🌱 Resources for Parents, Grandparents & Teachers
Supporting readers, nurturing kindness, and inspiring curious explorers.
Welcome! This resource hub is designed for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and educators who want to help children grow as readers, thinkers, and kind humans. Here you’ll find trusted tools for supporting early literacy, inspiring curiosity about nature and the world, encouraging social-emotional learning, and guiding kids to practice everyday kindness. These ideas pair beautifully with my books: The Kindness Seed, Great Explorers, Rainbow Colors, and State Fair Fun Money, and can enrich storytime at home, in classrooms, or in community spaces.
📚 Reading & Literacy Resources
1. Scholastic Parents – Reading Help & Book Ideas
https://www.scholastic.com/parents
Tips for building reading routines, choosing the right books, and keeping reluctant readers engaged.
2. Reading Rockets
https://www.readingrockets.org
Evidence-based reading strategies, printable activities, and videos for parents and teachers.
3. PBS Kids Reading Games
https://pbskids.org/games/reading
Interactive reading games that make literacy playful for ages 3–8.
4. Storyline Online
https://www.storylineonline.net
Celebrities read picture books aloud—great for modeling fluent reading.
Related activities using your books:
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After reading Rainbow Colors, have kids hunt for those colors around the room or outdoors.
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Use Great Explorers to practice “reading the world”—observing, questioning, and describing what they see.
🌎 Curiosity, Nature & Caring for the World
5. National Geographic Kids
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com
Short videos, articles, and facts that spark curiosity about animals, geography, and environmental stewardship.
6. NASA Climate Kids
https://climatekids.nasa.gov
Kid-friendly explanations of climate science and conservation.
7. Project Learning Tree (Environmental Activities)
https://www.plt.org/educator-tips
Simple outdoor learning activities for home or classroom.
Related activities using The Kindness Seed:
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Plant a seed (sunflower, bean, or wildflowers) and track its growth in a “kindness journal.”
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Discuss how taking care of plants is similar to taking care of each other and our communities.
💛 Social-Emotional Learning & Kindness
8. Greater Good Science Center – Kids & Families
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/kids
Science-backed practices for teaching empathy, gratitude, mindfulness, and resilience.
9. Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (for Kids)
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/for-educators
Free lessons, kindness calendars, and activities for home and classroom.
10. Sesame Workshop Social-Emotional Resources
https://sesameworkshop.org/resources
Videos and tools that help younger children name emotions, build empathy, and navigate relationships.
Activity inspired by The Kindness Seed:
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Start a “Kindness Chain”: kids add a paper link for each small act they notice or do.
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Create a “kindness seed packet” for each student — inside list ways they can spread kindness.
🎨 Creativity, Play & Learning
11. Crayola Education
https://www.crayola.com/education
Art-fueled activities that support creative learning.
12. Khan Academy Kids (Free App for Early Learning)
https://learn.khanacademy.org/khan-academy-kids
Reading, math, SEL, and creative play for ages 2–8.
13. GoNoodle – Movement & Mindfulness
https://www.gonoodle.com
Short movement and mindfulness videos perfect for brain breaks.
Related activities using State Fair Fun Money:
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Create a pretend fair or store and give each child “fun money” to practice counting, budgeting, and decision-making.
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Discuss real-life choices: saving, spending, and sharing.
👨🏫 Teacher Corner (Great for Classrooms, Libraries & Homeschool)
14. Teachers Pay Teachers (Free Worksheets Section)
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Price-Range/Free
Lots of literacy, SEL, and nature-related printables.
15. Edutopia – Classroom Ideas & SEL
https://www.edutopia.org
Articles & strategies for engaging students, building community, and supporting diverse learners.
Classroom discussion ideas using book by Kara A. Mullane:
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Community Circle (from The Kindness Seed): Ask “What is one small way you were kind this week?”
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Explorer Charts (from Great Explorers): Class can track things they discover—plants, insects, shapes, patterns, weather. Also have this book in a Spanish translation, Grandes Exploradores.
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Color Walk (from Rainbow Colors): Students find colors in the school environment and photograph or sketch them.
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Math Fair (from State Fair Fun Money): Stations where kids “buy” experiences or items using pretend money.
Thank you,
Kara A. Mullane
