Learning at Home
When students are out of school, learning doesn’t have to stop! There are lots of resources to help you keep your kids learning while they’re at home. For instance, you can sign up to receive free books delivered to your home for children, birth to age 5. Haga clic aquí para registrarse para recibir libros gratuitos entregados a su casa para niños de 0 a 5 años. Or learn about resources from Durham County Library (haga clic aquí para saber de recursos de la Biblioteca del Condado de Durham).
Please note: we’re updating this page regularly, and we’re happy to receive your suggestions for links that might be a good fit: info@bookharvest.org.
Below are other resources (mostly online) we recommend:
Scholastic Learn at Home: special cross-curricular journeys; every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video.
First Book Open E-Books: access to a digital library of thousands of popular and award-winning children’s and YA eBooks for free
Starfall: children have fun while learning in an environment of collaboration, wonderment, and play.
Scholastic Story Starters: children can write their own digital storybook.
Weird Enough Productions: using comics featuring diverse superheroes for social good.
30 Days of Families Learning Together: family literacy activities and practices designed to inspire family memories rooted in imagining, playing, and learning together.
Squiggle Park Dreamscape: combining strategy, engagement, and imaginative reading passages to create a fun, curriculum-aligned literacy game.
National Center on Improving Literacy: Kid Zone: build literacy skills in a fun and interactive way.
KidLit TV: fun new ways to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
NC Kids Digital Library: digital library of downloadable books for children.
Teaching Mama Preschool Alphabet Packet: downloadable alphabet packet for little ones.
What Do We Do All Day?: looking for screen-free fun and lots of good books?
Storyline Online: streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations.
Global Space Education Foundation: storytime from astronauts in space.
Storynory: free audio stories for 1st through 8th grade.
Just Books Read Aloud: children’s books read aloud via YouTube videos for all ages and grade levels.
Audible: listen to audiobooks, now for free.
Durham Public Schools Ignite at Home: strengthening the connection between DPS teachers, students, and families and expanding the availability of learning material.
Time for Kids: authentic journalism to motivate curious minds.
ABC Mouse: more than 850 lessons across 10 levels.
UNC-TV At-Home Learning: UNC-TV and the NC Department of Public Instruction are partnering to support school-age children learning at home by providing free, curriculum-informed, over-the-air content that is widely accessible to students—especially those with limited or no internet access.
Fluency and Fitness: reading and math lessons incorporate learning and movement, while keeping your child engaged and having fun.
National Geographic Young Explorer: electronic issues of National Geographic Young Explorer magazines.
National Geographic Kids: amazing facts about animals, science, history, and geography, along with fun competitions, games, and more.
BrainPOP: curious learners stay informed and on-track with free access during school closures.
Science Mom: engaging science activities for kids of all ages.
Code.org: dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by women and underrepresented youth.
Bedtime Math: help kids access a fun story that can be used as a routine at bedtime, bathtime, or anytime.
ABCya!: Over 400 free educational games that will keep kids engaged and having fun.
CoolMath4Kids: designed to teach math and make it fun.
Smithsonian Fun Stuff for Kids: videos, games, articles, activities, and even live video streams of animals. Content includes science and history.
LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems: draw, doodle, and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually at 1 p.m. each weekday.
Nasher Museum of Art Words & Pictures: brings artwork from the Nasher Museum’s collection into your home to teach English Language Arts and visual literacy to K, 1st and 2nd grades.
Let’s Color Our Way to Calm: children’s book illustrator Rafael Lopez is posting daily black and white line drawings that didn’t make the final cut for his books so that children can print them out and color them.
Khan Academy: providing a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.
IXL: personalized learning with a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, individualized guidance, and real-time analytics.
Quizlet: master any subject, one success at a time.
Project Enlightenment: 25 engaging non-screen activities to do at home.
Go Noodle: movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts.
Virtual Field Trips: over 30 different virtual field trips.
