With people working from home and kids off from school, An associate of mine Joel Olson Mortgage Broker with Dominion Lending Services has done some serious work to help parents during this time catch a moment of sanity while keeping their children productive.
THANK YOU JOEL!!!!!
Check out the link to his blog here.
Starfall: www.starfall.com
This is a reading app that is mostly for Pre-School and Kindergarten Kids. The free option gives you access to various reading games and songs. There is a paid option as well which has some other options. A lot of focus on learning sounds and letters.
Endless Alphabet: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/endless-alphabet/id591626572
This app costs $8.99. It is primarily to learn your alphabet with some sight words as well. It does not seem to be a desktop option though. Geared towards Pre-K. There is a follow up for kids as they get older called, Endless Reader: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/endless-reader/id722910739
Skybrary: https://www.levarburtonkids.com/skybrary
The is a program that is done by Levar Burton of Reading Rainbow. The idea is that kids travel through all these lands in a hot balloon, and there are books to read along the way. It works on a desktop and also on a tablet. There is a free trial on right now for one month. Cost is $4.99 a month, with a cheaper option if you buy for the whole year. It is for younger readers, but a pretty interactive option.
Writing Wizard for Kids: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/writing-wizard-for-kids/id631446426?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
This is only for use on a device. It costs $4.99. Kids can write and trace words on a tablet or phone, You can build your list and the list can be printed out so kids can trace with an actual writing utensil as well.
Ollie’s Handwriting: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ollies-handwriting-phonics/id647775236?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
This is another writing app only for a device, You write on a virtual chalkboard. There is a free version that unlocks part of the Alphabet. To get the whole thing it costs $2.99. It’s a good app that helps kids work on reading and writing at the same time. Ollie the Owl does videos to show kids how to write each letter. It seems to be mostly for younger kids.
Intro to Cursive: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/montessorium-intro-to-cursive/id687552892?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
This is an app that teaches kids how to start doing handwriting. The app is free, and kids get to practice their handwriting by writing in the virtual sandbox as things disappear.
Epic: https://www.getepic.com/
This is a massive virtual library. Currently, its free for all teachers, so most kids have been given access to this through their teachers. If they haven’t passed this link on to their teachers, and they will get full access. It’s also free for parents for 30 days. After that it costs $8.99. It’s all geared for kids 12 and under. It has quizzes after books to test comprehension. A great feature of this is that it has both fiction and non-fiction. You can access it through a device or a computer.
Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/
This can be used via a device or computer. Its a study tool where you can study, use flashcards, and take quizzes on a variety of subjects. Good program to see where kids are at and to see what they need to work on. Its mostly free, but costs 99 cents for the whole version. It’s very useful for all ages – even high school kids.
Spelling City: https://www.spellingcity.com/app.html
This is exactly how it sounds. Spelling tests for all age levels. Works well on both desktop and devices. You can select the level of the child, and also there are some games to help them as well. There is a real focus to teach kids how to use the words in a sentence. The premium membership is $34.95 per year and you can sign up to five kids.
Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/downloads
This program has several different courses, all of them are free. Courses range in subjects from Math, Science, Engineering, Economics, Finance, Arts, Humanities, etc. There is a separate app for younger kids (age 2-7). Most of the content is a video of each specific lesson. Lots of great things, especially if kids are older or need some help on getting ready for college. The kids app allows them to play different games – mostly centered around Math.
This app is for younger kids (K-5) to learn math skills. The app is free. Everything is centered around different games from addition, subtraction, fractions, multiplication, and other math concepts that kids need to learn at that level.
Animal Math: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eggrollgames.animalmathkindergartenfree
This is a free app, It is mostly suited for younger kids under 8. There are about 100 games on the app. The games focus on counting, addition and subtraction and basic geometry.
Prodigy: http://prodigythegame.com/
This is a game where kids conquer different levels and lands- all relating to math. There is a free version of this, but the premium version is $8.95 per month and goes down if you get a longer subscription. It can be played on a desktop and a device, the program just looks like an awesome video game
Math Blaster: http://www.mathblaster.com/
This is a math game that is built for all ages. There is both a free version and a paid version, the paid version is about $8 per month. This is a sci-fi themed game, as opposed to Prodigy where it involves dragons, and kingdoms, etc. This one is also built for older kids then Prodigy is.
