We are going to be spending plenty of time at home. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered all K-12 schools to close for an extended spring break to combat the spread of COVID-19. Libraries throughout the state are also closing, including the Grafton-Midview Public Library. Starting Saturday, March 14 at 5:00pm, we will be closed through Sunday, April 5. All programs, events, and meetings are cancelled. Please visit our website often for updates, as we will be assessing the situation frequently.
We know that having the kids home for such an extended period of time can be challenging, and you may be wondering what things are available to keep them entertained and engaged. Below is list of resources and activities. While the situation surrounding COVID-19 is stressful and complicated, we hope it can also provide the opportunity for creativity, unique learning experiences, and quality time.
Through your Library:
There are plenty of free resources to explore with your library card!
Kanopy is an award-winning video streaming service with thousands of independent and documentary films.
The Ohio Digital Library (Overdrive) allows you to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Enjoy your next book on your mobile device or computer. You can read, listen, or watch instantly! You can also download Libby from your mobile app store to instantly borrow thousands of ebooks and audiobooks.
Early World of Learning through the Ohio Web Library offers videos, games, stories, and activities for preschoolers.
World Book Kids through the Ohio Web Library has plenty of pictures, videos, dictionary entries, science projects, biographies, and games for children. Simply choose a topic and explore!
More Online:
PBS and NPR have excellent articles about explaining the coronavirus to your children. The PBS website also includes plenty of games
and mobile apps based on their popular shows, and lists of crafts and recipes
to try. There are also free coloring pages available.
If you’re looking for more free and printable coloring pages, make sure to check out Crayola, Disney, Just Color Kids, and
Hello Kids.
Ben Clanton, the
bestselling author and illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly series, will be having two Facebook Live sessions: March 18th at 11am PST and March 20th at 2pm PST. Get ready to talk about waffles, create some awesome drawings, and more!
Want to see Oprah reading The Hula-Hoopin' Queen? Or Allison Janney reading Carla's Sandwich? Storyline Online has videos of famous actors reading some of the most celebrated and entertaining children's books.
Google Arts & Culture has
teamed up with museums around the world to provide virtual tours. Visit the
British Museum, Guggenheim Museum, Musée d’Orsay, Van Gogh Museum, the
Uffizi Gallery, and more without leaving the comfort of your couch.
Disney+ just announced they will
start streaming Frozen 2 three months ahead of its expected release.
Scholastic has created a free
digital learning hub with daily activities for children in PreK through 6th grade. Four weeks of learning activities are provided, roughly
the length of schools’ extended spring breaks. Each activity is built around a
story or a video. For example, a lesson centered around spiders invites
children to watch Diary of a Spider, read A Spiderling Grows Up, watch a video
on how spiders catch their food, and invent their own kind of spider.
Code Monster, Scratch, and SwiftPlaygrounds are some of the free resources available to teach children how to
code.
TED Talks aren’t just for adults!
TED Ed offers a wide variety of videos on topics like vultures, Viking ships,
myths, black holes, and more.
National Geographic Kids has an
awesome array of videos, games, polls, quizzes, and fun facts for kids to
explore.
The Smithsonian Institution offers
a free Learning Lab with stories, videos, and activities for topics in history
and art.
Potential Activities:
Build a fort with blankets or
cardboard boxes.
Go outside! While places around the
state are restricting or cancelling activities outside of the home, you can
still safely spend time in your own backyard. Bring out the balls, jump ropes, and
sidewalk chalk. As the weather continues to get warmer, see what kinds of plants, birds, and bugs you can identify.
Try a new recipe. Make mini pizzas
or bake a batch of cookies. Delish, Food Network, and Tasty offer a list of easy recipes that children can make.
Make mazes or puzzles for each other
to solve. Pull out the board games and have a family game night!
Get dressed up in your best and have a fancy tea party. Make sure to invite your favorite stuffed animals!
Create a treasure hunt or scavenger
hunt around the house. Some of the scavenger hunts we have had at the Library simply involved finding common items, such as finding the salt shaker in the kitchen or finding a book with a red cover.
Try doing a science experiment at
home. Most experiments only require kitchen staples like vinegar, baking soda, or water. Check out Science Fun, Little Bins for Little Hands, Science Kiddo, and
Kidspot for inspiration. Mystery Science is offering a limited number of free memberships for up to
one year, with video lessons and instructions for experiments.
Build paper airplanes and have a
flying contest.
Use hallways for classic games such as "Red Light, Green Light" and "Leap Frog."
Have an indoor camp out with sleeping bags, a tent, board games, stories, and s'mores. You don't even need a campfire for s'mores. Check out this recipe for a fun alternative.
Make some paper bag puppets and put on a puppet show.
Turn on your favorite music and have a dance party! Or create your own musical instruments and have a parade. This video shows you how to make a kazoo out of a toilet paper roll, a rubber band, and some wax paper.
Make your own air-dry clay and create a beautiful masterpiece! This easy, stove-top recipe requires only three ingredients.
