Even though our library branches are closed, our online library is open 24/7 and we are here to help your family with online resources during the coronavirus epidemic and beyond.

In addition to our online library and expanded digital resources, we’ve also compiled this list of free links and resources to help you expand your world outside of your home. They include educational ideas for homeschooling, enrichment activities, ideas for family time, entertainment, and downtime, and even ways to give back to your community.

Picture Books

• Kids books on Audible are temporarily free
• Hear Quackenstein Hatches a Family read by Kristen Bell
• Listen to Harry the Dirty Dog read by Betty White
• Listen to a story read in space!
• Children’s publisher shares read aloud picture books on YouTube
• Subscribe to this publisher’s YouTube channel for weekly storytime videos
• Hear kids’ stories read by author Neil Gaiman
• Author Nick Bruel reads some of his Bad Kitty stories
• Author Kate Messner reads her book, The Brilliant Deep
• Author Carole Lindstrom reads her picture book, We Are Water Protectors
• Author Kate Messner shares an excerpt from her non-fiction book, Tracking Pythons
• Author-illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi reads her picture book Where Are My Books? and gives a drawing demonstration
• Author Kate Messner reads her picture book Up in the Garden
• Author Nancy Castaldo reads from her non-fiction book about endangered species, Back From the Brink
• Author Aisha Saeed reads her picture book Bilal Cooks Daal
• Author Emily Jenkins reads her picture book A Greyhound, a Groundhog

Chapter Books

• Author Leah Henderson reads the first chapter of her middle-grade reader, The Magic In Changing Your Stars
• Author Jason Reynolds shares an extract from his novel, Ghost
• Author Jo Knowles reads from the first chapter of her book, Where the Heart Is
• Author Chris Tebbetts reads the first chapter of his book Stranded and gives you a writing prompt
• Author Ann Braden reads the first chapter of his book The Benefits of Being an Octopus
• Author Mae Respicio shares an excerpt from her book, Any Day with You and gives a writing prompt where you imagine a day at the beach gone wrong
• Author Lisa Schroeder reads an excerpt from her book My Secret Guide to Paris and shares a writing exercise
• Author Janet Fox reads an excerpt from her book The Artifact Hunters
• Author Abby Cooper reads the first chapter of her book Friend or Fiction

Young Adult Books

• Read a synopsis for popular teen titles. After you’ve read one of the books, use the discussion questions provided and host a virtual book club
• Read books for grades 7-12 here (Username: Learning20 Password: Clifford)

Picture Books

• Go on a Bear Hunt with author Michael Rosen
• Listen to songs inspired by children’s books
• Listen to a song about protecting the oceans
• Learn all 50 states with this song

• Learn about sentences with this song
• Here’s a song explaining the silent “e”
• Get the wiggles out with this song

Animals & Nature

• Investigate some of the exhibits at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum
• Look at the fish and other animals at the Georgia Aquarium. How many different species do you see?
• Check out some of the animals at the San Diego Zoo. Can you find one mammal and one bird? What about one primate and one marsupial?
• Watch wild animals from around the world. What do you like to watch?
• Take a virtual field trip to learn more about the world of polar bears
• See what’s happening at the Monterey Bay Aquarium by looking at their webcams. Can you find a mammal, a bird, a fish and a reptile?
• Take a virtual tour of the US Botanical Gardens in Washington, DC
• Fancy a dip? You can virtually swim with dolphins and learn some dolphin facts here
• Meet a hammerhead shark in this 360 degree video
• Virtually explore an active volcano
• Take an up close look at a beehive
• Take a look at a desert biome. What plants and animals do you see
• Look at a temperate forest. How does it change with the seasons? What signs of animals do you find?
• Learn more about the life found in a rainforest here

Art

• Watch 360 degree videos and explore fashion, art, architecture, space, dinosaurs and more
• Check out the works at the National Gallery of Art
• See if you recognize any faces from the National Portrait Gallery
• Take a virtual tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Learn about the creations of Latinx artists in this exhibit from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Famous Places