Dragon Box Math: http://www.mathblaster.com/
This game is built for ages 12 and up, You learn Algebra and you build a dragon and unlock chapters while you build your dragon, Costs 7.99 per month. It’s also not a desktop them, but an app for devices.
Scholastic Learn at Home: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
Scholastic has built daily lesson plans. The ages start at Pre K- Grade 9. There are lesson plans for four weeks and they include videos, quizzes, handouts on a variety of topics. Everything is 100% free.
Code.org: https://code.org/
Code.org is a website that has online classes teaching kids to code. There are several different classes on building dance parties, writing games, working with A, I, etc. Best of all this is all free. On Wednesdays, every week at 10 am/PST, they have live classes called “Code Break
PBS Learning Media: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
Everyone knows about “Channel 13”. They have developed free lesson plans for Pre K- Grade 12. Subjects include Science, Math, Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies.
The lessons include videos, games, crafts, and printable sheets to go with the lessons.
Cosmic Kids Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga
Cosmic Kids Yoga is a youtube channel that has various lessons for kids of all ages. Sessions last for 10 Mins- 30 Mins. They have cool themes like Frozen and Moana. They also have some sessions around relaxation and mindfulness.
“Wow in the World”: https://tinkercast.com/shows/wow-in-the-world/
This is a podcast that investigates factual world-stories. Each episode has a printable sheet where you can write some questions before and after and work through the episode. Each episode lasts for about 20-30 minutes.
Mystery Science: https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning
Mystery Science has lessons that are 10-45 minutes in length for ages up to Grade 5. Some lessons are just videos, but most have an activity where you can print out everything that you need and instructions are provided with the lessons. Most everything is free, but you do need to sign up for an account. It appears that some of the resources are mostly free due to COVID-19.
DIY: www.diy.org
DIY is a website full of different projects kids can do. Currently, you can have a 14 day trial for free, and it costs about $20 a month after that, Course typically have video instruction, and then kids have the chance to do the task themselves. Courses include action, photography, animation, app development, backyard farming, beekeepers, beat-making, fashion design, first aid, home repair and a lot more, There is also an online community for kids to interact with as well.
Cool Math Games: https://www.coolmathgames.com/
Everything on this site is free, and it has many small math games. They include online sudoku, puzzles, and chess.
National Geographic for Kids: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
National Geographic has plenty of lessons, videos and games around different science subjects. Of course, much of the content is around different animals.
Brain Pop: https://www.brainpop.com/
Currently, they have free access to everyone by signing up for an account. Brain Pop has lots of different subjects, with quizzes, challenges, games, and worksheets. Particular topics include science, social studies, arts, engineering, tech and science
Minecraft Education: https://education.minecraft.net/
This program uses the popular Minecraft Game to teach creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. When you register, you get a free coding lesson and also an option for a free trial.
Ken Burns: In the Classroom: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/kenburnsclassroom/home/
This is a collection of about 300 Documentary films. Mostly geared for Grades 4 and Up. With each documentary comes activities(some of which that can be printed) and various discussion questions.
Poppins at Home: https://learn.mommypoppins.com/pages/courses
Poppins at Home has daily zoom classes around yoga, STEM Classes, arts, lego, 3D Modeling, cooking, etc. There are some course that are free, and some that cost as much as $30,
Every Wednesday, there is a new builder video uploaded, where kids are given a tutorial on building a new lego structure. All previous videos are on the page as well. In addition to the videos, there are weekly coloring sheets, maze challenges, word searches, silly stories, brick- tac-toe, and trivia.
Heal The Bay: Knowledge Drops: https://healthebay.org/knowledge-drops/
Heal the Bay holds webinars on Monday, Wednesdays, and Friday at 1:30 PST. During the webinar there are scientists, experts who speak about different marine environment topics. Sessions last for an hour, and you can ask questions – as well as there is some fun polls and videos added. It seems to be pretty good for all ages, but they do recommend it for Grade 3-8.
Upcoming topics include sewer systems, plastics, jellies, sharks and rays and much more!
Lincoln Center Pop-Up Classroom: https://www.facebook.com/pg/LincolnCenterNYC/videos/
Classes start at 7 am PST (via Facebook live) on Weekday Mornings with creative lessons around the many art forms you can usually see at the Lincoln Center. Previous classes have been writing a song, creating puppets from homemade objects, and dance lessons.
