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Resources for When You're Stuck at Home
READING
ABDO, the educational publisher, is providing free access to its ebooks on illness prevention and facts, with titles on vaccines, epidemiology, and past outbreaks.
Brightly Storytime hosts read aloud storytimes of new and exciting picture books.
Capstone Interactive eBooks allows kids from pre-K to 6th grade to read books page by page or all at once. Available in English and Spanish.
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Username: continue
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Password: reading
The Fable Cottage hosts videos of French fairy tales read to practice your language skills. Stories are presented in French with optional English translation and slow audio from a native French speaker.
Neil Gaiman has posts of The Graveyard Book and Coraline at Mousecircus.com.
KidLit TV gives kids a chance to explore the world of children's literature with stories from authors, videos to teach kids how to draw like their favorite illustrators, read aloud videos, crafts, and book trailers.
Grace Lin is posting readings from her books on YouTube.
Project Gutenberg offers access to over 60,000 free ebooks.
Space Station Explorers features astronauts reading stories from space.
Stimola Literary Studio is presenting live stream events for kids, tweens, and teens by professional authors and illustrators.
Storyline Online features stories read by some of your favorite actors funded by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
Tumblebooks offers free access through August 31 to five collections: K-6 ebooks, K-6 Math ebooks, Teen ebooks, Romance ebooks for adults, and eaudiobooks for all ages.
WRITING
Authors Everywhere is a YouTube with workshops, readings, activities, art projects, writing games, writing advice and more created and run by children's book writers and illustrators.
Kate DiCamillo is offering writing classes on Facebook.
Kids Ask Authors is a new podcast hosted by Grace Lin that will feature some of our favorite children's authors.
Laura's Lessons offers poetry writing workshops and tips.
Middle Grade at Heart is an email archive from a group of passionate middle grade authors. Visit the link to read about new releases and check out past issues.
NaNoWriMo will provide you with a plan to write your novel in 30 days.
Video Mini-Lessons from nonfiction writer Melissa Stewart.
ART, CRAFTS, & STEM
Draw Every Day with author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka on YouTube at 2 pm every weekday.
Doodles with Mo Willems features Author/illustrator and Kennedy Center Artist in Residence will post Doodles with Mo on the Kennedy Center's YouTube page at 1 pm every weekday.
Little Bins for Little Hands has all sorts of STEM projects including our favorite slime recipes, Lego challenges, and seasonal activites.
Recycle and Play is an Instagram account featuring amazing crafts and activities made from recycled materials.
AQUARIUMS, LANDMARKS, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS, PARKS, & ZOOS
Experience Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland with a virtual visit.
Explore the collections of the British Museum.
Visit the Cliffs of Moher without leaving your home.
Enjoy the African Penguin Cam at the Georgia Aquarium.
Google Arts & Culture has collections of museums, galleries, and institutions around the world.
Discover art from Guggenheim New York, Venice, and Bilbao in their online collection of over 1,700 works.
Explore 500 pieces of art in the digital collection of Africa's largest museum, the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Take a virtual tour of the Louvre.
Take part in the Metropolitan Museum of Art experience online and see over 200,000 items online. The Met360 project is a series of award-winning videos that captivate the viewer.
Visit Paris virtually through 278 exhibits at the Musée de' Orsay.
Museum of Modern Art has some of its most famous pieces online.
See over 42,000 pieces from Washington D.C.'s National Gallery of Art.
Bring the outside inside with "The Hidden Worlds," a partnership between Google & the National Parks System that follows rangers on a journey most people never see. You can also watch live-streams on the National Park Webcams.
Learn about the women who changed the history of the United States of America with online exhibits at the National Women's History Museum.
Discover New York Public Library's Digital Collection which houses over 889,000 prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.
Palace of Versailles is one of the most visited cultural sites in the world. Explore the art and architecture of this former hunting lodge.
Virtually visit Prambanan in Indonesia. The compound consists of 200 Hindu temples.
Take a virtual tour and peruse the online collections of Salvador Dali's Museums.
San Diego Zoo has live cams of many of their animal habitats.
