Education & Fun at Home

There’s still a lot of free and interesting resources available on the web! We hope these resources will help you to learn and grow, even at home.

We will continue to add to these lists as more items come to our attention. Enjoy!

Arts & Crafts

Coffee Filter Crafts

A variety of crafts to do with coffee filters and other items around the house.

Color Our Collections

Free coloring pages from over 100 museums and libraries around the globe

Harry Potter At Home

Welcome to the Harry Potter At Home hub where you’ll find all the latest magical treats to keep you occupied - including special contributions from Bloomsbury and Scholastic, nifty magical craft videos (teach your friends how to draw a Niffler!), fun articles, quizzes, puzzles and plenty more for first-time readers, as well as those already familiar with the wizarding world. We’re casting a Banishing Charm on boredom!

Museum of Modern Art

For kids ages six and over, we rounded up some of our favorite drawing, collage, audio, and movement activities inspired by artworks in MoMA’s collection.

Red Ted Art

Crafts and activities for kids.

Author's Stories (and Illustrator's too!)

Julie's Library

A new podcast for families starring Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton.

Magic Treehouse Home Adventures

Join Jack and Annie on exciting adventures—come face to face with animals in strange lands, do battle with warriors across time, get swept up by nature’s force, and win big alongside famous sports heroes—all from the comfort of your home!

Each week, Magic Tree House Home Adventures will feature videos from Mary Pope Osborne, activities, craft ideas, themed recipes, reading challenges, cross-curricular lessons, Family Trivia Night game ideas, fun surprises, and much more!

Mouse Circus

The official Neil Gaiman website for younger readers.

Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty

Lots of videos and resources from the author of Bad Kitty.

Downloadables

Explaining Coronavirus to Kids

A compilation of free and downloadable books about the current pandemic, curated by the NYC School Library System.

KCL's Downloadables Page

Downloadable ebooks, audio and more available with your library card.

Riveted by Simon Teen

Riveted by Simon Teen is an online community for anyone that loves young adult fiction! Here at Riveted by Simon Teen, you can read YA books for FREE, discover your new favorite books and authors, enter for the chance to win new and upcoming releases, and more!

Fine Arts

I Want My Hat Back Puppet Show

Puppet show of Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back

Kennedy Center Songbook

Are you ready to make some music?
Songbook is (probably) the world’s first part-reality/part-scripted, musical/literary, educational, comedy web series for kids!

Each episode stars a different young person who wrote a poem inspired by a book, then comes to the Kennedy Center to set that poem to music with the help of a professional musician. The two meet for the first time on camera and begin collaborating mere moments later. The session culminates with the world premiere of their new song, which they jointly perform in front of a live audience.

Genuine surprises, big laughs, songwriting tips, and playlist-worthy tunes!

General Learning and Research

Amazing Educational Resources

Amazing Educational Resources is a nonprofit program that was initially created to facilitate free sharing of resources among teachers. The platform has since grown to an all-inclusive hub for educational materials. Amazing Educational Resources facilitates access to and sharing of free high -quality resources among teachers, parents and students.

Crash Course

Tons of awesome courses in one youtube channel.

DK@Home

All the learning resources, ideas, and inspiration you need for your time at home.

Grow with Google

Free training, tools, and resources to help you grow your skills, career, or business.

KidLit at HOME

In response to widespread school and library closures, KidLit TV today announced KidLit At Home, a free online learning resource created to support parents and educators during a time of increased need for learning enrichment, entertainment, and comfort.

KidLit At Home is styled as a "Netflix for Kid Lit." It offers a new way for parents, educators, and young readers to access the myriad online storytime, drawing and writing tutorials, STEM and STEAM video content being offered across the web by the biggest names in children's literature, all curated in one easy to use, convenient online location: https://kidlit.tv/KidLitAtHome.

Quarto Classroom

Quarto Classroom is a free video library on YouTube of Quarto’s creators using their books as teaching tools. With accompanying additional printable materials and classes aimed at all ages, the sky is the limit when it comes to at-home learning!

Smithsonian Cares

The Smithsonian is supporting and helping our country in a time of great need. Even though our buildings are closed, the Smithsonian is here for you from home with vast digital resources. Education teams are providing distance learning resources to support and stay connected with the communities we serve, including caregivers, students, and teachers. Smithsonian scientists, curators, and historians are sharing their expertise through video and online events. New content is being added daily by web and social media teams.

We hope that you will feel connected to the power of art, history, and culture, inspired by the quest to understand the natural world around us, and emboldened by the Smithsonian as we document and explore.

South Carolina State Museum

Below are several e-learning resources available from the museum and suggested links for other online resources. Museum staff will be updating this page regularly with new content and resources!

Wide Open School

More than 25 organizations like Newsela, National Geographic, Google, Apple, Khan Acadmey, Time for Kids, PBS, and Noggin came together to create a FREE online learning resource for use at home containing curated experiences, activities, lessons and more that inspires kids, supports teachers, relieves families, and restores community.

Nature & Animals

At-home Learning with Georgia Aquarium

Webcams, lesson plans and other resources.