VIrtual Whale Lessons with Nona the Naturalist: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6rlK4oYOdj9loOw9dpM64g
The lessons are not live, but every day Nona the Naturalist posts a video about whales with fun facts. It’s kind of like doing virtual whale watching.
Quogue Wildlife Refuge: https://www.facebook.com/quoguewildliferefuge/
Quogue Wildlife Refuge does Facebook Live Episodes on Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am Pst.
The segments are short and have previously discussed various topics like worms and composting.
DC Kids Comics: https://www.instagram.com/dckids/
Every weekday at 10 am on Instagram Live DC posts different videos. Most of the videos are on how to draw different DC Superheroes, but some videos have been about different skills for making your comics.
Gatorland Virtual School of Croc: https://www.facebook.com/gatorland/
Live at 7 am PST on Facebook Live every day, there are videos about Crocodiles and Alligators.
The program streams live from Gatorland Orlando
Monster Art School with Steve Ellis: https://www.facebook.com/SteveEllisArtist
There are two daily art classes for free on weekdays via Facebook Live. The first one is at 11 am PST, and is for Beginners or ages 8-13. The second class is at 12 PST for Intermediate or ages 13 and up. Steve is a comic book artist, so lessons are on dragons, samurai and other cool things. After the lesson is done, the lesson is posted on YouTube.
Chuck Jones Center for Creativity: https://www.chuckjonescenter.org/going-virtual
There are three free classes a day on zoom. Times are 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm PST. Classes are drawing classes where you learn to draw character likes Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian.
The Broad Museum: https://www.facebook.com/thebroadmuseum
The Broad Museum uploads a new family art workshop every Friday. Most workshops just allow you to use stuff around your home and model a current artist.
Rockefeller Center: https://www.rockefellercenter.com/whats-happening/2020/3/29/spring-sunday/
There are programs live at 8 am PST on Sundays via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Every week there is an art workshop, live music, puppet theater, DIY arts and crafts, and other demos
National Theater London: https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre
Every Thursday, the National Theater of London streams on of their previous plays. They stream them at 7 pm London time, so it’s worthy to note that it’s available in canned version after the fact for one week, Plays are streamed through YouTube, and the schedule indicates upcoming plays include Treasure Island and the Twelfth Night
Bob Baker Marionettes: https://www.instagram.com/bobbakermarionettes/
The Marionettes upload a new puppet number at 11:30 PST on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Videos are posted on Instagram live. In addition to this, on their YouTube Channel there are tutorials on how to make the puppets.
Alvin Alley American Dance Theater: https://www.alvinailey.org/performances-tickets/ailey-all-access
The popular dance theater broadcasts free live streaming performance at 4 pm PST on Thursdays. In addition to the performance, there are Q and A’s with the dancers and also videos on different dance techniques to learn.,
The Show Must Go On: https://www.youtube.com/theshowsmustgoon
Andrew Lloyd Webber is releasing one of his musicals for viewing every Friday night for 48 hours. Shows to be released include Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Cats.
LeVar Burton Reads: https://twitter.com/levarburton
Levar Burton reads live via twitter,. Mondays, 9 am PST for Children. Wednesdays, 3 pm PST for Young Adults, and 6 pm PST on Fridays for Adults. A bonus would be to listen to the podcast which has a lot of great episodes.
Goodnight with Dolly: https://imaginationlibrary.com/goodnight-with-dolly-read-aloud/
Dolly Parton reads aloud via Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, It happens every Thursday at 4 pm Pacific.
Shakespeare Sonnets with Patrick Stewart: https://www.instagram.com/sirpatstew/
Every day Sir Patrick Stewart posts a video of him reading a Shakespearean Sonnets.
Narwhal and Jelly: Ben Clayton: https://www.facebook.com/narwhalandjelly/photos/a.1539246199430573/2371292832892568/?type=1&theater
Every Monday at 9:30 PST, Ben hosts Instagram Lives on how to draw Miximals. Classes are 20-30 Minutes long. Videos are posted on Facebook.
Code Monster: http://www.crunchzilla.com/code-monster
This is a cool little free game that teaches kids how to write code.
Swift Playgrounds: https://www.apple.com/swift/playgrounds/
This is a free apple program that teaches kids how to write code. It can be downloaded on a Mac or an IPAD.
PPO is a streaming YouTube Channel that teaches kids Origami.
