In addition to the sites mentioned below, use your WNPL card to access online resources for ebooks and eaudiobooks, learning and fun here.
Contents for Free Online Resources
Animal Cams & Videos
Brookfield Zoo – daily live streams through the organization’s Facebook page
Cincinnati Zoo – home to Fiona the hippo, take a digital safari
Lincoln Park Zoo – videos posted at the zoo’s YouTube presence
Marine Biology Camp – whale experts at Oceans Initiative stream two times per week
Milwaukee County Zoo – watch webcams of many of the zoo’s animals
Monterey Bay Aquarium – enjoy calming videos of aquatic scenes from this California-based aquarium
Shedd Aquarium – watch the daily adventures of penguins and other aquarium inhabitants through Twitter
Watching Wildlife – watch wildlife across the U.S. with the National Park Service
Arts, Crafts & Writing
From WNPL:
WNPL Bookmobile Cut Out – Make your own version of WNPL’s Bookmobile at home!
Dill Pickle Celebrates Spring Coloring Sheet – celebrate a colorful spring with WNPL’s Dill Pickle by printing this coloring sheet
Dill Pickle Safe at Home Coloring Sheet – print & color a picture of our green icon of WNPL’s Youth Services department while safe at home
Mandala Coloring Sheet – color your worries away with this calming design from WNPL
Mandala Coloring Sheet 2 – another design option to calmly color
Parrot Coloring Sheet – escape to a tropical scene with coloring sheet
Other sources:
LEGO Quarantine Survival Challenge – this NBC5 article points to a Facebook Group created by a Downers Grove mom that posts a daily LEGO challenge
Printable Activities from Click, Clack Books – activity sheets from the popular book series
Stuck at Home? Take Free Drawing Classes From Famous Illustrators – a handy list from Fast Company
Websites Where Kids Can Create Books – a list of resources from Scholastic
Authors, Videos & Storytimes
In addition to the sites mentioned below, many popular authors and celebrities can be found by searching YouTube or by following their individual social media pages.
Babies & Kids
The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read Alouds and Activities – a great selection from WeAreTeachers
The Fable Cottage – children’s stories translated into Spanish, and four additional titles
DPAN.TV – Kids stories in American Sign Language
KidLitTV – find read alouds, book trailers and more
StoryLine Online – your favorite celebrities read your favorite children’s titles
Story Time from Space! – astronauts from the International Space Station read favorite titles
Tweens & Teens
All Ages Read Along Bingo – a fun read along opportunity from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Manga Book Club Handbook – start your own virtual manga book club with this downloadable guide
Mouse Circus – author Neil Gaiman’s site for younger readers
Adults
CBLDF Book Discussion Guides – explore popular graphic novels in depth with downloadable guides
Goodreads – reads reviews written by WNPL staff at our Goodreads page
Neil Gaiman / Cool Stuff – downloads, excerpts and other cool stuff
WNPL on YouTube – find book and movie reviews from expert WNPL staff
Education – Online Learning
50 Amazing Skills You Can Learn on YouTube – an equally amazing list from Mental Floss
60+ Awesome Websites for Teaching and Learning Math – a helpful list from We Are Teachers
BrainPOP – creative videos and games that explain concepts in fun and creative ways
Ck-12 – Interactive lessons for all grade levels for many subjects.
Delish.com – offering free family oriented cooking classes on their Instagram site every day
Hour of Code – learn how to code with a variety of online projects
Ivy League Courses Online – a comprehensive list of free courses from several universities
IXL – Hundreds of interactive lessons for all grade levels for many subjects.
Khan Academy – Video tutorials and interactive exercises for upper grade levels on a variety of subjects.
NASA STEM Engagement – find videos and interactive materials for space learning for all ages
National Geographic for Kids – find out more about animals, geography, the environment and more
ScienceBuddies – STEM activities and experiments
Scholastic Learn At Home – a comprehensive website with day-to-day projects
Escape Rooms
Escape from Wonderland Digital Escape Room – created by Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System
Hogwarts Digital Escape Room – created by Peters Township Public Library staff
Wakelet/30+ Digital Escape Rooms – created by Ditch that Textbook
Exercise and Meditation
Calm on YouTube – find calming scenes and meditation rituals at the app’s popular YouTube channel
Cosmic Kids Yoga – Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation designed specially for kids aged 3+, used in schools and homes all over the world.
Homework Help
Digital Public Library of America – primary source sets developed by educators on a variety of topics
Europeana Collections – Explore cultural texts and primary sources from libraries and museums across Europe
Movies and TV
Common Sense Media – reviews from parents, kids, educators and advocates to help you choose the right media for your family
IMDB – the Internet Movie Database is a great place to find more info about your favorite movies, actors and actresses
TV.Com – find info about current television shows, as well as vintage tv
YouTube – for a limited time, view free feature films (with ads) in a wide variety of genres
Music and Performance
The Actors Fund – while Broadway has dimmed its lights, you can view live performances at this YouTube channel
Berlin Philharmonic – enjoy music from this digital concert hall
Center for Puppetry Arts – live puppet performances, along with a virtual tour
A List of Live, Virtual Concerts – kept up to date by the wonderful staff at NPR
A List of Vintage Musicals – including film clips from Broadway World
The Metropolitan Opera – free opera performances streamed online
Public Domain Books
Books Should Be Free – free public domain ebooks and eaudiobooks
A Kids Book About COVID-19 – from the staff at the Fergus Falls Public Library
Open Library – read classic books, including children’s and non-fiction titles
Project Gutenberg – over 60,000 free ebooks, including free epub and Kindle ebooks
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum – 200+ art books for free on the Internet Archive
Virtual Tours
Art Galleries
The Art Institute of Chicago – visit the museum’s collections online
The Getty – explore the collections of the Los Angeles based museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art – explore online exhibits from the museum’s collections in New York
Van Gogh Museum – reveal the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings from the museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Victoria and Albert Museum – browse online exhibits from a leading museum of art & design in London, UK
Museums
The Field Museum – experience the museum from home and watch Sue’s adventures on the Field’s social media sites
The Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago – tour the Museum through Google Arts & Culture
The Palace of Versailles – walk through the incredible UNESCO World Heritage site
The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources – a thorough list of museum experiences around the globe
Nature & Parks
BloomCam– View the cherry blossoms on the National Mall in Washington DC
Google Earth – take a digital hike through several U.S. National Parks