Welcome to YEP’s Website Resource Page. Here we have a number of sites categorized by topic.

Tips for Parents

• SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You” campaign is a great resource for parents to get informed, be prepared, and take action to prevent underage drinking and other drug use. To make it even easier, they now have a Mobile App.
• If you happen to enjoy graphs and statistics, here’s a cool article on Parenting Teens in the Age of Technology.
• As much as we may worry about students overusing technology, it’s important to remember there are a number of Benefits of Technology for them as well.
• And to finish things, here’s a great article about Teaching Students Life Skills Using Technology.
• Great Tips for Parents to Support Their Middle Schoolers as school begins, and throughout the year.
• Suggestions for Students to Include Activity into Their Lives, focusing on physical health. 

Food

• If we have any aspiring chefs out there, check out this list of 70 Easy Recipes that can be made even by those who are just starting to cook.
• For those who may not have any cooking skills yet, you might want to read about Why Kids Should Learn to Cook, and some Tips on Learning to Cook ranging from 3 year olds to YEP student age.
• If you’re interested in trying something new for breakfast, Check Out This Link. It includes simple but delicious ideas along with some more complicated but healthy recipes, and everything in between!
• If you’re just looking for tips on little changes you can make so your chocolate chip cookies turn out just the way you like them, Click Here 
• For a chocolate chip cookie recipe with a special secret ingredient, Click Here
• If you’re in the mood for banana bars, Click Here
• If you’d like to make a “double root beer float” just in time for summer, Click Here
• Here are 13 Apple Recipes, perfect for the fall, or any time you have apples.
• If you want some Awesome Patriotic Snack Ideas, we’ve got you covered. Ideas range from easy to a bit more of a challenge. 

Outdoor Activities (for families or individuals)

• We love this List of Summer Activities from UNICEF, which includes a number of fun things students can do on their own or with family.
• We thought this Link To DIY Yard Games ranging from squirt gun painting to a backyard bowling alley might give you some fun summer ideas.
• If you’re just looking for something fun to do, we have this List Of 4th Of July Activities. Suitable for all ages. Also suitable for days other than July 4th.
• If you’ve ever thought about starting your own, here are some great Tips for Creating a Neighborhood Treasure Hunt.
• To make their own fun, many families have tried scavenger hunts. Check out This Site for some starter ideas on making your own.
• For those who will be celebrating Easter, or just like hiding plastic eggs around their neighborhood any day of the week, Here is a Fun Idea to spread a little kindness during the egg hunt.
• This is A Great List of Family Activities. It’s labeled for dads and teens, but there are no rules saying other family members or friends can’t get in on the fun! The key is to take interest in what your family members are into and give it a try.
• If you’re looking for a family trip to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch, we are lucky to have a number to choose from in our area, many with bonus features like corn mazes, pumpkin launchers, farm animals, and more! Some great ones we recommend are Valley Pasture Farm, Govin’s, and Ferguson’s. 
• If you’re not sure what to do with your family in the Fall, check out this list of 50 Fall Activities for Families.
• Here’s a List Of The Best Outdoor Activities for families, ranging from crafts to sports.
• If you’d like to go camping, but don’t have a favorite spot yet, check out Reserve America for a list of campgrounds and RV resorts all over the country. You can even make reservations on the site for locations that require them. This Government Site offers similar results.
• To see a number of fun things to do where you are or where you’d like to go, just check out TripAdvisor. For the example in the link, we just typed in “outdoor activities in Dunn County,” and got options for forests, biking trails, and more.
• If you need a reminder of all the opportunities for outdoor wonder available within a short car ride, check out this List of Dunn County Parks.
• If you’re not sure where you might want to start, check out this Detailed List of 10 Wisconsin Parks, including nearby Interstate and Willow Falls State Parks. Interstate comes highly recommended by our advisors.
• Travel Wisconsin is a great resource for information about things to do in Wisconsin, including This List Of All Wisconsin State Parks, which also has links to each park’s official site for all the information you could ever need.
• Although Wisconsin doesn’t have any official National Parks, they do have a National Lakeshore, Riverway, and two Scenic Trails. Check out This Page From Travel Channel for information on each of them, including a virtual tour, and info on planning a visit.
• The National Parks have a great website where you can Find Your Park based on location or activities available. For example, you could look for parks in California, or only see parks that offer horseback riding, swimming, or that have shopping nearby. It’s an easy way to start planning a perfect family vacation!
• Here is a list of all the amusement parks in Wisconsin.