Garfield Park Conservatory: https://garfieldconservatory.org/resource-center/digital-tours/
Garfield Park in Chicago is currently offering online tours with images, videos, and audio features.
Museum of Science and Industry Chicago: https://www.msichicago.org/science-at-home
On their website, you can participate in “Science at Home”. There are some videos, but it is mostly ideas for activities that you can do at home.
This website is centered around Chicago’s Field Museum. There are videos and entire lesson plans. Interesting topics around ecosystems, world culture and earth science.
Children’s author Mac Barnett does a storytime via Instagram Live every day at noon PST.
Met Opera: https://www.metopera.org/
Every day starting at 4:30 PST, The Metropolitan Opera streams one of their previous performances. The performances are available for 20 hours afterward.
Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari: https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo
The Cincinnati Zoo features a different animal and activity to do at home at noon PST daily.
Museum of American Revolution: http://www.amrevmuseum-virtualtour.org/?utm_source=news-mark-image&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-mark-image-email-03172020
Currently they are offering immersive virtual tours. It’s a little easier to navigate than some of the options out there, and there is an audio guide that plays while you are touring.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan: https://cmom.org/learn/cmom-at-home/
COMO posts daily activities and instructions on how to do them. Most are simple art projects, but easy to use nonetheless.
Treasure Trunk Theater: http://www.treasuretrunktheatre.com/online-classes/
The classes are geared towards kids under six years of age. Featuring lots of music and activities, it happens every weekday at 12:30 PST.
The Laboratory Collective: https://www.facebook.com/thelaboratorychi
Free live interactive wizarding science classes. Classes happen online on Facebook at 8:30 PST.
The Arboretum: https://www.arboretum.org/learn/kids-families/
The Arboretum is a LA- Based Botanical Garden. Every week on Monday and Thursdays they are posting new outdoor nature-based activities. Some recent classes included Flower Dissections and Bug Hunts.
Sesame Street: https://www.sesamestreet.org/caring
Of course, there are tons of videos, games, and printable activities. There is also a great section on learning about COVID19.
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis: https://www.childrensmuseum.org/museum-at-home
Their “Museum at Home” program has Facebook live videos on science experiments, and even things like dinosaur digging. They also are posting different lists of activities that you can do at home.
Burke Museum: https://www.burkemuseum.org/burke-from-home
The Burke Museum in Seattle offers weekly lessons plans on prehistoric animals, like dinosaurs and whales. Some great crafts can be printed out, as well as other worksheets.
There is also a pretty interesting podcast to go along with everything.
Virtual Purple Museum: https://www.cdm.org/virtual-museum/
The Children’s Museum in San Jose has created new activities that they email you twice weekly
They also offer facebook live classes at 10:30, 11:30, and 1:30 PST. Additionally, their website has tons of archived at-home activities and videos for kids.
San Diego Zoo Global Academy: https://collabornation.net/register/sdzk12
San Diego Zoo offers courses around their various zoo topics. They are geared for kids that are 13+ or older. You are not even allowed to register if you are younger than that. There are 22 different courses around different animal groups and species. All of that is free.
Adler Planetarium: https://www.adlerplanetarium.org/learn/resources/online-resources/
Quite a few different few resources on Astronomy here. They have both a podcast and a blog, as well as all their virtual exhibitions open. There is also a spot to collaborate on research and do different projects at home.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams
Currently, they have 10 live web-cams, which include Shark Cams, Jelly Cams, and Ocean Cams. There are also other free resources to go with the different cams.
National Baseball Hall of Fame: https://baseballhall.org/discover/safe-at-home
Their “Safe at Home” program has virtual exhibits, a virtual tour of the whole museum, loads of YouTube VIdeos, and also some very cool activities that you can print out at home.
Union Square Play: https://unionsquareplay.com/
Every day one family activity, one kids’ video and one event for parents are uploaded online. They also allow to access all of the previous content as well.
Activity Hero: https://www.activityhero.com/
Activity Hero has online classes around sports, coding, science and art. Some of their classes are free and some have a fee. The classes are a way for small businesses around North America to still offer their content while they may be closed. There is also a good mix of live and canned content.
Northern Lights LiveStream: https://explore.org/livecams/aurora-borealis-northern-lights/northern-lights-cam
This is a Livestream of the Northern Lights based out of Churchill, Manitoba.
The camera is located right under the aurora borealis making for an amazing light show.