Catch videos of penguins exploring the aquarium, belugas feeding, owls hooting, and live animal hospital adventures at Shedd Aquarium.
Learn the story of America through portraits of people who have shaped its culture with Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's online experience.
Discover the world of Florence's famous museum, the Uffizi Galleries.
Take a 360 Virtual Tour of the Vatican Museums.
ENTERTAINMENT
Common Sense Media provides ratings for entertainment sources including books, movies, TV, apps, and games with families in mind.
Kanopy Kids is a collection of movies and shows with unlimited plays. Explore enriching, educational and entertaining films and TV series. (This resource is available for Ashe Library card holders.)
Enjoy nightly streams of the Met Opera performing some of the most popular operas.
PBS Kids offers entertainment and educational resources including games, videos, and activities.
Enjoy ballet and opera performances by London's Royal Opera House.
The livestream page of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra features the finale of BeethovenFest.
Vienna State Opera hosts free recordings of Opera's recorded on their stage.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
ABCya gamifies education with learning games for K-6th grade.
All Kids Network provides crafts, worksheets, coloring pages, and more for anyone who works with children.
Arcademic Skill Builders combines academic learning with arcade games for grades 1-6. Free games available.
Bedtime Math helps you keep children's math skills strong. The site includes activities and videos. A Bedtime Math app is also available on Google Play and the App Store.
Code.org is an organization that provides free online coding classes for students of all ages. Students can learn to program while completing online modules.
Encantos combines entertainment, technology, education, and purpose to develop 21st century skills in kids. Encantos also provides learning and scheduling resources for parents/educators.
FunBrain features games, videos, books, and more for pre-K to 8th grade.
Khan Academy is hosting livestreams on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter at 12 pm every weekday.
Lakeshore Learning has over 1,000 free resources for the classroom and home.
The universe is waiting. Visit NASA.gov for online activities, eBooks, podcasts, and other content.
National Geographic Kids includes games, videos, brain boosters, cool stuff and more.
New American History provides free resources to facilitate teaching the past in light of the present.
PBS Learning Media offers interactive lesson plans for students from pre-K through high school.
PebbleGo offers information, activities, videos, games, and more for kids in K-3rd grade. Available in English and Spanish.
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Username: engaged
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Password: learning
PebbleGo Next offers information, activities, videos, games, and more for kids in 3rd to 5th grades.
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Username: engaged1
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Password: learning1
Prodigy is a popular and engaging, curriculum-based math platform that gamifies learning.
Quizlet lets users create virtual flashcards that cover a variety of topics
ReadWorks offers authentic & engaging learning for kids from K-12th grade in many topics.
Scholastic Learn at Home gives four learning experiences for in pre-K through 6+ each day.
Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff. Their Educate site features resources for all grade levels.
Sesame Street offers games videos & activities for preschoolers on their website.
Starfall Education is designed for students in pre-K through 3rd grade.
Switch Zoo Animal Games teaches kids about animals, habitats, and biomes with fun (and funny) games and activities.
TeacherVision is offering users 999 free credits. Follow the link to sign up.
Walkabouts are web-based lessons that activate Pre-K through 2nd grade curriculum with fun, standards-based movement.
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The Pre-K username is PKfree.
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The kindergarten username is Kfree.
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The first grade username is 1Free.
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The second grade username is 2Free.
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The password for all of these accounts is walkabouts.
Wonderopolis is a place where you can explore the wonders of learning.
For more resources, including pay services, visit this list created by Queens, NY.
READING
ABDO, the educational publisher, is providing free access to its ebooks on illness prevention and facts, with titles on vaccines, epidemiology, and past outbreaks.
The Fable Cottage hosts videos of French fairy tales read to practice your language skills. Stories are presented in French with optional English translation and slow audio from a native French speaker.
Neil Gaiman has posts of The Graveyard Book and Coraline at Mousecircus.com.
KidLit TV gives kids a chance to explore the world of children's literature with stories from authors, videos to teach kids how to draw like their favorite illustrators, read aloud videos, crafts, and book trailers.