Indoor/Home Activities

• Try one of these ideas for a Family Game Night. 
• Here are some Great DIY Costume Ideas, for Halloween, or just a slow Tuesday.
• For those interested in creating origami, This Site contains some basic templates to get started on a bookmark version. 
• For a little of everything science related Check Out This Site that includes 40 links to “engaging and entertaining” science based sites for various ages.
• If you’re interested in learning to play the piano or keyboard, but don’t want to take piano lessons, check out this link for Free Online Piano Lessons and Tips. If you look around online, you can find something similar or other instruments as well.
• If you can’t go out on a rainy day, you could try out an Indoor Scavenger Hunt.  
• If you’re looking for some fun science related things to do, Check Out Funology. They have everything from science experiments to recipes, with tons of great ideas for students and parents. 
• If your idea of fun is trying out a new science experiment, check out Science Bob.
• Another similar site is The Exploratorium. They have videos, games, experiments and more. 
• Stuck at home or balling on a budget? Look at These Fun Things you can do or this List of Activities to bring the family together this summer!
• Here is a fun List of Unplugged Ideas. Whether you try something new, or get back into an activity you enjoyed when you were little, we hope you have a great tech-free time!

Health and Physical Activity

• A Site to Get You Up and Moving. Lots of drills (by sport), fun outdoor games, plus helpful information to deal with challenges that being at home might bring (conflict, boundaries, mindfulness, patience, and more).
• Suggestions for Students to Include Activity into Their Lives, focusing on physical health.   
• Next, we have a Teenagers Guide to Healthy Eating and Fitness.  
• It’s really important not to forget mental health, and this site has 5 Tips to Cope With Stress.
• Self-care can include being kind to yourself and others. Check out This Page dedicated to giving you ideas on how you or your child can do that while also giving you ideas of new self-care practices!
• Take this How Healthy are You Quiz? to see what you know. Some of the answers may surprise you.
• This site focuses on helping students Create and Maintain Healthy Friendships, and points out why those are so valuable.
• This site shows ways to practice for specific sports or simply get some good exercise. Check it out for ideas on At Home Health and Fitness.
• Some say video games might make us lazy. However, there are many games that require just the opposite. In fact, here is a link to a few Video Games that Get You Moving.
• Have you ever wanted to learn about stress and how you can better deal with it? Well, Here Is a Link with videos, quizzes, podcasts, playlists and more to help you handle your stress better!
• Studies have shown that being kind, to yourself and others, is really good for your mental health. Thankfully, our friends at Dunn County Partnership for Youth have some Great Tips on Being Kind.

Fun Quizzes

• Take this “How Healthy Are You?” Quiz to see what you know. Some of the answers may surprise you.
• Here’s one we posted around Mother’s Day, “What fictional mom are you?”
• Or, “Which Disney mom are you?”
• We also have a quiz that answers the question: “What Type Of Dad Are You?” 
• Curious what your learning style is? Take this FUN QUIZ!
• A Friendship Quiz that might be able to say what kind of friend you are. 
• A quiz to answer the question, What type of student are you?
• If you’re curious about the topic of health, take This Quiz to find out what you know.

