Our staff has spotted so many fun, interesting, and creative efforts popping up to help everyone combat the difficulties of staying at home. We’ve gathered links to online storytimes, virtual field trips, music, and creative activities! We’ll keep updating as we find more socially-distant online fun, so keep an eye on this space! Newest additions to the list are indicated with ***.
Camp SCBWI
A virtual camp for kids and teens with activities covering arts, sports, nature, and more, plus a weekly live stream from authors and/or illustrators.
Camp Candlewick
Judy Moody and Stink, the Princess in Black, Mercy Watson, Waldo, and more have loads of fun activities to keep you busy this summer!
Camp Khan
Challenge your math skills in this free virtual camp.
Varsity Tutors Virtual Summer Camp
Pick a different theme each week to explore.
Camp Wonderopolis
Keep building your STEAM and literacy knowledge through music, engineering, and more!
Camp DK
Get weekly reading recommendations and screen-free activities with free downloads. Plus, earn merit badges!
Summer Brain Games
Register for fun, at-home science activities in English and Spanish and get FREE tickets to the Museum of Science and Industry.
National Museum of American History
Explore presidents, transportation, and other things that shaped America.
National Museum of Natural History
Check out fossils galore!
Art in Place: Social Distancing in the Studio
Check out the most recent work of 21 picture book artists in this online exhibit.
Stay Home. Hit Play.
Behind the scenes video tours of Chicago museums and attractions.
British Museum, London
An interactive experience through time, continents, and culture.
Georgia Aquarium webcams
Sea otter, beluga whales, and more!
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Hear about the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building, virtually tour the space, and explore the collection.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
European and American history—from medieval times to the present.
The Louvre in Paris, France
Visit the museum’s exhibition rooms and galleries.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Including artworks from Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin, and others.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
From Byzantine altarpieces to pop art, the collection includes paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and other works.
National Parks
It’s best to stay home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t see our incredible National Parks virtually!
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Explore the museum, including an exhibit on Van Gogh's love life and one on his favorite books.
Anne Frank House
Take a 360-degree tour of Anne Frank’s home in Amsterdam.
Buckingham Palace
Tour the famous London palace without leaving home!
American Museum of Natural History
Besides a virtual tour of exhibits, there are competitions, videos, and other cool things to do.
San Diego Zoo
Live camera feed featuring polar bears, elephants, baboons, tigers, koalas, penguins, and more!
Shedd Aquarium Penguins
While the aquarium visitors are away, the penguins will play! Watch as the penguins tour the aquarium.
Working from Home as a Pet Parent
How to stay productive with your adorably distracting coworker.
Jellyfish Camera
Monterey Bay Aquarium offers a jellyfish camera to watch these floaty creatures.
Friends of the Elephant Seal
Watch a live stream of elephant seals chilling on a beach with incredibly soothing ocean noises.
Bringing the Zoo to You Chats
Brookfield Zoo has all its archives on its YouTube channel, plus a live chat every Wednesday at 11am on Facebook.
Animal Livestreams
Explore.org has lots of different live streams to watch, like farm animals, hummingbird nests, and sleepy dogs.
Opera at the Met
Opera, anyone? Enjoy a daily video.
Broadway Shows
Theater-streaming service BroadwayHD is offering a seven-day free trial so you can watch performances from Broadway, the West End, and other venues from your living room.
Hamilton’s America
Experience Lin-Manuel Miranda’s writing process for the song “My Shot.”
Petra Sings: Chicago Jazz Vocalist
Hours of jazz music videos from one of our program performers!
A Roadmap for Life’s Unexpected Events
A timely TEDx Talk by one of our Library’s regular presenters, Martina Mathisen.
Social Distancing Festival
An online community celebrating and showcasing the work of artists who have been affected by the need for social distancing.
Every Day is Zoom Day!
Watch as the College of DuPage presents an original play! View it live July 24 or as a recording later.
Best Classical Covers of Pop Songs
Recommended as music to soothe family’s nerves, it’s mostly just fun! Watch to see how instruments are used in different ways to make different sounds, or how a familiar song becomes something new.
Laura Doherty
Watch interactive concerts on Facebook Live, including Live at 5 performances.
Laurie Berkner
Storytime favorite Laurie Berkner has 50 minutes of education music available on her website.
Playtime Playlist
A daily listing of independent children’s musicians around the globe who are transitioning live shows to live streams for home viewing.
Learning@Home Essentials
Hundreds of free printable learning games!
Learning in Place from the Morton Arboretum
Enjoy this free self-guided family play and exploration series.
Virtual Studio
The DuPage Children’s Museum is doing virtual programs on Facebook, including one on bookmaking!
HarperCollins Suggestions
HarperCollins has its own great list of resources, including various author readings and activities!
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
You’ve got time. Sign up and write your own novel in one month.
Read & Learn with Simon Kids
Enjoy read-a-longs, activities, and more for all ages from publisher Simon & Schuster.
Esports Competition!
Compete in different esports each day of the week through NIU, such as League of Legends, Fortnite, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Writing Prompts for Students from the New York Times
Looking for ideas for remote learning? Each week The Learning Network offers a dozen new ways for students to practice reading, writing, and thinking using Times journalism—all free.
Hogwarts Digital Escape Room
A digital escape room for Harry Potter fans!