Grace Lin is posting readings from her books on YouTube.
Project Gutenberg offers access to over 60,000 free ebooks.
Space Station Explorers features astronauts reading stories from space.
Stimola Literary Studio is presenting live stream events for kids, tweens, and teens by professional authors and illustrators.
Tumblebooks offers a new, animated, talking book every day.
WRITING
Authors Everywhere is a YouTube with workshops, readings, activities, art projects, writing games, writing advice and more created and run by children's book writers and illustrators.
Kate DiCamillo is offering writing classes on Facebook.
Laura's Lessons offers poetry writing workshops and tips.
NaNoWriMo will provide you with a plan to write your novel in 30 days.
Video Mini-Lessons from nonfiction writer Melissa Stewart.
ART, CRAFTS, & STEM
Draw Every Day with author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka on YouTube at 2 pm every weekday.
Doodles with Mo Willems features Author/illustrator and Kennedy Center Artist in Residence will post Doodles with Mo on the Kennedy Center's YouTube page at 1 pm every weekday.
Little Bins for Little Hands has all sorts of STEM projects including our favorite slime recipes, Lego challenges, and seasonal activites.
AQUARIUMS, LANDMARKS, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS, PARKS, & ZOOS
Experience Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland with a virtual visit.
Explore the collections of the British Museum.
Visit the Cliffs of Moher without leaving your home.
Enjoy the African Penguin Cam at the Georgia Aquarium.
Google Arts & Culture has collections of museums, galleries, and institutions around the world.
Discover art from Guggenheim New York, Venice, and Bilbao in their online collection of over 1,700 works.
Explore 500 pieces of art in the digital collection of Africa's largest museum, the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Take a virtual tour of the Louvre.
Take part in the Metropolitan Museum of Art experience online and see over 200,000 items online. The Met360 project is a series of award-winning videos that captivate the viewer.
Visit Paris virtually through 278 exhibits at the Musée de' Orsay.
Museum of Modern Art has some of its most famous pieces online.
See over 42,000 pieces from Washington D.C.'s National Gallery of Art.
Bring the outside inside with "The Hidden Worlds," a partnership between Google & the National Parks System that follows rangers on a journey most people never see. You can also watch live-streams on the National Park Webcams.
Learn about the women who changed the history of the United States of America with online exhibits at the National Women's History Museum.
Discover New York Public Library's Digital Collection which houses over 889,000 prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.
Palace of Versailles is one of the most visited cultural sites in the world. Explore the art and architecture of this former hunting lodge.
Virtually visit Prambanan in Indonesia. The compound consists of 200 Hindu temples.
Take a virtual tour and peruse the online collections of Salvador Dali's Museums.
San Diego Zoo has live cams of many of their animal habitats.
Catch videos of penguins exploring the aquarium, belugas feeding, owls hooting, and live animal hospital adventures at Shedd Aquarium.
Learn the story of America through portraits of people who have shaped its culture with Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's online experience.
Discover the world of Florence's famous museum, the Uffizi Galleries.
Take a 360 Virtual Tour of the Vatican Museums.
ENTERTAINMENT
Common Sense Media provides ratings for entertainment sources including books, movies, TV, apps, and games with families in mind.
Kanopy is a collection of movies and shows. Explore enriching, educational, and entertaining films and TV series. (This resource is available for Ashe Library card holders.)
Enjoy nightly streams of the Met Opera performing some of the most popular operas.
PBS Kids offers entertainment and educational resources including games, videos, and activities.
Enjoy ballet and opera performances by London's Royal Opera House.
The livestream page of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra features the finale of BeethovenFest.
Vienna State Opera hosts free recordings of Opera's recorded on their stage.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Code.org is an organization that provides free online coding classes for students of all ages. Students can learn to program while completing online modules.
Khan Academy is hosting livestreams on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter at 12 pm every weekday.
Lakeshore Learning has over 1,000 free resources for the classroom and home.
The universe is waiting. Visit NASA.gov for online activities, eBooks, podcasts, and other content.
New American History provides free resources to facilitate teaching the past in light of the present.