San Diego Zoo: https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/
You can view webcams of animals, play games, watch videos, and download the many free activities.
Skate Like a Girl: https://www.youtube.com/skatelikeagirl
“Skate Like a Girl” uploads a new video every Wednesday on different skateboarding warm-ups. They also have plenty of videos on how to different skateboard tricks as well.
Museum of Flight: https://pages.museumofflight.org/museum-at-home
Their “Museum at Home” program has virtual tours of the museum and also virtual tours inside all the different aircraft- there are 150!. You can walk through Air Force One, Concorde, and many others. There is a section for family activities which has many stem workshops, activity sheets, coloring sheets, and online pages. There are also challenges that kids can compete in.
Beanstalk: https://beanstalk.co/
There are interactive kids classes for ages 6 and under. All classes are free, but you do need to sign up. Classes range in topics from art, science and other fun subjects.
Created by Crayola: https://created.crayola.com/at-home-learning-home/homelearning
Crayola offers free family projects every Monday. In addition to this, there are a lot fo virtual art classes and there are some options for things you can do with Crayola products that are online.
Encantos: https://www.encantosbrands.com/learning/
Encantos is a free program for younger kids that combines many schools around culture, language, geography and history. There is also an option for kids to learn the information in a bilingual and learn in both English and Spanish.
Go Noodle: https://www.gonoodle.com/
Go Noodle offers movement and mindfulness videos for kids. All videos are free.
Although you have to sign up, MarcoPolo World School has offered all of its STEM lessons for free during COVID-19. They have video lessons with activities and are geared for kids under 7 years old.
Noggin: https://www.noggin.com/
Noggin is an app that has been developed by Nick, Jr. Currently, they are offering a 60 Day Trial. Noggin has free episodes of some of the most popular pre-school shows including Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer.
Online Ocean: https://ocean.org/learnonline/
The Vancouver Aquarium’s online program has plenty of online activities and printouts.
The content is for all ages of kids right to 18. In addition to this, there are Facebook live talks, and live streams. All live streams are archives to access at any time.
Other Goose: https://othergoose.com/welcome/#welcome
Other Goose is an online curriculum for charter schools for kids ages 2-7.
Currently, all content is free for three weeks as long as you register a profile.
Tinkergarten: https://tinkergarten.com/athome
Tinkergarten is learning for younger kids completely based outside.
Currently, the are providing free weekly activities, how-to guides, and also Facebook Live sessions on Tuesday at 8:30 PST.
Scribd is the “Netflix” of books. You can find any book on anything you are looking for.
They have both books that can be read online or audiobooks. Scribd also has a full slate of every magazine you have ever heard of that you can read it well. Free for 30 days, and $8.99 after that.
America’s Test Kitchen: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/home
America’s Test Kitchen has created a weekly plan around different classes and activities. Classes are around Kids’ cooking and also the science of cooking like “What Makes Fizzy Drinks Fizzy”.
Best Robot Ever: http://www.bestrobotever.com/
Best Robot Ever is a company that offers some of the coolest kids podcasts out there.
Shows include Earth Rangers, Tumble (A science podcast), Young Ben Franklin and many more
edHelper offers free printable workbooks for all subjects and all ages of kids.
Elementari: https://www.elementari.io/
Elementari is a program where kids write their own stories and also re-tool existing stories. It always them to also work with learning how to code. They are currently offering free premium access during COVID-19
HeartMath: https://www.heartmath.org/education/e-learning/heartsmarts-adventure/100k-coherent-kids-initiative/
HeartMath is giving away free access to its HeartSmart Adventure. HeartSmart teaches kids ways to deal with stress, develop a good diet, sleep better and learn self-care.
Highlights Kids: https://www.highlightskids.com/
Highlights Kids – based on the magazine has tons of free resources for kids of all ages. There are quizzes, online games and activities, jokes, polls, and much more.
Legends of Learning: https://www.legendsoflearning.com/
Legends of Learning allows kids in Grade 3-8 to learn Math and Science through a super-hero designed video game. Currently, it has free access, and you can either let your child navigate and play at their own pace, or parents can set-up a customized learning plan that sends them reports of the progress.
Peanuts Gang Family Resource Gallery: http://ymiclassroom.com/lesson-plans/peanutsfamily/
Everything is based around Snoopy and Woodstock, and the lessons are all based around space. It is all printable in PDF format, and there are lessons for kids K-8.
