Bored kids? Online resources to keep them happy (and learning)
“There’s nothing to do.”
What parent hasn’t heard that sad lament from a bored child?
Unfortunately, it’s more true now than it actually ever was in the past, as we socially isolate and shelter in place to avoid contracting or spreading covid-19.
Luckily, we still have the world at our fingertips via our digital devices, where we can find untold resources to keep us amused.
Many of those resources also slip in some learning along with the fun.
But don’t tell your kids that.
Here are a few to get you started:
Schoolwork at home
Never underestimate children’s desire to learn, even if they groan daily about going to school. Open Culture has a list of 200 free educational resources for K-12 students, including audio books, ebooks and traditional printed materials, both literature and textbooks.
Pick a classic like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Gulliver’s Travels” or “Anne of Green Gables” from among 450 audio books.
Find children’s books from around the world in languages including Arabic, Afrikaans, Danish, English and Farsi.
There’s even a link to a series of comic books designed to get kids excited about physics. “Nikola Tesla and the Electric Fair” does sound pretty exciting, doesn’t it? Kids can read it for free online.
Details: openculture.com
Homework might be the last thing on kids’ minds right now, but here’s one way to stay sharp academically through school closures: Saint Vincent College education department has developed a sign-up for families seeking home tutoring provided by pre-service teachers seeking certifications in elementary, secondary and special education. All education students have updated criminal and FBI clearances. Pre-service teachers can tutor virtually, face-to-face online (Zoom web conferencing), according to the website.
Details: education.stvincent.edu
Sing and dance
Students poured their blood, sweat and tears into their high school musicals, only to have them canceled just as performances were getting underway. Broadway performer and Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti doesn’t want all that hard work to go to waste.
On March 13, Benanti tweeted, “If you were meant to perform in your High School musical and it was canceled, please post yourself singing and tag me. I want to be your audience!!”
Young thespians can send videos of rehearsals or at-home performances to Benanti on Twitter with the hashtag #SunshineSongs.
Details: npr.org
While the Stage Right studios in Greensburg are closed, the performing arts school is planning singing and dancing sessions on its social media platforms. Kids, you might discover a hidden talent by joining in.
Details: 724-832-7464 or stageright greensburg.com
Learn to draw and more
Pittsburgh cartoon artist Joe Wos has created “How to Toon,” a free online cartooning class, on YouTube. Wos is the founder of the former ToonSeum cartoon museum in Pittsburgh.
Details: youtube.com
Artist and art instructor Gabrielle Nastuck will give an art lesson live on Facebook at 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday from Miss Gabi’s Art Is Good Studio in Latrobe. These lessons and previous ones can be accessed at any time on Facebook.
Details: missgabisartstudio.com or Facebook
Children’s book creator and animator Mo Willems is inviting everyone into his virtual studio for his “Lunch Doodle.” Grab some paper, pencils, pens or crayons to draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing with the artist once a day for the next few weeks. New episodes will be posted at 1 p.m. each weekday and then will stream online afterward.
Details: kennedy-center.org
Color your world
Who knows more about coloring than Crayola? The crayon-maker offers free coloring pages that can be downloaded from its website. From Disney images to words and letters, plants and animals to places, sports to seasons, there’s something for every aesthetic — including more intricate designs meant to appeal to adults. As a bonus, Crayola also provides ideas for simple crafts that kids can make.
Details: crayola.com
The annual #ColorOurCollections social media campaign invites art lovers to download and color images provided by art museums and other cultural institutions worldwide.
The images span a wide range of materials, from medical drawings to advertisements to illustrations from 19th-century dime novels. The materials are more sophisticated than those available from Crayola, but they could be a vehicle for practicing fine motor skills and learning about art, anatomy, history, zoology and more.
Details: smithsonianmag.com
Stories and stars
How exciting would it be to have a NASA astronaut read you a story? Especially if that astronaut was reading it from the International Space Station.
Let your child check out 13 stories available from Story Time From Space from Space Station Explorers. In addition to out-of-this-world stories, the astronauts also perform science demonstrations.
Information on other free science activities and lesson plans also is available.
Details: spacestationexplorers.org
If your child is starstruck in a Hollywood kind of way, check out #OperationStorytime on social media or at parenting website Romper, and listen to a story from actor Josh Gad (the voice of Olaf from “Frozen”). Romper also has videos of other authors and illustrators reading for children.
Romper says it’s like “Yo-Yo Ma decided to give a backyard concert over the fence.”
On Instagram, actors Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams are sharing videos of celebrities reading children’s books. While keeping kids occupied, the account @SaveWithStories also will raise money for Save the Children and No Kid Hungry, which provide food and educational supplies to children who rely on their schools for both.
Details: romper.com or instagram.com
More reading
Any Pennsylvania resident age 13 or older can sign up for a free Westmoreland Library Network library card that gives holders access to more than 13,000 free eBooks and eAudio.
Additionally, WLN has opened up access to all cardholders, even those who owe fines (which are not accruing while member libraries are currently closed).
Details: wlnonline.org
Virtual field trips
No need to pack a lunch or sign a permission slip for these online excursions. The internet is rife with fun and educational trips perfect for armchair travel, whether the travelers are toddlers or teens. Check out lions in Tucson or polar bears in The Netherlands at adventuresinfamilyhood.com. The site’s 20 family field trips include more zoos, aquariums and museums, along with popular tourist destinations like Yellowstone National Park and the Great Wall of China.
Nine trips geared toward elementary school students can be found at waterford.com. Discover the secrets of far-flung places like Easter Island and Mars. Or really get down to earth with a tour of farms in Ontario, Canada, where they’re not just growing fruit or gathering eggs — they’re also raising deer and emus.
Fun from A to Z
If you can’t find something to do at From ABCs to ACTs, well, that’s on you. The website has activities, games, resource lists and book lists covering all aspects of learning curriculum, including the arts, for preschool through high school.
Is your wee one fascinated by receiving mail? Get instructions for building your own post office and learning about the postal system, sending mail and community helpers while having fun with math, literacy and handwriting.
Budding biologists and botanists can learn about the life cycles of various plants, animals and insects.
Some resources are free to download and print, others carry small fees.
Details: fromabcstoacts.com
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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