As we move deeper into the world of social distancing and quarantining, resources aimed at keeping your children busy while also helping them learn are more in demand. Thanks to the innovation and fast work of some of the country’s best institutions, artists, publishers, experts, and educators, a treasure trove of offerings that accomplish both of these goals are just a click away.
Here are a dozen high-quality online resources that will challenge and entertain your kids while they’re learning online.
Your kids likely know not to let the pigeon drive the bus. But what they can do is send that silly bird on other adventures with the help of Mo Willems. Every weekday at 1 p.m. ET, the award-winning children’s book author and illustrator virtually hosts young people in his studio, leading art projects as part of a special Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence at Home program.
Willems also answers questions and lets viewers peek into the colorful drawers behind him that hold his sketches and manuscripts. Each delightful online episode may be streamed anytime after it’s been released, and some come with downloadable activity sheets.
“You might be isolated, but you’re not alone,” the “Elephant & Piggie” creator wrote to his young fans. “You are an art maker. Let’s make some together … I hope you’ll keep making art even after my visit!”
Shimmy and shake to the music with legendary choreographer Debbie Allen during one of her Instagram Live dance classes, including a special one created with self-quarantined little kids in mind.
The “Fame” star and Debbie Allen Dance Academy founder is posting classes as a way to help us move our bodies right now, and as an extension of her non-profit academy’s mission to bring dance and theater arts to young people.
Josh Gad (aka Olaf) takes to Twitter nightly to read a storybook from his family’s library, and it’s just as fabulous as it sounds — maybe even more.
The actor employs a host of fun and funny voices, making the characters leap off the page and into your home, and providing a perfect bedtime story ritual during these less than perfect times.
Every night at 7:30 ET, Gad goes live; past readings can be viewed again and again by scrolling through his Twitter feed.
While schools remain closed, parents can access “Legends of Learning” math and science classroom games for free. Recommended for third-to-eighth graders, the curriculum-based educational games adhere to national Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core, and other criteria. But best of all — at least as far as your student is concerned — they make learning fun.
Spend some time on AllTrails exploring its extensive collection of hand-curated trail maps and then go for a real-life nature walk. Just please keep at least six feet away from anyone not in your family.
All you need to do to get started is type in the name of your location. Kids may also get a kick out of typing in different locations to see what maps, photos, and reviews exist for places near and far from home. (Some parks and trails may be closed so check before heading out.)
Laurie Berkner is the gold standard of the children’s music world. During quarantine, the singer, songwriter, and guitar player has committed to being on Facebook Live most weekday mornings at 10 a.m. ET for “Live Berkner Breaks.” We dare you not to sing along.
Bonus: You can download a “We Are The Dinosaurs” chords and lyrics sheet from her Facebook page for you or the young musician in your life.
Speaking of dinosaurs, find out what sounds the dinosaurs really made by tuning into the YouTube Series “The Doctor Is In” with Dr. Hans Sues, the Smithsonian’s curator of vertebrate paleontology. He also answers other questions like, “why do cats like boxes,” “is ‘Die Hard’ a Christmas movie,” and “how did T-Rex crunch through bones?”
Let the language games begin with the popular, free, and oh so pretty Duolingo app. Scottish Gaelic, High Valyrian, Klingon, Hindi, Greek, Spanish, French, Korean, and Swahili are among the many language choices Duolingo offers.
The kitchen is classroom with “America’s Test Kitchen: Kids,” which is offering almost all of its online content for free right now. Among its many online offerings are salt art projects, onion chopping classes, and easy-to-follow recipes for everything from sesame noodles with snow peas and carrots to magic vanilla ice cream. Sadly, the site does not do dishes.
Scholastic has created “Scholastic Learn at Home:” a website to help parents and caregivers enrich their children’s time at home during quarantine.
The free resource will provide three hours per day of “exciting learning experiences” for the next 20 days with loads of virtual field trips, projects, author interviews, and the like. The engaging educational activities may be done in any order and are for kids from pre-K through grade 9.
Let go of stress with a guided meditation courtesy of the Pacific jellyfish and the good people at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on their YouTube channel. Focusing on breathing and the movement of these graceful sea creatures will help people of all ages calm their bodies and minds.
He told us we could never go down the drain and reminded us to look for the helpers when things got scary. Mister Rogers’ words and wisdom remain as relevant as ever.
Spend some of this uncertain time at home watching the original “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” with your family. Five full-length episodes are shared on the site every other week: the first Monday of every month features the early years of 1968-1975 while the third Monday of every month features the shows he made between 1979-2001. The site also has lots of other great clips, tours, articles, photos, and the chance to upload your own stories about what Mister Rogers and his show means to you.
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