• Check out the view from the Statue of Liberty
• Take a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China. No passport required
• What do you think it looks like on Mars? Take this virtual tour to see
• Can’t make it to the beach? Take this virtual tour of Hawaii
• See a virtual tour of the pyramids of Egypt without leaving home.
• Take a virtual stroll through the Taj Mahal
• Become an armchair traveller with virtual tours from places around the globe
• See the view from the top of the Washington Monument
• Drive across the Golden Gate bridge using just your computer
• Take a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower
• Watch the cherry blossoms bloom on the National Mall
• Take a virtual look at Buckingham Palace
• Check out a 3D map of Mt. Everest

Sports & Mores

• Visit online exhibits at the National Football Hall of Fame
• Even if there are no games being played, you can still see the online exhibits at the National Baseball hall of Fame. Who is your favorite team?
• GOAL! Take a quick virtual tour of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
• Take a virtual ride on a roller coaster. Count the number of drops. Can you draw a picture of a roller coaster with as many drops?
• While you are eating the things from your pantry, do you ever wonder where that food comes from? Explore farms with 360 degree virtual tours
• Tour the Ferrari Museum to see some fabulous cars
• Learn about the secret gadgets of spies while you explore these items from the Spy Museum

• Here is a kid-friendly comic that explains the COVID-19 pandemic
• This podcast episode gives family friendly advice on staying healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak
• Learn about the Civil Rights Movement by looking at this photo display from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta
• Here’s a mini-lesson on comparative mythology from kids’ author Tracy Baptiste
• Learn the sad story of Anne Frank with a virtual trip through her home
• Learn more about President George Washington with a virtual tour through Mt. Vernon

• Test your math skills for grades K-6
• Print out some simple space themed activities to do at home
• Learn your family history with these genealogy tips from the Ellis island Museum of Immigration
• Help kids learn social and emotional skills with this video
• Learn about nuclear power with this virtual field trip
• Explore the world of technology with this virtual field trip
• Learn how pharmaceutical companies use science with this virtual field trip

STEM

• Do a pet-themed kids maker activity led by kids’ author with Megan Frazer Blakemore
• Solve a STEM mystery with author Sarah Albee
• Learn from Disney’s imagineers and explore methods to create your own theme park

Writing

• Author Veera Hiranandani gives a writing prompt to help you with creating characters
• Author Erin Entrada gives you a writing challenge about keeping notebooks
• Author Chris Tebbetts gives you a writing challenge about being stranded in a strange setting
• Author Chris Tebbetts talks you through a mini-workshop on creating characters
• Author Nikki Grimes gives you a prompt for writing poetry
• Author Paula Chase gives you a writing prompt to help you build stories about yourself
• Author Michelle Cusolito offers a mini-lesson on how to make your writing a more sensory experience for the reader

Art

• Author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner teaches kids how to draw anything
• Author Grace Lin teaches you how to draw a Chinese dragon
• Illustrator Kelley McMorris talks about how to illustrate a book cover and prompts you to design your own book cover
• Author- illustrator Lita Judge gives advice on sketching

Author Permissions

• Learn from Penguin House how you can temporarily upload your own storytime video without concerns for copyright infringement
• Kids’ author Todd Parr gives permission for you to record storytimes of his books
• Kids author BJ Novak gives permission for you to record storytimes of his book
• Kids’ author Peter H. Reynolds gives permission for you to record storytimes of his books
• Kids’ author Mo Willems gives permission for you to record storytimes of his books
• Kids; author Karma Wilson gives permission for you to record storytimes of her books

• Count chimps in Africa, help identify stars, read historical documents or fight resistance to antibiotics. A world of science, arts, history and other projects can use your help
• Play a game while helping scientists defeat Alzheimers
• Do you have a Twitter account? Help MIT improve AI recognize emotions with this quick survey
• Help scientists learn about the effects of screen use on our sleeping patterns
• Help scientists learn about light pollution

• Do you have a bird nest in your yard? Monitor it carefully and report results to help ornithologists learn about bird populations
• Watch the birds in your yard for just a few minutes and report what you see
• Do you have a rain gauge? Monitor rainfall and report your findings here
• Concerned about climate change? Submit your observations about weather and wildlife in your area as part of an effort to collect data
• Observe how plants are changing each season and report your findings here

• Hear read-alouds, book talks, get art instruction, play games and more – all led by authors!

• See if you can set a Guinness World Record. Here are some feats you can try at home