Online Resources for Children and Parents to Learn and Play at Home
Stuck at home? Here are some online resources compiled by the Sibling Support Project and Sibshop Facilitators across the country and around the world to share with parents and kiddos who may be seeking ideas to keep the cabin fever at bay! Do you have other great resources to recommend? Please send them to info@siblingsupport.org!
Activities
Stay-at-Home Care Package from Big Life Journal
Developed by Big Life Journal with input from the growth mindset community of parents and teachers. This printable pack includes:
?Indoor Games & Activities to get your children moving
?”I’m Bored” list of indoor activities for children (both alone and with their siblings)
?”Things I Can Do” for teens and older children
?Stay-at-home resources including growth mindset movie, TV shows, and book lists
?My Daily Learning Projects template for kids (shared previously)
Greater Seattle YMCA
Our local Y has some great activity ideas that you can do at home! https://www.seattleymca.org/blog/activities-days-without-school-neighborhood-bike-rides-bubbles-and-games
Check out your community Y’s website, too!
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
Mo Willems, author of the beloved Elephant and Piggie Books, among others, opens his studio to conduct virtual draw-alongs! https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/ You can find all of the episodes to date on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmzjCPQv3y8
Cosmic Kids Mindfulness and Yoga
More than a million kids do yoga, mindfulness and relaxation with Jaime on the Cosmic Kids YouTube Channel. Parents and teachers report significant improvements in self-regulation, focus and empathy. The videos are BRILLIANT FUN so kids love doing them! https://www.cosmickids.com/mindfulness-activities-kids/
Go Noodle
These high-energy videos challenge kids to jump, duck, and wave along with the hosts, with your smart device detecting their movements and making them a part of the story. It’s a novel way to get kids moving, and an easy way to help burn off excess cabin fever. https://www.gonoodle.com/
Learning Resources
Education Website Resources from Advocate Children’s Hospital
The experts at the Children’s Health Resource Center at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, IL have compiled a comprehensive list of learning sites that you can find here.
Common Sense Education
A list of 10 free websites with Elementary learning resources: https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/10-great-free-websites-for-elementary-school.
Scholastic
A variety of free learning activities for kids by grade level. https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
Learning Resources Blog
This blog compiles several resources for at-home learning and fun! http://blog.learningresources.com/our-5-favorite-online-resources-for-at-home-learning/
Science Bomb
Check out this “exploding lunch bag” activity! https://sciencebob.com/the-exploding-lunch-bag/
Virtual Tours
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour! https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/
Want to learn even more about the San Diego Zoo? Check out this awesome page! https://www.highrises.com/animal-conservation-the-san-diego-zoo.php
More Animal Cameras
- Live Cams at the San Diego Zoo https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams
- Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams
- Panda Cam at Zoo Atlanta https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/
- 6 Animal Cams at Houston Zoo https://www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/
- Georgia Aquarium has Jellyfish, Beluga Whales, and more! https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/beluga-whale-webcam/
MARS!!!
Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover. https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/
They are updating from WEBVR to WEBXR now, but 360 Mode offers a digital view!
Yellowstone National Park
Tour Yellowstone National Park! https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
- Mud Volcano https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/yell-mud-volcano-trails.htm
- Mammoth Hot Springs https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/yell-mammoth-hot-springs-trails.htm
and so much more!
Virtual Farm
This Canadian site FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs. https://www.farmfood360.ca/
U.S. Space and Rocket Museum in Huntsville, AL
See the Saturn 5 Rocket on YouTube and more on this tour thanks to a real father/son outing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qe5RqyMNhc
Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips
A few of the field trip topics include:
Polar Bears and the Tundra https://www.discoveryeducation.com/learn/tundra-connections/
Social Emotional Skills https://www.soarwithwings.com/videos/virtual-field-trip
STEM https://www.boeingfutureu.com/
Manufacturing https://www.manufactureyourfuture.com/VirtualFieldTrip/US
The Louvre
Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip. https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
The Great Wall of China
This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life.
https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china
Boston Children’s Museum
Walk through the Boston Children’s Museum thanks to Google Maps! This virtual tour allows kids to explore 3 floors of fun. https://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/museum-virtual-tour