Here at the David L. Hoyt foundation we are dedicated to helping children learn by engaging in play to develop their minds. Three years ago David L. Hoyt met now 15-year-old philanthropist puzzle maker Riya Joshi at the DLHEF's Guinness Book of World Records GIANT Word Winder event at the Chicago Public Library. 

Riya enjoys playing word games and found a new passion for creating her own puzzles. She wanted to use this new skill to help those who were unable to leave their rooms during Covid-19. She then reached out to David L. Hoyt to help her develop her own puzzle book called 'Detective Wordy'. Riya has left an impact on so many people and left them with a smile while they are unable to leave their hospital rooms and nursing homes. 

Click here to see a video about Riya's story. 
Click here to read about her story. 
Click here to read about Detective Wordy

Recently David L Hoyt created a puzzle on air for the kids public radio station 'The Children's Hour'. These puzzles are interactive and perfect to keep kids entertained while we practice social distancing and isolation. 

To listen to the radio segment click here and to see more puzzles from David L Hoyt be sure to follow @wordsearchworldtraveler on Instagram as well as download the App available on the App Store and Google Play store. 

The David L Hoyt Education Foundation stands in solidarity with Black Americans in rejecting systemic racism. The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have called us all into action. We support the non-violent protests that have taken place across our country as a tool to bring awareness and action to the oppression, violence, and abuse Black Americans feel every day. 
 
Our mission is to support and encourage joyful learning, and we believe that equal access to quality education is imperative in breaking down the walls of systemic racism. We are taking actions to promote and support the work of those with boots on the ground in our network, and finding ways to directly support the Black Communities in which we work. 
 
We pledge to be your ally. We pledge to continue our work with an intentionally anti-racist goal. We pledge to continue to work toward a more equitable future for marginalized Black Communities.
 
We are here. We are listening. We are learning. We support you. 
 
Claire Haasl
Co-founder and Executive Director

Below is a list of resources that we recommend using to support the Black Lives Matter movement:

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Petitions to Sign:
Justice For George
Justice For Breonna Taylor 
Justice For Ahmaud Arbery
Justice For Tony McDade 

Text:
“JUSTICE” To 668366
“FLOYD” To 55156
“ENOUGH” To 55156

Donate:
George Floyd Memorial Fund
Gianna Floyd Fund (George Floyd's Daughter)
Breonna Taylor Fund 
I Run With Maud

Educate Yourself:
Systemic Racism Explained 
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice 
PBS Special on George Floyd
Daily Actions for providing individuals trying to become better allies

Black Owned Chicago Non-Profit Organizations:
Dream On
My Block My Hood My City

​

It's Friday! I can't believe it. 
Is it just me, or did this week go by in a blur? I feel as if every day I woke up and something more concerning had happened. Yesterday, Mayor Lightfoot updated us Chicago Public Schools will be closed until April 20th. Today we learned that California issued an order last night asking people to stay home and New York has just done the same. The reality is we are going to be at home for a while. 
There are a lot of tips out there to help us cope with this change. We think it's essential to keep your minds active so we don't have the time to worry about what we cannot control. Over the past couple of days, I have been curating a list of additional resources for parents and students to keep learning and growing at home. I will continue to add to this list and will post updates when we do. Be well, friends, stay home, and keep learning.  

Download the CPS AT HOME KIT

Apps from David L. Hoyt
Just 2 Fun is the perfect app for kids that like to solve puzzles -- kids that can think outside of the box to arrive at word answers to visual clues!  
http://www.just-2-fun.com/
Word Search World Traveler is great fun for players of all ages- it's even something the whole family can take part in! 
http://wordsearch.world/

Apps and Resources from Literacy Experts
Informable from the News Literacy Project.
Boost your news literacy know-how with Informable! Test your ability to sort fact from fiction, and score points for accuracy and speed across three levels of difficulty and four modes of information. You’ll develop news-literate habits of mind by practicing four distinct skills: distinguishing news articles from opinion pieces, advertisements from other types of information, false evidence from sound evidence, and fact-based statements from opinion-based statements.”
Download Informable on Google Play
Download Informable on Apple's App Store