Free Dice Games to Play at Home
Do you have dice at home? Here are some free dice games to play for fun and math skills!
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
Explore the set, meet the cast, and watch 5 new episodes every other week.
Crayola At Home Activities
DIY crafts and at-home learning
Personality Quizzes for Kids from National Geographic
Find out what type of dinosaur you are or which animal pattern is most like your personality. We’ve got a bunch of apatosauruses, a stegosaurus, a triceratops, and a T-rex on staff at the Library!
Sesame Street: Caring for Each Other
Your favorite Muppet friends share videos, games, activities, and more, specifically geared to this unusual time.
Four Drawing Games by Jarrett Krosoczka
The author-illustrator of series like Lunch Lady and Star Wars Jedi Academy gives fun drawing challenges.
Dav Pilkey at Home
The creator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man offers new activities and videos every Friday to keep you going.
Harry Potter at Home
Quizzes, puzzles, and more to keep Muggles occupied.
Stamp at Home
The author-illustrators (and brothers) of The Old Truck share how to make your own stamps at home.
Quentin Blake Coloring Sheets
Print out and color sketches by Roald Dahl’s illustrator.
NASA at Home
Virtual tours, activities, eBooks, and more for the space-crazy kid.
Free Online Suggestions from Common Sense Media
A curated list of fun and free resources!
26 Activities Families Can Do Together!
The Boston Children's Museum offers some nonscreen fun.
Write. Right. Rite.
Jason Reynolds offers prompts to encourage you to think and create.
Teacher’s Children Book Recommendations on Race and Racism
See the list of books that went viral.
Celebrities Read James and the Giant Peach
Enjoy a readers’ theater interpretation of Roald Dahl’s classic.
Mondays with Michelle Obama
Join the former First Lady as she reads beloved picture books.
Read Alouds with Neil Gaiman
Read Coraline and The Graveyard Book with the author himself.
Brightly Storytime
Ms. Linda reads picture books with a new video every week!
Best Podcasts for Kids
Enjoy various stories and themes with these podcasts.
#OperationStorytime and #SaveWithStories
Famous people reading children’s books is one good thing coming from social distancing.
Storytimes from Space
As if astronauts don’t do enough, they also do storytimes from space!
Stuck, Written and Read by Oliver Jeffers
Because we’re all feeling a little bit stuck right now.
Author Read Alouds curated by the Children's Book Council
With Lemony Snicket, Eric Carle, B.J. Novak, and more!
Storyline Online
More celebrities read stories!
TumbleBooks
A collection of animated talking picture books, read-a-longs, eBooks, quizzes, lesson plans, and educational games. Log in with your Helen Plum Library card.
Time to Come in, Bear: A Children's Story About Social Distancing
A short, sweet video explaining social distancing to young children.
William and the Mysterious Brame
Read Katherine Paterson’s new story and make your own brame!
Virtual Storytime
Taste book “snacks” read by your favorite authors, such as Katherine Applegate with Wishtree.
TOON Books in Multiple Languages
Read (or listen) to free comics in different languages.
Yoga with Adriene
Free yoga videos for all levels, bodies, and genders!
Morton Arboretum Yoga Online
One-hour classes practicing poses, breathing, and meditation to help ground you. $7/class (discounted rate).
Free Mindfulness Class for Kids
At 12pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Mindful activities, movement, and read alouds.
Tennis at Home
Even if you can’t get on the court, you can practice at home!
BookSpring
Browse free online nonfiction books for kids age 3-8.
Raspberry Pi Learn at Home
Try new code-along videos every week.
CNN/Sesame Street Coronavirus Town Hall
Doctors, Muppets, and other experts discuss.
Read Along by Google
Take advantage of this free reading app!
Family-Friendly Snacks
Hungry for fresh, exciting science activities based in amazing phenomena? Science Snacks are hands-on, teacher-tested, and use cheap materials.
Science at Home
Enjoy activity ideas from the Museum of Science and Industry.
Charlie Chaplain's ABCs
Watch the silent film star’s alphabet antics.
Freckle
Practice math and language arts at your own level.
Khan Academy Kids
A free educational program for children aged 2 to 7 that includes printables and stories.
SCBWI Shares
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators has tons of stories, activities, podcasts, and more.
Mackin
Free eBooks, read-a-longs, audiobooks, videos, and more from this award winner.
Prodigy Math
For Grades 1–8, play fun games and learn math at the same time!
JLG@Home
Junior Library Guild provides free resources and activities for continued learning.
ScienceBuddies
A collection of 160+ fun, hands-on STEM activities and videos for K-12 that can be done in an hour or less, usually with materials easily found at home.
SpellingCity
Efficient game-based study of literacy skills using any word list. Currently free with code “VSCFree90.”
Scholastic Teachables
An online tool offering unlimited access to award-winning activities and skills sheets, lesson plans, clip art, customizable games, and other resources. Log in with your Helen Plum Library card.
Sesame Street Tool Kits for Parents
Sesame Street Tool Kits provide opportunities to build closeness and confidence, making learning fun, and keep your child’s world safe and secure.
Vroom
Apps for early education.
Exploratorium
Try your own experiments with handy guides and videos.
Online PhD Degrees
STEM Activities and Games.