Highlights Kids: play games and discover new jokes, surveys, answers to science questions, and fun crafts and recipes.
Everywhere Book Fest: virtual gathering of kidlit authors, books, and readers that will bring the book festival experience to everyone (May 1 and 2)
KinderCare: at-home activities for babies.
Ready4K: receive three age-appropriate texts per week with tips for parents/caregivers of 0-8 year olds
Bright by Text: free tips by text to help give your child a bright beginning for parents/caregivers of 0-8 year olds
Vroom: weekly brain-building tips for parents/caregivers of 0-5 year olds
The Spanish Experiment: well-known children’s stories translated into Spanish and spoken by a native Spanish speaker.
Flamboyan Foundation: daily read-alouds in Spanish.
Story Place: digital library for children in Spanish.
Discovery Kids Plus: videos, games, activities, and books in Spanish.
Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus, from NPR: a downloadable comic to help kids understand the news about COVID-19.
My 2020 COVID-19 Time Capsule: a printable PDF for kids to color and fill in to help them process and mark this moment in history by recording important details about how they’re feeling and what they’re doing during the virus outbreak
Talking to children about COVID-19 (Coronavirus), from the National Association of School Psychologists: a guide for parents about how to talk with your kids about the outbreak.
Talking with children about Coronavirus Disease 2019, from the CDC: a guide for parents about how to talk with your kids about the outbreak.
Talking to kids about the Coronavirus, from Child Mind Institute: video and tips for talking to kids, text also available in Spanish
And of course, keep reading! Many local libraries offer ways to check out books online for free while you’re not able to come to our office or head to your local library to get books. If you’re a Durham County resident, visit the Durham County Library page to find out how to check out e-books and how to get a temporary library card, if you don’t already have one. If you don’t live in Durham, check your local library’s website for details.
Tips from Our Experts
Parents: we know how overwhelming this time is, and we’re here to help!
Our staff experts, Wilma and Amy, and our expert partners — families and kids! — have curated a list of online resources, fabulous books and stories, and tried-and-true tips to keep kids learning and having fun at home.
Got more great ideas you think we should feature? Maybe you have a reader at home who would like to be a book reviewer? Email Benay at benay@bookharvest.org with your ideas — we’d love to hear from you!
New free Audible titles: Hear My Story
Audible is featuring a collection of FREE audiobooks for kids called “Hear My Story.” The collection features a range of diverse and inclusive titles, many of which tell the stories of real people. Check it out!
Parent Chat with Wilma, episode 7/Chat de Padres y Madres con Wilma, episodio 7
Welcome to Parent Chat with Wilma, our series in which parents in our Book Babies program will share what they’re doing to keep the learning alive for their children at home. Click on CC in the lower right corner of the video to see subtitles in Spanish. Bienvenido a Chat de Padres y Madres con …
Parent Chat with Wilma, episode 7/Chat de Padres y Madres con Wilma, episodio 7 Read More »
Parent Chat with Wilma, episode 6/Chat de Padres y Madres con Wilma, episodio 6
Welcome to Parent Chat with Wilma, our series in which parents in our Book Babies program will share what they’re doing to keep the learning alive for their children at home. Click on CC in the lower right corner of the video to see subtitles in Spanish. Bienvenido a Chat de Padres y Madres con …
Parent Chat with Wilma, episode 6/Chat de Padres y Madres con Wilma, episodio 6 Read More »
Meet the Experts!
Wilma is Book Harvest’s PreK/K Transition Coach. She’s always looking for new things to try and new books to read with her daughter, Isabel!
Ready4K
Text messages to boost your child's learning
Ready4K is a research-based text messaging program for families with kids ages 0 to 8. Each week, you'll receive 3 texts with fun facts and tips on ways to help your child learn and grow.
Ready4K tips build on your family routines, like getting dressed, bath time, or preparing a meal. And you'll always get messages that match your child's age.
To sign up, text DPFC to 70138
While there is absolutely no cost for enrolling in Ready4K, data & message rates may apply.
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