Peterson Automotive Museum: https://www.petersen.org/
There are tons of videos about how cars are made, and there are offering free virtual tours every day at 11 am PST. There are also live stream video activities around all things automotive including building your race cars. There are also coloring sheets that can be printed or colored digitally.
The Fab Lab: https://www.thefablab.com/
You have to sign up for access, but its’s free. Currently, they are live streaming a free episode a day, which comes directly to your email. All topics are around STEM and other creative lessons.
We Love Weather: https://weloveweather.tv/for-kids/
Every day “We Love Weather” posts a different science video and experiment that kids can try all around the weather.
Time for Kids: https://time.com/tfk-free/
Time Magazine is offering free access to “Time for Kids’ and “Your $” Financial Literacy Magazine, There are also quizzes and discussion sheets. There are also various age groups to choose from,
Typing Club: https://www.typingclub.com/
This is a program for kids to learn how to type. There are free and paid versions. The program tests your typing skills until you get five stars. You don’t need to sign up for an account, but if you do it does track your progress.
Rich Kid. Smart Kid: http://richkidsmartkid.com/
Based off of the popular “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” book series. This site contains four different games to teach kids about money and financial literacy. There are different age groups to choose from including Pre K through high school.
Storyline Online: https://www.youtube.com/user/StorylineOnline
Storyline Online has a huge stream of videos of different celebrities reading children’ books.
Daily Lunch Doodle with Mo Willems: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2576730175772671
Mo Willems is the artist-in-residence at the Kennedy Center Education Center. He hosts daily doodling at 10 am PST via the Kennedy Center’s website.
Wendy MacNaughton: https://www.instagram.com/wendymac/?hl=en
Best-selling children’s illustrator Wendy MacNaughton hosts art classes every weekday via Instagram Live at 10 am PST.
Most of the exhibition rooms and galleries are available for virtual tour right now. Visiting the museum is pretty overwhelming anyway, so its a good way to see a lot of the exhibits.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams
The National Zoo offers free animal cams of most of their animals, and also educational activities for kids grades K-5.
Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/
MOMA is currently offering virtual exhibitions, free online courses, and family art activities.
The Paley Center for Media: https://www.paleycenter.org/paleyathome-on-youtube/
The Paley Center is currently offering updated content every week. On Wednesdays at 7amPST, is Paley Family Comedy Block, where you can watch the best comedies that are suited for the whole family. On Thursdays, they offer at 7 am PST conversations with the best thought leaders in media, technology, finance and entertainment.
The Guggenheim: https://www.guggenheim.org/plan-your-visit/guggenheim-from-home
The Guggenheim offers virtual tours with audio guides. There is a series on the actual architecture of the building as well. They have some great artist profiles as well.
New-York Historical Society: https://www.nyhistory.org/education/history-home
In addition to all the virtual tours, the New-York Historical Society has online social studies classes focusing on American History for two different age groups a day. The classes are for K-12, and include reference to much of the exhibits in the museum. Several other programs are accessible by signing up for their weekly emails.
Intrepid Air & Space Museum: https://www.intrepidmuseum.org/education#2
The Intrepid is offering daily online classes relating to space. They are for all age groups, but you have to register two days in advance to get an email with the materials that you will need. There is also a cap of 300 people per class.
The American Museum of Natural History: https://www.amnh.org/
The museum is offering various online activities and games. There are also live videos and events posted every day. A recent example was live bird watching. The museum itself focuses on the study of “Ology” which means the subjects are around Anthropology, Archaeology, Climate Change, Genetics, BioDiversity, Physics and much more.
Whitney Museum of American Art: https://whitney.org/whitney-from-home
The Whitney currently offers all its exhibitions online with audio guides. There also videos with conversations with the artists that can be watched on-demand.
National Museum of Mathematics: https://momath.org/upcoming-events/
MoMath is offering virtual field trips and online programs. Some programs cost a nominal fee. Every course is very cool, there are even some for adults. Topic include MindBenders, MathPlay for Pre-Schoolers, Games of Little to no chance, and many other very cool things.
New York Hall of Science: https://nysci.org/home/science-behind-coronavirus/
NYSCI is currently offering a virtual exhibit relating to diseases, viruses and more specifically COVID- 19.
SpyScape: https://spyscape.com/
SpySpace is the New York Museum around all things relating to spies, espionage, and the art of deception. Their online activities include exercises developed by the Head of Training of British Intelligence, and different stories and experiences around spy skills.
