Kids

Knowledge is power, and for a little while, it'll also be free ... so long as you use the online company hooking up parents with a homeschooling curriculum.

That's right -- panic-stricken moms and dads scrambling to keep their children learning and up to date in their academics, now have a free option for online education from a company called Calvert.

While several millions of households are dealing with closed schools due to the coronavirus ... Calvert is offering its online homeschool system for free for the next 3 months. Starting Tuesday night, Calvert will allow parents to sign up and use their services to teach their kids.

Calvert tells us it started with a 30-day free trial -- but, presumably, because of the overwhelming amount of new users ... they decided to extend that through July. At that point, parents will have to pay.

The company offers K-12 course bundle packages that normally go for anywhere from $1,300 to $2,800 for a whole year. The higher the grade level, the more subjects there are to dive into and study.

Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane are showing a united front when combating the coronavirus ... while simultaneously remaining split, figuratively speaking.

The former couple was spotted out Thursday in L.A. leaving Target where they bagged a cart full of items. It's interesting ... you can see Rebecca wearing gloves while Eric apparently enjoys flying by the seat of his pants, cause he's pushing the cart with his bare hands.

Their kiddos, Billie and Georgia, came along for the ride and also kept it safe by wearing gloves. Worth mentioning ... most grocery stores/retail shops now offer sanitizing wipes at entrances to wipe down shopping carts. But still ... now's not the time to skip out on safety.

In any event, seems the family's hunkering down together during California's mandated lockdown. You'll recall Rebecca filed for divorce from Eric back in February 2018, but it seems hanging out together's nothing new.

The ex-couple was hanging out just a few months ago when they rang in the New Year. Ah, January. Simpler times.

As the COVID-19 bug shuts down brick-and-mortar schools around the country, many homeschools are humming ... with their figurative doors wide-open for teaching, learning, exams and grades.

Over the past days and weeks, these DIY education institutions are finding their niche in academia is catching on with the masses. Obviously, grade school kids are homebound, and not all of their schools can do online classes.

Parents and guardians now have the herculean task of keeping cooped up kiddos actively engaged, and averting their eyes from multiple screens. As a result, several homeschool institutions tell us they're getting flooded with calls and emails from panicked parents.

Dr. Brian Ray, of the National Home Education Research Institute based in Salem, Oregon, advises homeschool novices to “truly enjoy your children.” He says that means parents have to stash away addictive devices to crack open some books.

A rep for Calvert, which has been around for a century, noted brand new customers have been signing up for their 30-day free trial -- and they've also launched a Netflix-esque online version of elementary through high school grade classes. Parents can customize their kid's curriculum -- from potential Einstein down to the basics. It's on you to be honest!

Kodak Black's giving back to his community despite being behind bars, by donating hundreds of books and much-needed school supplies to students now learning from home.

The incarcerated rapper's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... Kodak's sending out 625 reading comprehension books to 625 schoolkids in Broward County, FL to help offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Along with those books, he's also planning to include supplies and notebooks for the students with a goal of helping kids in grades 1 through 5 meet state standards in reading ... despite their new educational challenges.

As you may know, public schools in Florida are shut down until at least April 15, and we're told Kodak's team got word children were in need of learning tools ... so the rapper was happy to lend a hand. All in all, Kodak's dropping $5,000 in educational aid.

Cohen says they're ordering everything Thursday and expect a delivery in a few days. With all the new social distancing guidelines and precautions, logistics are still being worked out on how to get the books to the kids ... but we're told the current plan is to ship directly to them next week.

Kodak's currently serving a 46-month prison sentence handed down by the judge in his federal gun case in November. He's also facing 2 to 7 years to be served concurrently after pleading guilty to attempted second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

And, the band played on -- FL Gov. Ron DeSantis is digging in his heels, refusing to close beaches to block huge gatherings during the coronavirus outbreak ... despite alarming new CDC info.

You've seen the images of packed beaches in Clearwater, Panama Beach City and other Gulf Coast locations. Clearly, spring break is marching on, undaunted in the Sunshine State ... and many critics are pointing the finger at Gov. DeSantis.

So far, he's only said the state would enforce CDC's suggestion to keep parties under 10 people -- but anyone with eyes can see, cops are having a tough time getting partying kids to toe that line.

Ironically, the Governor's stance flies in the face of some other CDC data -- the fact they're now seeing more and more patients in their 30s, 40s and 50s suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms ... many in critical care.

We don't know if DeSantis ever watched "Jaws," but sure seems like he's a big fan of Vaughn ... the Amityville Mayor who kept the beaches open for 4th of July.

That worked out well.