Camp DK

Help your children stay curious and keep active with summer camp, DK-style. From science experiments, to nature crafts and rainy-day LEGO builds, explore activity packs to keep kids educated and entertained. (Don’t forget to print out your family’s Camp DK merit badges along the way!)

Bird Academy Play Lab

Birds are awesome. Play games that explore flight, song, dance, feathers, and so much more.

Explore.org

Lots of live cams of different animals and other nature cams

NatGeo Kids

Brain boosters, cool stuff and more from National Geographic Kids.

Project Noah

A global citizen science platform to discover, share and identify wildlife

Riverbanks Zoo

Join us each weekday live at 10am EST on the Riverbanks Facebook page or catch a recorded segment on the Riverbanks homepage as we discover new ways to Zoo and Garden. From live features to behind-the-scenes peeks to fun too-cute-to-handle... we're bringing Riverbanks to you including an activity you can do at home.

San Diego Zoo

https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams

South Carolina Aquarium

We know everyone is cooped up in their homes, and kids and adults alike are looking for stimulating activities. That’s why we’re offering virtual visits and nature challenges through our award-winning education team.

Zoo Atlanta's Panda Cam

Live from Zoo Atlanta, it's Pandas!

Social Studies @ Home

And You Thought History Was A Snore

Plenty of museums and cultural sites sponsor living history programs, but Joseph McGill is likely the first person to dream up a “sleeping history” program. But five years ago, when he began sleeping around, so to speak, in former slave dwellings, he realized he was on to something. Spending the wee hours stretched out on hard wood or dirt floors of these humble dwellings gave him a visceral sense of what life must have like as a slave.

ASL Nook

Learn American Sign Language.

iCivics

iCivics works to ensure every student in America receives a quality and engaging civic education and graduates from high school well prepared and enthusiastic for citizenship

Write Now!

A space to cope and connect with current events.

STEM Activities

STEM for all Multiplex

Over 1300 short videos showcasing innovations in Science, Technology, Mathematics, Engineering, and Computer Science Teacher and Learning. Explore videos, make playlists and share them. Check out our curated playlists, including Trending Presentations.

250 Great STEM Websites and Apps for Kids

The Internet is filled with cool STEM websites and apps for kids that teachers or parents can utilize to nurture interest in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. These resources are important as the United States’ education system fights against further STEM decline.

DiscoverE

DiscoverE works to ensure people everywhere understand how engineers, technicians, and technologists make the world a better place. 30 years ago we were the first to call on the engineering community to volunteer in their local schools and help young students discover engineering. Now we lead a growing volunteer and educator movement recognized worldwide. Help celebrate our legacy and build for the future.

FUNBRAIN

Free math games, books and videos for all grade levels.

Virtual Storytimes

Cocky's Reading Express Virtual Storytimes

The Cocky's Reading Express™ literacy program features the Carolina mascot and USC student volunteers who travel the state in their own bus, visiting elementary schools and reading to students. They've gone virtual!

KCL's Virtual Storytimes

Join Ms. Lauren, Ms. Hanna and Ms. Jennifer for storytimes

Levar Burton Reads

In every episode, host LeVar Burton (Roots, Reading Rainbow, Star Trek) invites you to take a break from your daily life, and dive into a great story. LeVar’s narration blends with gorgeous soundscapes to bring stories by Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Octavia Butler, Ray Bradbury and more to life.
These stories are for older kids and adults.

Mrs. Bush's Story Time

Mrs. Bush’s Story Time is a new podcast for families, featuring original recordings from the radio program of the same name. The podcast brings to life former First Lady Barbara Bush’s commitment to family literacy and lifelong learning for a whole new generation.

Read Together, Be Together

READ TOGETHER, BE TOGETHER is a nationwide movement developed by Penguin Random House in partnership with Parents magazine that celebrates the importance, and power, of the shared reading experience between an adult and a child. Reading aloud regularly to babies and young children is one of the most effective ways to foster early literacy and is a key factor responsible for building language and social skills.

Stories Podcast

On the Stories Podcast, we perform a new story for your children every week. The stories range from retellings of fairy tales like Snow White to classic stories like Peter Rabbit and even completely original works. Everything is G rated and safe for all ages. The perfect kids podcast for imaginative families. Whether you’re driving with your children or just want to limit your kids’ screen time, Stories Podcast delivers entertainment that kids and parents alike will love.

Virtual Tours

10 Museums you can visit virtually

From Smithsonian Magazine, a list of 10 museums you can visit from home.

12 Famous Museums

The folks at Travel & Leisure magazine have compiled this list of famous museums from around the world you can visit virtually.

Castles and Places

21 castles and palaces you can tour virtually.

EarthCam

Access to many different live cameras--animals, nature, landscape and more!

Google Arts and Culture

Links to tour museums from around the globe.

The Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian offers eleven museums and galleries on the National Mall plus six other museums and the National Zoo in the greater National Capital Area. In New York City, we invite you to tour two museums in historic settings.

Top 10 Virtual Tours

Tour museums and other sites from around the globe.

Virtual Museum of Canada

The largest digital source of stories and experiences shared by Canada’s museums and heritage organizations