Learning at Home
For students and parents at Garrett County Public Schools we offer:
- Fine free student cards are available to all currently enrolled students. These are based on the student's lunch number using the format GCPSXXXX, with the lunch number in place of the XXXX. The password is the four-digit lunch number by itself. Students can use their Student Card to check out up to 3 books without late fees.
- The Library's books can be used for the 100 Book Challenge offered for K-5 students - stock up with us!
- The Library also has current GCPS textbooks on reserve at each branch for parents and students to use if needed (coming soon)
In addition, try these other incredible resources:
- Parents' Back to School Backpack from the MD Department of Education
- Technical Help for Virtual Learning from Garrett County Public Schools
For homeschooling students and parents we offer:
- For those without Library cards, you can begin the process to get one digitally by clicking here - this temporary card can be used almost immediately for accessing our online resources!
- The Library currently lends Wifi hotspots for home use (supplies are limited)
- We carry an excellent up-to-date selection of books on homeschooling for those that are looking for ideas.
In addition, try these other incredible resources:
- Maryland Homeschool Association - a great resource for getting started and connecting with others
- Resources for Homeschooling Families available from the State Library Resource Center
- Homeschooling Organizations and Groups in Maryland
- Free lesson plans from the Internet Archive's Education Resources Information Center collection via the U.S. Department of Education
- Information and fact sheets on home instruction from the State Department of Education
- Free textbooks available at the Internet Archive
- Tips from Homeschool Moms who Happen To Be Librarians (Harford County Public Library)
- Sight Words - teach kids to read with phonemes, courtesy of the Georgia Preschool Association
- SplashLearn - a free math learning program for kids K-5
- Garrett County Homeschool Ideas Facebook group - local parents sharing ideas and experiences
- Maryland Homeschoolers Facebook group - connect with other parents and learn about new resources
- The Accidental Homeschooler - resources for those who find themselves thrust into a new situation by circumstances
- School Parenting Guides - articles and videos on all sorts of home education topics from Today
- Homeschooling in Maryland - state-specific resource pages compiled by the TheHomeSchoolMom.
- Hand in Hand Homeschool - great introductory information on the "how-tos" of homeschooling your child
- SEA Homeschoolers (Secular, Eclectic, Academic) - resources for secular homeschool education
- MACHE (Maryland Association of Christian Home Educators) - a support group for religious education at home
- Cathy Duffy Reviews - reviews of homeschool curriculum for those looking to choose
- AmblesideOnline - free Charlotte Mason-style curriculum online
- Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool - a free online Christian-based curriculum
- A2Z Homeschooling - free lesson plans for K-12 home education
- CK-12 - full online classes on a wide range of subjects with online testing, run by a nonprofit organization
- "Getting Started with Homeschooling" - video from St. Mary's County Library
For everyone learning at home we offer:
- Events and classes both online and off
- Internet access and drive-up WiFi at all locations
- Copying, faxing and printing services
- A binding tool and laminator available at the Main Library for public use
- Our "1000 Books Before Kindergarten" program encourages parents to reach that milestone with their kids, offering prizes at milestones and commemorating their success with a display in the Library - sign up today at any branch!
- Literacy kits and educational toys for checkout
- 3D printing available at the Main Library and Grantsville Branch
- Learn a new language with Mango Languages
- Online databases on a wide variety of subjects
- Live tutoring assistance through Brainfuse - for any grade, on any subject
- Weekly Activity Lists are posted on the Library's social media with 5 weeks worth of activities/ideas for those looking for something fun and educational to do with their children at home
In addition, try these other incredible resources:
- The Internet Archive - a nonprofit online library full of millions of ebooks, articles, pictures, movies, music, games and much, much more.
- Khan Academy - personalized free education in all subjects for all ages
- Open Culture - free online courses, MOOCs, movies, audiobooks, textbooks and much more for lifelong learning
- MIT OpenCourseWare - free course materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- National Gallery of Art - lessons and activities on art for all grade levels
- Free educational resources for distance learning courtesy of the California Department of Education
- Scratch - MIT's site that teaches kids to code their own games and programs
- TumbleBooks - free online ebooks and read-alongs
- TumbleMath - free math related e-books for kids on a wide variety of topics
- Girls Who Code Home Activities - encouraging young women to get involved in the world of computer science
- Smithsonian Learning Lab - with lots and lots of great resources direct from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution
- The Smithsonian's Fun Stuff for Kids and Teens page - with interesting and informative activities and games
- DK findout! - cool materials and activities covering the wonders of the world around you
- Baltimore Museum of Industry - provides virtual tours for a field trip experience
- B&O Railroad Museum - also offers a virtual tour of its Baltimore facility
- American Visionary Art Museum - provides a guided virtual field trip
- Walters Art Museum - offers another great tour for art lovers
- Science Bob - scientific experiments for kids to try at home
- Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum - another virtual tour for literary exploration
- NASA - NASA's website, filled with information on astronomy and the universe, with lots of resources for space-loving kids
- Bill Nye Experiments - more experiments to try, courtesy of Bill Nye the Science Guy
- The Library of Congress - filled with amazing digital collections from throughout history
- HippoCampus - Lesson plans and supplementary curriculum on a wide variety of subjects
- Virtual field trips from Discovery Education - videos on a wide range of subjects for kids
- Livecams of animals, nature, and interesting sights all over the world through Explore.org
- Sesame Street's "Caring For Each Other" page, which provides free resources for families on different COVID-related subjects
- American Archive of Public Broadcasting - collections of public TV and radio broadcasts from the past 60 years.
- The Western Maryland Historical Library (WHILBR) - resources on local history for those who want to learn more about their own backyards
- Recommended books by grade level from our friends at the Frederick County Public Libraries
- Research guides on a wide variety of subjects from our friends at the Enoch Pratt Free Library
- Artcyclopedia - a great encyclopedia of world art
- Project Gutenberg - over 60,000 free public domain classic books in digital form
- LibriVox - free downloadable audiobooks on public domain titles
- History Comics - a list of free online comics that deal with historical subjects
- Anagram Solver - a tool that lets you unscramble existing words into new combinations