The American Writers Museum, the first museum solely devoted to celebrating American writers and their works, debuts a first-of-its-kind app designed to help teachers and students engage with the museum's unique field trip curriculum. 
Write In: A Teacher-Curated Tour is an interactive app designed to help teachers and students have a more meaningful and rich experience. It is meant to serve as a supplement to traditional field trips. Teachers can create lesson plans in advance of their visit to American Writers Museum. Since the curriculum is not age-specific, it can be tailored for each classroom so students from elementary school through college can have a tailor-made experience. 
Write In: A Teacher-Curated Tour was co-created with former CPS teacher and current Leyden Township librarian Gina Caneva and is available for FREE through the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

HMH FUSE Algebra 1  HMH Fuse Algebra 1 Common Core Edition gives every student a personalized learning experience using video tutorials, MathMotion step-by-step examples, homework help, quizzes, tips, hints, and many other integrated features to teach, review, and assess all concepts. Winner of the “Distinguished Achievement” Award in the category of Mobile Device Application honoring “outstanding resources for teaching and learning” presented by the Association of Educational Publishers.
Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later. 
Download it for FREE on the Apple App store.
May soon be available on Android. Keep checking the HMH FUSE website.

King of Math Troubi Entertainment  *** The #1 Math trainer for Android ***
"This is one of the best educational apps out there." - famigo.com A professional brain trainer. One that is both efficient and fun to use. Have you ever wanted to be the "king" of something? Of course you have! We want to show you that mathematics is far from boring. It's awesome! It's fun! It makes sense. You just found what you were looking for. A professional brain trainer, one that is both efficient and fun to use. Strengthen your mental abilities, improve your ability to stay concentrated over long periods of time and sharpen your perception skills
To name just a few of the categories available:
» Addition » Subtraction » Multiplication » Division » Powers & Roots » Average & Median » Equations » Fractions » Smallest & Largest
Download it now on Google Play!
​
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems free video series 
https://www.facebook.com/events/2544781839094130/

Play Smart Literacy Pinterest Boards 
https://www.pinterest.com/playsmartlitera/boards/
We have 64 boards filled with playful learning ideas to build language and relationships through play!
There is a board for each of our weekly Play Themes.  Also boards for subjects like Literacy, Science, Math, even  10 Parenting Tools...ALL THROUGH PLAY :)
Visit PlaySmartLiteracy.org for more info- free registration, SHARE your #TalkAndPlay at home, or follow us on social media for ideas and connection.

Stop Breathe Think
A meditation app for kids! (There is one for adults, too!)
https://www.stopbreathethink.com/kids/

Read Ask Chat 
Download ReadAskChat from the iTunes App Store or Google Play
The wonderful folks at Read Ask Chat are making access to the full library FREE! to families through the end of May.
After loading the FREE app, enter the code YNC2SN during registration to unlock ALL of their stories and conversation starters.
​
ABCMouse 
www.abcmouse.com

The Poetry Foundation
Download their free app that allows people to find poems for different categories or use the Spin function to encounter a poem at random.
The Poetry Foundation has also published a collection of resources for educators and guardians trying to keep learning and morale up.

The Cincinnati Zoo is doing Home Safaris on Facebook Live 
https://www.facebook.com/events/2915534028492292/

Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition
The CCLC has published this list of resources:
Coronavirus Lesson Plan from esllibrary.com
InternetEssentials.com 60 days of free Internet Essentials service for new customers
ProLiteracy: prepare for, protect from, and prevent COVID-19 activities
Khan Academy
Learning Upgrade
Chicago Digital Learn
Northstar Digital Literacy
USALearns

Hello friends.
Wow.
We are stepping into an unknown space.
No school, no social contact.
We know it's a scary time. We also know that there are a lot of resources and people out there trying to help us through this maze of uncertainty. As the leader of an educational non-profit I am trying to focus on that. We aren't sure what is to come, but hopefully this package of resources will help stimulate your mind while we patiently wait from the safety of our homes. 
We wanted to put together some resources for everyone who might have kids at home. If you have any trouble accessing anything, please reach out! We are here to help! 
Be well, 
Claire
(claire@davidlhoytfoundation.org)

Here is a Printable PDF package of Custom-made David L. Hoyt Puzzles FOR KIDS.