Support with School

• For help to begin the school year and along the way, here is a great list of 101 Back to School Tips for Students and Parents.
• Tips for students on Surviving Middle School, covering almost all topics. Although it’s written for new middle schoolers, it’s helpful for all grades.
• Here is a List of 10 Homework Help Sites that might be a great source of support through the school year. While we’re at it, here are 10 More, although there may be some overlap.
• If you are one or know a student who wants to combine using their phone with education, we have a nice selection of Education Apps for Middle School Students.
• Check out Quizlet for flashcards, games, and more ways to help students study.
• Locally Created List of educational resources for all ages. Includes help in certain topics, tutoring, and also a list of activities, like live videos of wild animals and links to virtual museums.
• A Great Wisconsin Based Resource that includes tv shows and internet-based sources to help with at-home learning, provided by PBS.

Friends

• Let’s start at the beginning by answering the question, “What is Friendship?” The page also talks about different kinds of friendships, and when friendships change.
• We also have an interesting article about the importance of friendship, as well as ideas for How to Make and Keep Friends.
• We all know that having friends shouldn’t mean always doing everything they want you to do. Check out this next one for 8 Ways to Handle Peer Pressure. 
• For those who might be doing school virtually and aren’t seeing their friends as much, we have a few Ideas for Connecting with Friends Online.

Fun and Games

• This site provides a fun Game Where You Run for President. You choose a political party, learn what they stand for, go through debates and other important steps, and in the end, you might be the next president! (May not work on some devices)
• National Geographic has a wonderful Site With a Variety of Online Games ranging from Arctic Fox Snowboarding to a personality quiz that says what kind of cute baby animal you’re most like.
• Check this one out for The Ultimate List of Music Education Games. It includes everything from general music information, to writing music, and even info on many different instruments, all in game forms.

Virtual Tours

• While we can’t take the family to the zoo right today, the San Diego Zoo is offering the next best thing, with Live Cams of Their Animals. Sometimes they are doing something awesome! Sometimes they are doing nothing! What will you get to see?
• Check out this one for a Virtual Tours of Almost Everywhere, including famous landmarks, museums, and more!
• Then, we’ll head over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where you can see live cams of all their animals.

Writing

• For students who are interested in writing, but don’t know where to start, we have some Writing Tips for Beginners.
• If you like writing and are into Sci-Fi, check this site for Tips On Writing Sci-Fi short stories. 
• If you like reading or writing sci fi, check out Conquer Books, a site run by Wisconsin sisters that includes everything from writing tips to book reviews, and a sci-fi quiz or two along the way.
• If you or your child has an interest in writing, This Site gives people of any age a lot of great places to start a great fantasy story.

Reading

• Do you like ghost stories, but also have little ones who get scared easily? No problem, we’ve got you covered with some Ghost Stories for All Ages.
• For the readers who might want to learn about our government, here is a fantastic List of Books sorted by grade level from K-12. 
• Are you looking for a place near you to scope out a good story?” Check out your local libraries in Menomonie, Elk Mound, and Boyceville!

Art

• If you’re ready to start creating art online, here are 10 Free Sites for Creating Digital Art Online.
• For those who want to take a step back and start from the beginning, here are 15 Drawing Tips for Beginners. Although they say the tips are for beginners, depending on what you’re into drawing, there are still at least a few good tips for more experienced artists.
• If you’ve ever thought about turning your drawings into animation, the creators of Phineas and Ferb have some great Tips on How to Animate The Disney Way.
• Did you know Disney has 12 “principles” for making animation? You can Check Them Out Here along with animated clips that help explain the principles. For all the artists out there, some of these ideas might be able to make your work even more impressive!

A Little Bit of Everything

• For a one-stop-shop that includes food related video games, songs, recipes, information on eating healthy, and so much more, Click Here
• Many Links to Content ranging from educational support to virtual tours of everything from the Smithsonian Zoo to the Legoland Hotel.
• National Geographic has a great Youth Focused Site that includes apps, games, videos, science experiments, and more.
• If you need a break and just want to look at cute baby animals, Zooborns is dedicated to pictures and videos of newborns at zoos across the world.
• Do you have a child who wants to be a millionaire someday? They could be a millionaire by taking These Action Steps when they are young!
• The world is filled with limitless options for how we could spend our lives! College is a great option, but isn’t for everyone! Check out these Alternative Options of things to do after graduation!