Online Sites For Kids to Use for Screen Time during Covid 19

There is a funny Facebook joke going around saying that the only health recommendation they will not be following during this Covid 19 outbreak is the amount of screen time for their children! 

We all know that kids are going to be spending a lot of time on screens, and that’s ok, too! But, if they are going to be on the screen, some of that time can be spent doing and learning educational things! 

Museums are offering free programs; celebrities are doing concerts, readings and drawing lessons! Here is an inventory of some of these resources. 

Know of one that should be on the list? Email info@valleyfamilyfun.ca. 

Amazing List of Free activities and resources. Hundreds and hundreds of random ideas! 

Art and Music

Art at Home – A chart of everything from art contests to galleries, digital art, games, and educational activities all related to art! 

Donna & Andy Living Room Concert Sessions – We cannot be out and about performing for people in live settings, but we can still send some live music your way. We are going to try to send you some music via our “Living Room Sessions” over the next while so you can have a bit of screen time 

Doodle with Mo Willems – Each weekday for the next few weeks, author and illustrator Mo Willems will invite kids into his studio at lunchtime to create some of his beloved characters. Starting this week, new episodes of Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems will be posted at 1 p.m. Eastern time and will remain online to be streamed at any time.

Metropolitan Opera – a free series of encore Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website during the coronavirus closure. To watch. 

Philharmonic Concert Series – access to all concerts and films in the Digital Concert Hall.

Classes and Learning Resources

40 Science Websites to Engage Kids –  Here’s a list of online science resources to help kids learn and have fun while at home. 

5 Free Online Learning Programs for Kids to Do at Home – You don’t need to create teacher-level lesson plans to make sure kids keep on learning at home. Here are a few free resources to take advantage of while creating a plan for keeping little ones learning outside of the classroom.

Family History Activities – In-Home and online activities designed for the whole family. It’s family history in a whole new way!

Online Courses – for every age and grade. students to complete from home to keep up the learning

Online Learning Resources – From Kahn to Sesame Street – something for everyone. 

PuzzlePrime – Puzzles for all ages

Scholastic Learn at Home Program – Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. Provides 20 days’ worth of active learning journeys designed to reinforce and sustain educational opportunities for those students who are unable to attend school. A full ready-made program. Great for those still working and don’t have time to put a curriculum together. 

Science Activities and Online Resources – Stuck at home with the kids because of corona virus? Here’s a list of educational and entertaining activities to keep them occupied.

Science Experiments – two weeks worth of science experiments 

Smithsonian Distance Learning Programs – The Smithsonian will offer new distance-learning resources to support teachers and students facing unprecedented learning challenges in the midst of nationwide school closures.

Skype a Scientist is another interactive approach to learning. The service matches families to a scientist for a live video Q&A session.

Whale Biology Camp for Kids- Join in to talk about whales, dolphins and marine life. Whale Biology Camp for Kids 

Family Activities and Sites for Fun

Boredom Busters – includes over 100 fun (and mostly free) activities that you and your kids can enjoy at home.  This handy list can easily be printed and placed on the refrigerator – a great way to have instant “ideas” when boredom strikes!

Bucks Guinea Pig Talks – Fun Facebook lives all about Guinea Pigs! 

Canada Wonderland Virtual Roller Coaster – If you’re self-isolating or stuck with the kids at home and looking for something exciting to do, we thought we’d offer up the rides at Canada’s Wonderland and bring the amusement park to you! watch here. 

Hogwarts Digital Escape Room – You can complete this escape room as a family or individual, you can compete against friends and try it multiple times. Just make sure you have fun!

Jumpstart – Family activities are a great way to bring the family together. Try out our fun ideas and see how much love, laughter and smiling you can pack into every day!

UK Celebrities offering daily things for kids

Fitness

Beachbody Workouts – helping families stay healthy and sane by offering some fun ways to expend energy together. With schools out and no formal recess or P.E., we hope you’ll use these workouts to make family fitness fun and a part of your daily routine with our free selection of Beachbody Kids Workouts

Daily Fitness video with Joe Wicks – Starting Monday 23rd March I’m going to be hosting a free workout aimed at kids LIVE on my YouTube channel.

Movies and Videos

Common Sense Media – Going to be spending a lot of time watching movies? Check Common Sense Media for parent and kid reviews of movies and shows to find out age appropriateness and find a list of discussion questions after you’ve watched it! 

Netflix Party –  Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows.

Museums

London Museums – thanks to an incredible range of virtual tours, you can visit some of the capital’s best-loved museums, galleries and historic buildings without getting up from your sofa… and it won’t cost you a penny.

Ripleys Aquarium Live Webcam – Toronto Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada has a treat for us. They set up a shark cam so we can “swim” alongside our favourite underwater creatures.

Worldwide Museums (top 10) – discovering art and history from the world’s top institutions around the globe doesn’t have to be off-limits

12 Famous Museums – visit these museums for your couch. 

Reading

Annapolis Valley Regional Library –  Do you know Libby? The app from Overdrive makes it easy to download eBooks and audiobooks directly to your device. We’ve added new titles and extra copies of popular items so you can find something to read – with your eyes or your ears! 

Audible –  free audio books for kids and teens 

Bedtime Stories from Canadian Authors – Canadian kids’ lit authors to record themselves reading from their books for virtual storytimes.

Historical Children’s Books – Enter an Archive of 6,000 Historical Children’s Books, All Digitized and Free to Read Online. Read here. 

Josh Gad Reads stories – The Frozen II and Beauty and the Beast star reads children stories every night through his Twitter account. 

Video Games to Play with Others

Sometimes it is just important to for kids to connect with their friends as it is for adults. Younger kids might not have phones or social media accounts to connect, so here are a few options. 

**Please do your own research and make your own decisions before allowing children to use**

25 Best Online Video Games – Includes games for specific consoles, mobile apps and home computers. Great options for youth.  

Common Sense Media – A great way to find out about video games, reviews by parents and kids, and what the kids will encounter. The website also includes discussion questions for games.