Tools for Caregivers and Kids
- Online Storytimes
- Digital Books and Magazines
- Authors and Illustrators
- Virtual Field Trips
- Library Tools
- Tools for Home Learning
- Talking About COVID-19
- Getting Exercise
- Grab-and-Go Meals
Storytime On the Go! with WashCoLib – Join your favorite WashCoLib librarians for online storytimes! New storytimes launch on Facebook every weekday at 10:30 a.m. and are archived on our website.
Brightly Storytime – A video collection of full-length picture books read aloud.
Storyline Online – Videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creative illustrations.
Story Time From Space – Videos of astronauts read children’s books from the International Space Station!
KidLit TV Read Out Loud – KitLitTV features a range of shows including storytimes, drawing lessons, interviews and more.
Circle Round – "A podcast that adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages 4 to 10."
BookFlix – Watch and read along with video storybooks and nonfiction books for young readers. Includes streaming video, games, and resources for parents.
Audible Stories – Over 200 full-length audiobooks available to stream for free during the duration of school closures. There are also titles available in multiple languages.
RBDigital
- Kids Magazines – Use your library card to check out a variety of kids magazines including High Five, Highlights for Children, National Geographic Kids, and National Geographic Little Kids.
- Audiobooks – Use your library card to check out audiobooks for early readers, children, and teens.
OverDrive
- OverDrive Kids – Use your library card to check out a variety of books for early readers and young kids.
- OverDrive Teens – Use your library card to check out popular young adult fiction titles.
cloudLibrary
- cloudLibrary Children’s Books – Use your library card to check out a variety of books for early readers and young kids.
- cloudLibrary Teen Reads – Use your library card to check out popular young adult fiction titles.
Abdo Digital
- Elementary Digital Bookshelf – A free, digital library with materials for grades PreK through 8.
- Secondary Digital Bookshelf – A free, digital library with materials for grades 5-12.
TumbleBooks
- TumbleBookLibrary – A K-6 children’s ebook database. (Username: tumble735 | Password: books)
- TumbleMath – A K-6 math ebook database. (Username: tumble2020 | Password: A3b5c6)
- TeenBookCloud – A grade 7-12 ebook database. (Username: tumble2020 | Password: A3b5c6)
- AudioBookCloud – An all-age audiobook database. (Username: tumble2020 | Password: A3b5c6)
International Children’s Digital Library – A collection of children’s books from around the world, including titles in multiple languages.
Authors and illustrators are coming together to offer virtual reading and learning to children across the world. Search the hashtags #kidlitquarantine or #OperationReadAloud to find more.
- DC Kids Camp – Visit the DC Kids Twitter (@dccomicskids) and Instagram (@dckids) accounts, every day for fun and interactive activities you can do at home and videos featuring DC artists and writers!
- Stimola Literary Studio – A collection of live stream events for kids, tweens, and teens by professional authors and illustrators.
Doodles and Drawing
- Dav Pilkey at Home – Beginning April 1, find fun and free activities from Dog Man author Dav Pilkey. He’ll also be sharing new video content every Friday at 7 a.m. CST via the Library of Congress.
- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems – New episodes are posted weekdays at 12 p.m.
- Draw Every Day with JJK – Jarrett J. Krosoczka will be hosting free webcasts weekdays at 1 p.m. CST that are archived on YouTube.
Authors and Celebrities Reading Books
- Write. Right. Rite: Grab the Mic Series – National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Jason Reynolds, is launching a weekly videos series. The biweekly video series will inspire young people to tell their own stories.
- Todd Parr on YouTube – Listen to Todd Parr read “The Worry Book” and his other books on his youtube channel.
- Ben Clanton on Facebook Live – Author Ben Clanton is hosting offering live author visits on Facebook (March 18 at 1 p.m. CST, March 20 at 4 p.m. CST).
- Oliver Jeffers on Instagram – Daily readings of a book live in Instagram Stories at 1 p.m. CST
- Mac Barnett on Instagram – Daily readings of picture books life on Instagram Stories at 2 p.m. CST
- Kate Messner – Favorite authors and illustrators share resources for virtual reading and learning (Spring 2020)
- Monique Gray Smith on Instagram – Videos of reading picture books on her Instagram.
- Josh Gad on Twitter – Actor Josh Gad is reading books to kids online every night on Twitter
Harry Potter at Home – Stories, crafts, articles, quizzes, puzzles, and more from the world of Harry Potter.
Chesapeake Family – “Virtual Field Trips - Kids Can Explore the World from Home”
Travel and Leisure – “Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch”
Romper – "While Disney World & Disneyland Are Closed, Take Your Kids On Virtual Rides"
Virtual reality field trips – This collection was created by a local teacher at O.H. Anderson Elementary School in Mahtomedi.
