – distance learning isn’t exactly a walk in the park for teachers or parents. The good news is that there are e-learning tools available to make it a bit more manageable this time around. Vooks is one of those tools that is full of distance learning resources, and it has been a total game changer for me. In this post, I will tell you all about Vooks and how you can utilize this amazing resource in your classroom, for remote instruction, or with your own children at home.
What is Vooks?
Vooks is a streaming library of kid-safe animated storybooks on all your favorite devices. Think of your child’s favorite stories in movie form! It is truly AWESOME! Vooks has made it their mission to encourage and inspire kids to fall in love with reading. Vooks’ growing library features stories that teach valuable life lessons with read-along pacing. As a teacher and a mom, I love the visual connection between the words and text. The words are in bold as they are read, which is wonderful for emerging readers.
Vooks for Teachers
Vooks is committed to helping teachers whether you are beginning this school year in the classroom or online. In addition to sharing the stories with your students, Vooks has lesson plans that provide themes, summaries, talking points, discussion ideas, activity ideas, and even vocabulary cards! There are also “Pause and Ponder” printable worksheets that you can utilize to discuss specific moments in each book.
Vooks in the Classroom
Prior to beginning remote learning, I used Vooks in my classroom. After I read a book to my students, I would play a story for them while I set up the next activity. As a kindergarten teacher, having that extra five minutes to prepare is golden! I love the variety of story genres available on Vooks. If I didn’t have a book in my own teacher library about a certain topic or theme, I would always go to Vooks. I also utilized the printable lesson plans and had a stack on hand in case I needed a substitute.
Vooks Distance Learning Resources
When we went to remote learning in March of 2020, I took full advantage of the distance learning resources available that Vooks offers. I had Google Meets with my students several times a week. Using the “present screen” option, I was able to share a Vooks story at the end of each of our sessions. The lesson plans helped guide our discussions about the stories. I suggested to my parents that they could try one month for free, and so many of my families told me how much they loved Vooks!
Vooks for Parents
Vooks has helped me survive distance learning as a teacher AND as a mom. My daughters and I began online learning and teaching in March. It was a juggling act between conference calls, lesson planning, trying to help my girls, and entertaining my almost three year old.
My son was having the hardest time being away from his school routine. After a rough first few days, we tried Vooks for him and it made all the difference! He loves watching his favorite story books come to life through animation, and I love that it gives me a little time to get some work done. The ad-free component is huge to me as a parent because I know that what he is watching is safe.
Vooks does not replace our story time of reading books from his bedroom library. That is our favorite part of the day, and my son loves being read to by Mommy, Daddy, and his big sisters. Vooks is simply a wonderful addition to the day.
What the Research Says
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends daily reading aloud from birth to increase vocabulary and healthy brain development. Research shows that reading for 20 minutes a day builds vocabulary, immersion, and fluency. Further, the amount of words a kid hears by kindergarten can determine their learning success. Vooks is here to help with all of that!
Give Vooks a Try!
Are you ready to give Vooks a try?
Teachers, CLICK HERE to sign up for a FREE YEAR of Vooks! Not a teacher, no problem! Parents can CLICK HERE to try ONE MONTH for FREE!
I hope this post has inspired you to utilize all of the resources that Vooks has to offer teachers and parents! If you have used Vooks in the classroom or at home, I would love to hear from you. Comment below!
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