PBS Learning Media offers interactive lesson plans for students from pre-K through high school.
Prodigy is a popular and engaging, curriculum-based math platform that gamifies learning.
Quizlet lets users create virtual flashcards that cover a variety of topics
ReadWorks offers authentic & engaging learning for kids from K-12th grade in many topics.
Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff. Their Educate site features resources for all grade levels.
TeacherVision is offering users 999 free credits. Follow the link to sign up.
For more resources, including pay services, visit this list created by Queens, NY.
READING
Homegrown eBooks holds a collection of more than 3,700 books from North Carolina publishers, including popular and scholarly nonfition, novels by well-known NC authors, and award-winning short fiction and poetry.
Overdrive offers audiobooks and ebooks that can be downloaded to or streamed on your device. We also have access to Overdrive by Northwestern Regional Library.
RBDigital offers downloadable ebooks and audiobooks on a variety of topics, including language learning, history, biography, classic literature, and more.
Tumblebooks offers a new, animated, talking book every day.
RESEARCH & LEARNING
Research your genealogy from home using HeritageQuest. Just sign in with your library card.
You can learn a new language or practice your skills with Mango Languages.
AQUARIUMS, LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS, PARKS, & ZOOS
Experience Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland with a virtual visit.
Explore the collections of the British Museum.
Visit the Cliffs of Moher without leaving your home.
Enjoy the African Penguin Cam at the Georgia Aquarium.
Google Arts & Culture has collections of museums, galleries, and institutions around the world.
Discover art from Guggenheim New York, Venice, and Bilbao in their online collection of over 1,700 works.
Explore 500 pieces of art in the digital collection of Africa's largest museum, the Johannesburg Art Gallery.
Take a virtual tour of the Louvre.
Take part in the Metropolitan Museum of Art experience online and see over 200,000 items online. The Met360 project is a series of award-winning videos that captivate the viewer.
Visit Paris virtually through 278 exhibits at the Musée de' Orsay.
Museum of Modern Art has some of its most famous pieces online.
See over 42,000 pieces from Washington D.C.'s National Gallery of Art.
Bring the outside inside with "The Hidden Worlds," a partnership between Google & the National Parks System that follows rangers on a journey most people never see. You can also watch live-streams on the National Park Webcams.
Learn about the women who changed the history of the United States of America with online exhibits at the National Women's History Museum.
Discover New York Public Library's Digital Collection which houses over 889,000 prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.
Palace of Versailles is one of the most visited cultural sites in the world. Explore the art and architecture of this former hunting lodge.
Virtually visit Prambanan in Indonesia. The compound consists of 200 Hindu temples.
Take a virtual tour and peruse the online collections of Salvador Dali's Museums.
San Diego Zoo has live cams of many of their animal habitats.
Catch videos of penguins exploring the aquarium, belugas feeding, owls hooting, and live animal hospital adventures at Shedd Aquarium.
Learn the story of America through portraits of people who have shaped its culture with Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's online experience.
Discover the world of Florence's famous museum, the Uffizi Galleries.
Take a 360 Virtual Tour of the Vatican Museums.
ENTERTAINMENT
Film buffs will never be bored with the collection of classic, independent and world cinema through Kanopy, which also features a platform specifically for kids.
Enjoy nightly streams of the Met Opera performing some of the most popular operas.
Enjoy ballet and opera performances by London's Royal Opera House.
The livestream page of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra features the finale of BeethovenFest.
Vienna State Opera hosts free recordings of Opera's recorded on their stage.
Are you scrambling for resources with closures at your favorite park or gym?
YOGA
Cosmic Kids Yoga features videos in yoga, mindfulness, and relaxation created especially for kids.
PBS presents Yoga in Practice a thirteen-part series led by master instructor Stacey MIllner-Collins.
"Find what feels good" with Yoga with Adriene, which features a catalog of videos and new videos uploaded regularly.
MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION
Calm.com is currently offering free meditations and classes.
Dan Harris, self-proclaimed fidgety skeptic and author of Ten Percent Happier, has shared a five-minute "How to Meditate" video.