For our Chicago family, CPS has released their Enrichment Learning Resources and they are organized by grade level. They are available on the CPS website here: https://cps.edu/oshw/Pages/EnrichmentLearningResources.aspx
Additionally, the Chicago Parks District is open in some locations. You can find more information about which locations are open here: 
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/coronavirus-response?fbclid=IwAR1a_OMi5jtjlbacSX7lwQ0QpCquWsFz5cuYXqnq-ig0QUwSVlygS5N_vuY

Visit https://fromabcstoacts.com/ for a slew of hands-on activities, resources, and printables. 

Adobe is offering free Creative Cloud tools offered to students through May 31, 2020. Read more about it here:
https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-enables-distance-learning-globally-schools-impacted-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR3KgqXMls8k7JUE01rDaCp52eYbP1fTEWjRtXEXZ4v1zr69B5pB1PYIs2Y

If you have some time to sort through an extensive list of "Amazing Educational Resources"  check out:   http://www.amazingeducationalresources.com/ 

There may be more now, but 12 renowned museums have released virtual tours. You can find more info here: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR1QLyuZAxd5YniLUvVFfYyV003hLmJckxEP1R9-pcW28l5cV5h8xk7RopA

MysteryScience.com has a dedicated school closure planning page on their website with free, and easy remote learning activities. Visit it here: 
https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning?fbclid=IwAR1GgClip1xQrcoMWJ248SwuihPhBKr2B7hlUSpByjgyjNyKSmukBjewix4

Storyline Online is a resource of videos of celebrities reading storybooks. Its pretty cute and you can check it out here: 
https://www.storylineonline.net/?fbclid=IwAR0NCuP1ZxHU6GCmD4K0knBgVkwgmor0VKougCWx9fm8jgoZkbRzFgCC8mw

(We also want to acknowledge that not every home is safe. If you are in an abusive situation and need help please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Call 800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224 or chat at thehotline.org

Would you like a chance to help educators be successful? Then you may be the perfect candidate for the 2020 Study Group Coach Grant! These coaches with collaboratively with other CPS educators to bring new and exciting ideas to the classroom. 

If you are interested in seeing some of the topics that were supported last year be sure to checkout the 2019 CFE Study Group Catalog.

Share your love of educating and fill out an application to be a CFE Study Group Coach today! The deadline for this is Monday, February 24th!

       When I saw little, I would go to the library often. It was a place of wonder for me. My mom would help me pick out books and I would play with the train set and make new friends. As I got older, the library was more of a place of discovery. When I needed to write a report or had a project due for school the library was the source of information for me. I remember spending a lot of time in the library at school in middle school and high school. The library became a social place; somewhere I could connect with friends about subjects we were learning and things we didn't quite understand yet. In college, the library was everything. A quiet place for solitude and research that was more valuable at times than my own apartment. As an adult and professional working in the education space, the library has become a friend -- a welcoming place I can utilize to bring joy to others. 
     I love how the library has filled so many different roles in my life. I love how libraries have adapted and transformed over time. I love that libraries are welcoming and inviting. I love that you can walk into a library with one idea in your head and leave with hundreds more. I love that there is joy at the library. 
        To all the librarians we know and all of the people out there who love the libraries like we do, thank you! Thank you for making the library a place of wonder and delight! Happy Valentine's Day! We love you, libraries!
~ Claire Haasl, Executive Director, DLHEF

Happy Friday to all! Digital literacy is an important part of our early education through adulthood, as technology evolves and improves. Today we wanted to share with you some information on a few resources that can help you expand your digital literacy knowledge. 

​Hey there! I’m Jess Kain the Social Media Design intern here at the David L Hoyt Foundation. I’m also a senior at Columbia College Chicago where I study music business with a minor in marketing. I enjoy the process of creating visual content and hope to continue to do so when I graduate in May! 
The David L Hoyt Foundation is an exciting opportunity for me because I am able to explore new and exciting ways to create alongside a brand that encourages learning. My hope for this internship is that I’m able to make fun and exciting content that everyone will like to see! 
Outside of this internship, you can find me listening to music, hanging out with my friends, and walking dogs! Thanks for reading a little bit about me, and be sure to keep up with the social media to see all of the cool new content!