Staying curious, inspired and connected while learning from home

Stay connected · Apr 9, 2020

With schools closed due to the COVID-19 crisis and most kids now at home all day, many parents are having to juggle working from home with having to find ways to keep educating their children. In a time-strapped day with the pressures of work, this additional responsibility can be challenging.

At TELUS, we are here to help families with children now at home navigate this new reality. Here are some resources that parents can access to help their kids stay productive and connected. 

Microsoft Family Learning Center

Whether you're learning, playing, or working remotely, you can take advantage of our collaboration with our friends at Microsoft to offer free online educational activities.  

Encouraging families to ‘Learn, Do and Share’, the Microsoft Family Learning Center lets you:

  • Engage your kids for an hour or more with safe and simple family-led learning experiences for ages 3 to 12 

  • Choose from a wide range of subjects and learning tools, with activities categorized by age group

  • Select free activities that have been carefully curated from educational resources from around the world

  • Focus on “elective” content that complements  the public school system’s focus on core curriculum, for example:

      • Ages 3-6: Learn Family History, Build a Dinosaur, Have a Dance Party, and more

      • Ages 6-9: Stop Motion Animation, Make Summer Plans, Learn About Planets, and more

      • Ages 9-12: Learn about AI, Write a News Story, Meet an Artist, and more

Keeping your family safe online

Our FREE digital literacy education program, TELUS Wise®, empowers Canadians of all ages to have a positive experience online and stay safe in our digital world. TELUS Wise offers free online youth workshops, including:

  • TELUS Wise footprint for Grades 2-6 that helps students learn how to be good digital citizens and keep their digital footprint clean.

  • TELUS Wise in control for Grades 6-9 that engages tweens and teens in a discussion about cyberbullying, identity theft, protecting and positively growing their online reputation and more

  • TELUS Wise impact, also for Grades 6-9 that engages youth in a conversation about cyberbullying, helping them explore and understand different options for safe and appropriate ways of intervening when they witness cruel behaviour online.

  • TELUS Wise happiness for Grades 9-12 that engages teen students in a conversation about building and maintaining a healthy relationship with technology and offers tips on ensuring resiliency and well-being in our connected world.

Additional printable activity sheets and digital resources are available online and cover topics like:

  • Protecting your online security, privacy, and reputation

  • Rising above cyberbullying

  • Using technology responsibly

TELUS Wise is a valuable resource for everyone from kids to parents to seniors. See the full list of TELUS Wise resources

FREE Optik TV educational content

Television can be a great source of home education as well as entertainment. That’s why we are offering free Optik TV® channel previews until April 30th, including:

  • Love Nature (suitable for 6+ year olds) – featuring shows like Orangutan Jungle School, Zoo Juniors and Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs

  • BBC Earth (suitable for 6+ year olds) – featuring shows like Seven Worlds, One Planet and David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities

  • Smithsonian Channel (suitable for 6+ year olds) – featuring shows like Canada Over the Edge and Cosmic Vistas

  • National Geographic (suitable for 10+ year olds) –  featuring shows like Secrets of the Zoo and Cosmos: Possible World

  • Nat Geo Wild (suitable for 10+ year olds) – featuring shows like Lion Kingdom and Hope for Wildlife 

You can also update your Optik TV package to include educational channels found in theme packs such as:

  • Knowledge theme pack: Documentary, H2, NASA, ONE Get Fit

  • Nature & Culture theme pack: BBC Earth, HiFi, Love Nature HD & 4K, Smithsonian Channel

  • World & Beyond theme pack: Discovery, History, CTV Sci-Fi Channel, Discovery Science, Discovery Investigation

  • Explore theme pack: Animal Planet, DTOUR™, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild

To learn more about how you can extend your family’s learning from home to include history, documentaries and the world around us, check out our Optik TV packages and channels.

Teacher, administrator or staff member?
You may be eligible for Optik TV and other TELUS Home Services discounts. View special offer

FREE WE.org home learning resources 

Since 2007, TELUS has partnered with international youth charity WE.org to educate and empower youth to use the power of technology to stand up for what they believe in and create a community of support for causes that matter to them. WE is committed to helping you navigate the world of distance learning during this challenging time by offering:

WE Schools @home free weekly online tools and resources that complement and support at-home learning. Developed for Grades K through 12, this weekly lesson package includes interactive and experiential curriculum-based resources, materials and lesson plans that emphasize well-being, social and emotional learning, service-learning and fostering resiliency. Register here to receive weekly lesson plans, resources and tools to support student learning at home. 

WE Schools Live, a live daily online show that helps keep students engaged in learning. Hosted by renowned speakers such as Spencer West, and featuring inspiring guests, experts, teachers, celebrities and more, each episode tackles a different, relevant theme and includes curated resources, videos and learning tools. Watch daily from 10-11am PST / 11-12pm MTN / 1-2pm EST. 

More WE educational youth resources

Connecting families in need

As Canadians across the country cope with the impact of this unprecedented public health crisis, having access to reliable internet is increasingly important. But for less fortunate families, it can be a struggle.

Our Internet for Good™️ program already provides eligible low-income families with the tools and connectivity they need to succeed. Now, we are stepping up our support by:

  • Giving low-income families enrolled in the program as of March 31, 2020 access to high speed internet in their home at no cost during April and May

  • Partnering with school boards in Alberta and British Columbia to expand and expedite the process of bringing this critical connectivity to all students who need it for learning from home. School Boards working with TELUS will be responsible for identifying families in need of an internet connection at home, and will provide that family with a unique TELUS Internet for Good promotion code, which the family can use to call TELUS and register for the program. If you receive the maximum Canada Child Benefit, you can also apply for Internet for Good.

Authored by:
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TELUS
TELUS team
This series of blog posts was created to help our customers and team members stay informed and feel supported during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.