GET MOVING
Debbie Doo Kids TV shares videos of songs, games, and dances for younger kids.
GoNoodle inspires kids to be active and mindful with a wide range of offerings that appeal to kids' different ages, interests, skills, and abilities. Play these movement games as a family for extreme fun!
GROOV3DANCE creates choreography-based videos for living room dance sessions, miin-workouts, and music videos for teens & adults.
The Learning Station has videos for action and learning songs for children's hearts, bodies, and minds.
Move to Learn has a collection of videos for students from pre-K to 12th grade to shake out their energy and refocus.
Visit Watauga County Public Library's StoryWalk at Tot Lot, 231 Complex Drive, Boone, NC 28679.
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I'm Just Bored...
Sometimes boredom sets in and you don't know what to do with your time.
Now’s the time to teach yourself those skills you’ve wanted to learn! You can learn a new language or practice your skills with Mango Languages.
It might be the best time to simply enjoy a good book, binge on audiobooks, or catch a movie you missed. Downloadable ebooks and audiobooks are available through Overdrive, RBDigital, and Homegrown eBooks.
Film buffs will enjoy our collection of classic, independent, and world cinema through Kanopy, which also features a platform specifically for kids. (This resource available to Ashe Library card holders,)
Research your genealogy from home using HeritageQuest. Just sign in with your library card.
Need to occupy students at home?
Appalachian Regional Library offers homework help and research tools, test preparation, and resources for learning online.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
All Kids Network provides crafts, worksheets, coloring pages, and more for anyone who works with children.
Arcademic Skill Builders combines academic learning with arcade games for grades 1-6. Free games available.
Bedtime Math helps you keep children's math skills strong. The site includes activities and videos. A Bedtime Math app is also available on Google Play and the App Store.
Code.org is an organization that provides free online coding classes for students of all ages. Students can learn to program while completing online modules.
Encantos combines entertainment, technology, education, and purpose to develop 21st century skills in kids. Encantos also provides learning and scheduling resources for parents/educators.
Khan Academy is hosting livestreams on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter at 12 pm every weekday.
Lakeshore Learning has over 1,000 free resources for the classroom and home.
New American History provides free resources to facilitate teaching the past in light of the present.
PBS Learning Media offers interactive lesson plans for students from pre-K through high school.
PebbleGo offers information, activities, videos, games, and more for kids in K-3rd grade. Available in English and Spanish.
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Username: engaged
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Password: learning
PebbleGo Next offers information, activities, videos, games, and more for kids in 3rd to 5th grades.
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Username: engaged1
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Password: learning1
Prodigy is a popular and engaging, curriculum-based math platform that gamifies learning.
Quizlet lets users create virtual flashcards that cover a variety of topics
ReadWorks offers authentic & engaging learning for kids from K-12th grade in many topics.
Scholastic Learn at Home gives four learning experiences for in pre-K through 6+ each day.
Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff. Their Educate site features resources for all grade levels.
Sesame Street offers games videos & activities for preschoolers on their website.
Starfall Education is designed for students in pre-K through 3rd grade.
TeacherVision is offering users 999 free credits. Follow the link to sign up.
Walkabouts are web-based lessons that activate Pre-K through 2nd grade curriculum with fun, standards-based movement.
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The Pre-K username is PKfree.
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The kindergarten username is Kfree.
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The first grade username is 1Free.
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The second grade username is 2Free.
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The password for all of these accounts is walkabouts.
WORKING FROM HOME
Online tools for current events, business and finance can support those working from home. Access newspapers and magazines at NC LIVE, including New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Online tools for business and finance include Morningstar and Reference USA.
There are a few options for small group collaboration available online. These services are not provided by Appalachian Regional Library. Staff members will not be able to offer tech support or in-depth guidance. Please visit each site for information, options, and requirements.
Free Hosted Meeting Platforms:
Personal Video Chat/Conference Solutions:
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Facebook Video Chat, video calling feature available through the Facebook Messenger App
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FaceTime, an Apple product, available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users.