The British Museum: https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
The British Museum has over 8,000,000 artifacts. The museum is dedicated to human history, art and culture. You can certainly view the museum online and browse through the many floors and areas and there is an audio guide as well. Its’ home to artifacts like the Rosetta Stone.
The Riijksmuseum is Amsterdam has 8,000 objects relating to different parts of dutch history. The entire museum can be viewed online. One of its most famous works is “The Night Watch”.
Schaubune is Berlin’s very famous theater. One play is streamed nightly from 6 pm- midnight or 9:30 am PST- 3 pm PST.
Sadler Wells is a major dance theater in London. Currently they are streaming one play per week. Many of the plays are family-friendly, such as Rumplestilskin. They also have courses on dance and family dance workshops.
Windsor Castle: https://www.royal.uk/virtual-tours-windsor-castle
Windsor Castle is the Queen’s official residence. Currently, they are offering free virtual tours.
The White House: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-white-house
The White House is the private residence of the US President, and also holds all the administration of the President. You can currently tour the White House virtually.
Bread Ahead Bakery: https://www.breadahead.com/live-bake
World-famous Bread Ahead Bakery is offering free baking classes at 2 pm. Being that the bakery is based in London, Instagram classes start at 6 am PST.
Grammy Museum: https://grammymuseum.org/museum-at-home/
The Grammy Museum has taken all of its exhibits online. Current exhibits include Whitney Houston, John Prine, and Drawing to Music. They also have a lot of canned videos regarding some of their most famous interviews.
Sydney Opera House: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/digital.html
The Sydney Opera House has made a ton of content free. This includes live performances for all ages. Content for kids includes learning how to make classical music, learning set design, how to perform circus arts and many podcasts and archived videos.
Museums Victoria: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/museum-at-home/
Museums Victoria in Australia is offering “Museum at Home”. It’s a combination of several different museums. There are exhibits from dinosaurs, to Stem, to a great exhibit of immigration in Australia.
Massimo Bottura: https://www.instagram.com/massimobottura/
Famous Italian Chef, Massimo Bottura is offering free “Kitchen Quarantine” Instagram live at noon every day. His videos are saved on his Instagram account.
Masterclass: https://www.masterclass.com/
Masterclass has some of the coolest classes you will find online. Learn comedy with Steve Martin. Cooking with Gordan Ramsey. Fiction writing with R.L. Stine. Basketball with Step Curry.
There is so much good content. Currently, they are running live Q & A with many of their instructors as well. It cost $240 for a yearly membership.
Superbook: https://us-en.superbook.cbn.com/
Superbook is a faith-based program that has bible stories, games, and tv episodes. You have to create a login, but all the content is free.
Orange-Theory Fitness: https://www.orangetheoryfitness.com/
The popular science-based workout is offering free at-home workouts. You don’t need to have any equipment as you can use objects from home for the resistance portion of the workout. Lots of it is easy for kids to do as well.
ConBody: https://conbody.com/
ConBody is a workout designed by ex-convicts where you do workouts in small spaces with only your bodyweight. An online membership is $9/ per month. The workouts can be scaled for kids, but the language is a little rough sometimes, so keep that in mind also.
Young Woodworkers Club: https://www.youngwoodworkers.com/
Every month you receive a woodworking project for about $10. All of the instructions and materials are included in the box, and kids can learn how to use basic tools such as hammer, nails, and screws while assembling their projects.
Sign School: https://www.signschool.com/
Sign School is 100% free and is an online course to learn sign language. It’s very easy to understand and for kids to work through at their own pace.
Canadian Museum for Human Rights: https://humanrights.ca/covid-19-information-and-updates
Located in Winnipeg, the Canadian Museum of Human Rights is dedicated to different historic human rights issues as well as issues that we currently face. Currently, there is the ability to view the museum virtually and also do online activities that relate to the exhibits.
Nikon is currently streaming for free all of their online photography courses.
New York Yankees: https://www.mlb.com/yankees/fans/kids
Yankees Kids offers new games to play outside, quizzes and trivia, and as well as a massive printable activity book.
Outschool: https://outschool.com/
Outschool is loaded with different online classes for kids. Prices vary from free to a few hundred dollars. Classes include basic life skills, music, art, coding, science and more! There are over 10,000 classes to choose from.