We've packed our homes with computers and tablets and phones with the ability to access the Internet, so why are kids finding nothing to do during the COVID-19 stay at home order?
Learn 3D with Blender
Blender is a free and open source 3D software. It used to be a bit rough around the edges, but years of improvements are making it both usable and profitable. Yes, learning 3D can lead to a future in the special effects industry. Not only is Blender free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux, but there are loads of free training videos on Youtube. Most people don't realize that in 3D production, there are many, many sub-fields related to building 3d models, texturing them so they look real, lighting scenes and more. The 3D movies we enjoy are usually the work of hundreds, if not thousands of people.
Blender Home Page | Download | Learn Blender Fundamentals on Youtube
Improve Your Thousands of Photos
I am still old school enough that I take pictures with an actual camera (but yes, a digital camera). Most digital cameras and a lot of inexpensive digital cameras take photos that save to JPEG format. They look pretty good, but now some phones support the more professional focused RAW photo format. You can improve your JPEG photos in most dedicated photo software, but not all of those apps support RAW. I use SILKYPIX DS Pro10 to edit RAW files, but then for me, I get SILKYPIX for free because a business I work with sells it. But there are loads of photography software products available ranging in price from free to several hundred dollars. RAW files are generally uncompressed and, they contain a lot more information in them that make it easier to fix and improve them later. Then you just export them for printing or sharing.
Learn to Program with Python
Or for that matter, any programming language. Some programming languages are always in high demand for building applications, like C++, and other languages are associated with building server systems or websites. You could start with these, but then tend to be not all that easy if you have never programmed before. Some programming systems are easier in some ways because they look more like regular English and are great if you are less interested in programming and more interested in building something for a specific interest, like LiveCode. Some are meant to each small children programming fundamentals like Scratch, but really aren't going to be used for building your own pro apps.
Python isn't in as high demand as languages like C++ or Java, but it is good for teaching. Also, it is used often as a scripting language. Big animation and entertainment companies like Pixar, Disney and the like will use Python to script existing software to make it do new things, like make better animated hair or water effects. Blender natively supports Python scripting. And yes, studios do hire for scripting skills.
Introduction to Python Series on Youtube
College Credit Courses
If you or your child is old enough to take high school or higher course work, now is a great time to investigate online courses that can result in college credit. Oregon State and for that matter, all Oregon colleges are offering online courses. Community college online courses cost less than other public schools. If your child is already in an advanced placement or IB program, you know the significant value of these courses. It means getting college credit for much less money.
Much of the first two years of coursework in college are general credits that may not be directly applicable to your final course of study. Why not get some of those credits out of the way? I know many young people that shaved off up to a full year of college credits this way, and that makes for a huge savings in the long run.
I am not going to provide specific links for this as there are simply too many options. However I encourage you to investigate what OSU, PSU and Portland Community College are doing.
Short Story, Novel and Journal Writing
Put your creativity to work and write. Short story writing is a great way to get kids writing and better yet, improving their writing in general through practice. But it is also quite intimidating to open up Microsoft Word and see that blank screen. There are numerous software tools out there for helping writers write. My favorite one is Scrivener. Scrivener is available for Windows, macOS and iPad. While the Windows version is several versions behind the macOS and iPad versions, it is still quite usable and runs fine on Windows 10. Scrivener isn't free, but it is very reasonably priced.
How to Write a Great Short Story on Youtube | Learn Scrivener in 20 Minutes