• How to talk to kids about coronavirus.
Books & Reading
• Don’t forget about Libby and Hoopla!
• On Brightly Storytime, Ms. Linda reads classic children’s books such as “The Lorax,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “Make Way for Ducklings.”
There are playlists for different age ranges, so you can set your child up to watch several “flip-along” stories in a row – good for when you need to keep a young one occupied for a few minutes.
• Nineteen free webcomics for comics-loving kids and teens.
• Audible Stories: Instantly stream a collection of audio stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help kids continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids. Free, no registration needed.
• Storyline Online offers video storytimes, many hosted by celebrities.
• Storytime from Space features readings by astronauts in space; non-English stories are included!
• JLG @ Home: Junior Library Guild Digital provides unlimited access to ebook collections for elementary, middle school and high school students.
• Sebco is offering a collection of 1,500 multi-user ebooks. In login, type “keepreading” and use “Sebco” for the password. Use “keepreading” in the Student I.D./Library Card Number field as well.
• In the free video game Dreamscape, kids read passages and answer comprehension questions in order to improve their bases, grow new creatures and unlock items. Available for web browsers and as an iOs and Android app.
• Rivet is a free app that families can download, with more than 3,500 leveled readers. Rivet is available on the web, and on Android smartphones and tablets, Chromebooks, iPhones and iPads, and Kindle Fire.
Science & Math
• Use the simplified Scratch programming language to create stories, games and animations and share with others around the world. Free, registration required.
• Many other coding apps and websites for children and teens.
• Earth Observatory for Kids. EO Kids is an online magazine written for audiences aged 9 to 14. The NASA Earth Observatory’s mission is to share images, stories, and discoveries about the environment, Earth systems, and climate that emerge from NASA research.
• Launch rockets, build a hovercraft, or help your marshmallow astronaut land safely: at-home STEM projects from NASA.
Education & Enrichment
• If your child has been missing music classes, check out Classics for Kids from Cincinnati Public Radio. Each week, an audio program highlights a composer, work or musical story. The website also has activity sheets, games, and more resources for parents and teachers.
• Family Maker Camp encourages making and hands-on learning at home. Lots of free project ideas.
• Scholastic has published a special guide with “day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing.”
• NASA Kids Club provides a collection of games that support national education standards for grades K-4
• AWE Learning offer printable worksheets and activity pages.
• CNN10 provides 10-minute newscasts intended for students in middle school and up.
Just for Fun
• “Designed to tire kids out,” GoNoodle.com is a collection of colorful, high energy dance and movement videos for kids.
• The Sedgwick County Zoo is posting “Virtual Visits” with zoo animals, weekdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Cincinnati Zoo is also posting daily “Livestream Safaris” on Facebook.
• Tour the Monterey Bay Aquarium, with 10 different live webcams! The National Zoo has webcams for its lions, naked mole-rats, elephants, and, of course, pandas.
• Try to master the Hogwarts Digital Escape Room, created by Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, Pennsylvania.
• Download, print and cut out paper dolls for a fun family activity.
• Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man, invites kids to get creative with his characters. Visit “Dav Pilkey at Home” every Friday to discover new activities, exciting videos, and more.
• Children’s book author Mo Willems is hosting a “Live Doodle,” every Monday at noon.
• The cooking website Delish is hosting daily, live cooking classes for parents and kids.