Tools for Caregivers and Kids
Washington County Library is ready to support the needs of students, families, and educators as you navigate the upcoming school year. If you are a student, parent/caregiver or an educator, click the button to request books or other materials, ask for support on projects, or notify us of upcoming assignments.
ECFE Winter/Spring 2021 Classes
Register now to reserve your space in South Washington County Schools Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) Winter/Spring semester classes. Classes will begin the week of January 25.
ECFE is a popular family education program for families with children birth to Kindergarten. The program provides support, information and connection for parents as well as early childhood interactive learning fun for children. You can find ECFE class and tuition information by clicking here.
Tuition for ECFE is based on a sliding fee scale. No family is ever turned away for the inability to pay for an ECFE class. If you have questions or need help with registration, contact Brenda Griffin at bgriffin@sowashco.org or 651-425-2701.
- Online Storytimes
- Digital Books and Magazines
- Authors and Illustrators
- Virtual Field Trips
- Library Tools
- Tools for Home Learning
- Talking About COVID-19
- Getting Exercise
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.
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.
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.
- Audiobooks – Use your library card to check out audiobooks for early readers, children, and teens.
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.
International Children’s Digital Library – A collection of children’s books from around the world, including titles in multiple languages.
- 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.
Doodles and Drawing
- Making Space with Christian Robinson – This video series invites everyone to join in making something together. Creativity has the power to heal and everyone has a creative spark. These videos help you explore yours!
- Dav Pilkey at Home – Find fun and free activities from Dog Man author Dav Pilkey.
- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems – Learn how to draw with cartoonist Mo Willems.
- Draw Every Day with JJK – See an archive of free drawing webcasts with Jarrett J. Krosoczka.
- Stimola Literary Studio – A collection of archived events for kids, tweens, and teens by professional authors and illustrators.
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
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.
Britannica Online School Edition: Search Encyclopaedia Britannica content for elementary, middle, and high school grade students. Learn more about Britannica Online - School Edition: Tutorial
Explora Kids – Search elementary school-appropriate magazines, encyclopedias, and dictionaries. Learn more: Explora Kids Video Tutorial
PebbleGo: Animals and Biographies: Designed for kids from pre-K-3, search this site for resources on animals and biographies. PebbleGo makes learning fun and teaches reading and research skills through the use of read along audio, video, and educational games.
PebbleGo Next: States and Native Americans: For kids in grades 3-6, search this site for resources on US states and Native American history. Learn more with multimedia resources like videos, state songs and regional recipes.
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
Internet and Computer Access
Washington County Library has hotspots and Chromebooks available for checkout. Access the internet and use a computer outside the library! You can place a hold on a device through our catalog, by contacting us, or visiting your local library and requesting one in person.
Learning Resources
Washington County Parks Activities – Washington County Parks offers free materials that are available to download and print for your own use in our parks! Get outside for a scavenger hunt, create your own time capsule, learn about tracking animals, and more.
Science Museum Learn from Home – A community resource where science, equity, and education come together with opportunities 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.
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.
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.
Reading Rockets – Collection of resources to keep kids learning at home while schools is closed.
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)
NPR – “Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring the New Coronavirus”
COVID-19 Time Capsule – A free workbook for kids and families to fill out about their COVID-19 experiences.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital - "Masked Heroes" (video)
Free E-Books for Kids
- A Kid's Book About COVID-19 by Malia Jones (English or Spanish)
- Coronavirus: A Book for Children from Nosy Crow
- Staying Home by Sally Nicholls and Viviane Schwarz
- Why We Stay at Home by Devon M. Scott and Samantha Harris
- I Love You by Michael Ross
- Bray Bray Conquers the Universe by Ashley Maxie-Moreman
- We're Going to Be Okay by Ashleigh Corrin Webb
- My Hero is You: How Kids Can Fight COVID-19! by Helen Patuck
- Captain Corona and the 10 COVID Warriors by Melissa Gratias
- Even Astronauts Practice Social Distancing by Kristen Ehret
- The Princess in Black and the Case of the Coronavirus by Shannon Hale
- What Color is Today? by Alison Stephen
- A Kid's Guide to Coronavirus by Rebecca Growe
- Hello, My Name is Coronavirus by Manuela Molina
- Rainbows in Windows by Yumi
- Dave the Dog: Worried about Coronavirus by Molly Watts
- 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.“
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.
Kidz Bop Dance Along - Have a dance party with the Kidz Bop playlist!
Just Dance - Short dance videos to watch at home.
Pancake Manor - Preschool and action songs to get kids up and dancing!
YMCA 360 - Free on demand videos demonstrating yoga, youth soccer, youth sports performance, and more.
For more, see our full list of research databases for online learning resources for all ages.