Library Tools for Kids
Kids InfoBits – Search for information aimed at kids from popular children’s magazines. Learn more about Kids InfoBits: Tutorial, and Overview
Homework HelpNow – Free tutoring services for kids, teens, and adults available from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Britannica Fundamentals – Designed for kids from pre-K-2, this early learning site teaches kids about geography, reading, and math though interactive games.
Explora Kids – Search elementary school-appropriate magazines, encyclopedias, and dictionaries. Learn more: Explora Kids Video Tutorial
Library Tools for Teens
Homework HelpNow – Free tutoring services for kids, teens, and adults available from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Middle School (Gale In Context) – For grade 6-8 students, use to search magazines, newspapers and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, and more.
LearningExpress Library – Take online practice tests, view tutorials, and find resources for school and career exams. Popular tests include: ACT, AP, GED, Nursing, Real Estate, TOEFL, and U.S. Citizenship.
Explora Teens – Search middle and high school-appropriate magazines, encyclopedia, dictionaries. Includes primary source documents, reference books, and multimedia. Learn more: Explora Teens Video Tutorial
ECFE Parent Weekly Discussion Sessions – Join staff with South Washington County ECFE for weekly parenting support discussion. Sessions are free, registration is required. Register online.
ECFE Parent/Child Together Sessions – Join weekly Zoom sessions to participate in learning activities for caregivers and kids, facilitated by staff with South Washington County ECFE. Sessions are free, registration is required. Register online.
Science Museum Learn from Home – A community resource where science, equity, and education come together with opportunties for all ages.
Wonderopolis – Every day at Wonderopolis a new “Wonder of the Day” question is posted. Each question is designed to get kids and families to read, think, talk, and find learning moments together in everyday life
Bedtime Math – Fun math lessons, activities, and games for children of all ages.
Minnesota Children’s Museum – The Minnesota Children’s Museum Parent Resources page has fun activities and ideas to help you keep playing together at home.
Mattel Playroom – Mattel Playroom is a resource for families to stay busy while home from school and work. The free platform offers play-from-home activities, games, content, and expert advice based on its well-known brands, including Barbie, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, American Girl, and Thomas & Friends.
Camp Hello Bello – A free, virtual camp for kids with weekly themed camp sessions from Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.Check out the schedule at camphellobello.com for classes taught by Kristen bell & Dax, some of their friends, and more creative counselors from the entire Hello Bello community.
Start with a Book – Choose a topic to explore, find great books to read, then browse a curated selection of activities and educational apps to keep learning going.
America’s Test Kitchen Kids – Free recipes, activities, and experiments for kids.
Cosmic Kids Yoga – Free yoga resources for young children.
Go Noodle – Short videos to get kids moving.
Scholastic Learn at Home – A collection of free, daily projects and lessons to help kids reading, thinking, and growing. The site includes up to 20 days of instructions for students in grades PreK - 9+ organized by grade groups.
Lakeshore Learning – Free lessons, activities, worksheets, and craft ideas.
Miss Humblebee’s Academy – An interactive kindergarten-readiness program that introduces children ages three to six to key concepts in math, science, social studies, language and literacy, art, and music. It’s as challenging as it is fun!
Sesame Street – Free games, videos, and art from the Sesame Workshop. Activities and games from Sesame Street
Snake Discovery – Emily is one of our most popular visitors at the library! Check out all her critters on YouTube.
Learning Without Tears – Free access to their online programs supporting handwriting instruction, keyboarding, and early learning skills.
Reading Rockets – Collection of resources to keep kids learning at home while schools is closed.
Wonderopolis – Free online learning resource to help learning continue at home in fun and engaging ways.
A Kids Book About COVID-19 by Malia Jones – A free ebook (English or Spanish) about COVID-19 written by a social epidemiologist.
Coronavirus: A Book for Children from Nosy Crow – A free digital book for primary school age children about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it.
Staying Home by Sally Nicholls and Viviane Schwarz – A PDF kids book about how one family is spending their days in lockdown.
Coronavirus Social Story – The social story provides a “visual guide for individuals with autism. It shares illustrated information in a variety of languages on how to stay healthy and protected from the virus.“
Scholastic Classroom Magazine – Teaching Our World: The Coronavirus
VPR’s "But Why?" podcast – Coronavirus For Kids, And The Science Of Soap
PBS Kids – “How To Talk to your Kids About Coronavirus”
Jbrary – “The Hand Washing Song” (video)
Twin Cities Mom Collective – “Resources for an Uncertain Time”
PGMag – “20 Tips for Working from Home”
NPR – “Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus”
COVID-19 written and illustrated by AnaElise Beckman (free ebook via Barnes and Noble)
COVID-19 Time Capsule – A free workbook for kids and families to fill out about their COVID-19 experiences.
Cosmic Kids – Yoga, mindfulness, and relaxation videos for kids of all ages.
GoNoodle – Videos to get kids up and moving to fun, engaging content and games.
School districts are offering free grab-and-go meals to anyone under age 18. Visit these links for more info.
For more, see our full list of research databases for online learning resources for all ages.