Quarantine class got a whole lot better for some 1st graders in Georgia this week ... 'cause Shaquille O'Neal popped in their video lesson to say hi -- and everyone freaked out!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Big Diesel is a family friend of a student at East Lake Elementary in McDonough, GA ... and with the kids in isolation over coronavirus fears, Shaq decided to brighten their day.

The students were doing a lesson over FaceTime ... when O'Neal shockingly popped up on the screen.

The NBA legend said hello to the teacher -- who said, stunned, "Is that Shaq?!" -- and kids and parents on the call all began losing their minds.

You can see in the clip ... dads, moms and students all grabbed their phones to snap video -- all with priceless looks on their faces!!

We're told Shaq stayed on for a few minutes ... saying hi to everyone in the chat -- with one parent telling us, "It was really cool."

It's an awesome gesture from Shaq -- because some kids are struggling with the effects of school closures and quarantines all over the country.

A mom went to great lengths to pull a bathroom prank on her daughter -- it's nothing new, but with the added element of coronavirus ... it's definitely nastier and, if you ask us, downright cruel.

The prank starts off as all good pranks do ... with a mother sitting on the can with the door wide open. She then asks her daughter to come in and hand her the roll of toilet paper -- a hot commodity these days -- and the good girl obliges.

However, the prankster mom rubs some chocolate on her daughter's hand in the exchange and ... you gotta see her reaction.

"Is that poop?!" has now been replaced with "Is that coronavirus?!"

The poor girl immediately starts crying and rushes to the sink to wash it off while the mom cackles in laughter. To be fair, Mom quickly apologizes and fesses up to the prank ... but it seems like some damage was done.

The coronavirus pandemic is negatively impacting almost everyone in the world, but on the bright side -- people are looking for furry friends to keep them company during these social distancing days ... especially families with kids and the elderly.

TMZ spoke with people who run animal shelters across the country, and though they are experiencing challenges like everyone else ... the good news is animal lovers are coming in big numbers to adopt and foster pets.

Nikole Bresciani -- CEO of the Inland Valley Humane Society in Pomona, CA -- tells us ... meeting pets and adoptions are by appointment only now and all applications are online as COVID-19 precautions, but folks are still reaching out.

In fact, Nikole says with kids being home from school, there's been an uptick in families reaching out about adding a cat or dog to their lives ... and more scheduled appointments are on the books for the upcoming week.

The same goes for senior citizens. Randa Richter of SPCA Florida tells us ... they've seen at least a 20 percent increase in elderly people looking to adopt a pet because their normal social activities -- like Bingo -- are all canceled. So, Randa says they want a furry friend to pass the time with at home.

Like Nikole, Randa says there's also an abundance of families with children home from school looking to get the kids out ... so they go visit the pets up for adoption and often end up taking them home. Same goes for a couple with no kids working from home, who now want to add another member to their household ... but not a kid.

On top of this, Randa tells us they've had a huge rise in volunteers -- mostly high school kids who can earn credit for volunteering and now have much more free time, and seniors. The volunteer work includes walking dogs, kitty care and cleaning the facilities.

Finally, Jack Hagerman of the Pasadena Humane Society SPCA tells us ... even though it has shut its physical doors to limit staff and the public to coronavirus exposure, it hasn't closed up shop, and the community has stepped up in a big way to find foster homes for all its animals.

Jack says they've had more people than ever -- 368, which again includes families with kids and the elderly -- reach out and offer to foster animals in need now that it has closed.

Jack says it currently has 180 animals including dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs, and even baby squirrels, and fortunately ... so many people are at home and happy to help. He tells us he hopes the foster pets will all find forever homes soon, especially during these trying times.

It would be a win-win for everyone ... and that's desperately needed right now.

The coronavirus has pregnant women turning back the clock -- with increased fears about entering jam-packed hospitals, those about to pop are making alternate plans.

Several stand-alone birthing centers across the country tell TMZ they are seeing a massive influx of inquiring moms-to-be looking to deliver their babies -- either at their facilities or even at home ... just like in the old days.

Birthing center employees and directors in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tennessee, Seattle, Minnesota and elsewhere say a lot of third-trimester moms-to-be are freaked out about possibly delivering in hospitals that are getting more and more inundated with coronavirus patients.

Fortunately, most of the birthing centers we spoke with say they're adapting their policies to meet the frenzy -- now, they're taking in gals near full-term pregnancy ... but we've been told if someone is days away from their due date, they'll probably be turned away -- as these centers need time to set up and take measures to guarantee a safe birth.

That's not the only solution that's being considered in light of the crisis. The director of Seattle Birth Centers (a city now considered a major coronavirus hot spot) tells us their community is seeing retired midwives come back into the workforce because some folks are opting to push through right at home.

Of course, that usually means no epidural. Ouch ...