We've put together a curated list of some of the wonderful online resources and activities you can do while CPL is closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Continue social distancing and enjoy these cultural, entertainment, and education resources from the comfort of your own home!
BOOKS, AUDIOBOOKS, MAGAZINES, & RESEARCH
Click here for information about finding about digital collections to read and listen to!
CPL-CREATED VIRTUAL CLASSES & EVENTS
Virtual Storytime with Miss Joelle (new storytime added every Wednesday)
Cool Science at Home (new science project added every 2-3 weeks)
Kids Cook (new kid-friendly cooking video each month)
See our Facebook Events page for "live" virtual classes and events
CPL-CREATED PINTEREST BOARDS FOR KIDS & FAMILIES
Follow us on Pinterest for more! We're creating a Pinterest board with a new theme every week while we're closed!
Backyard Fun
DIY Games
Easy Science Experiments
Recipes for Kids
Simple Crafts for Kids
Bookish Activities
Staying Active at Home
Learning New Skills for Kids
Music Fun for Kids
Kindness and Community
FUN & LEARNING FOR KIDS & TEENS
“I’m Bored” Activity Books (OverDrive) - Curated collection of eBooks focusing on hands-on activities
Audiobooks for the Whole Family (OverDrive) - Curated collection of audiobooks that families can enjoy together
#OperationStorytime - kids book authors and illustrators read their books aloud
We Are YA (Penguin Teen) - Interviews with popular Young Adult authors
StoryLine Online - Children's stories read by celebrated actors and actresses
GoodNight with Dolly - Bedtime stories read by country music legend Dolly Parton
Children's Museum at Saratoga - Science activities, crafts, and stories
Dav Pilkey at Home - Activities with the creator of Dog Man and Captain Underpants
Walt Disney Animation Studios - Fun videos and learn to draw favorite characters!
Guinness World Records - Try these challenges at home with your family
New Victory Theater - Interactive art/performance classes with a different theme each week
Oceans Initiative - virtual marine biology camp every Monday and Thursday
Scratch (MIT) - Learn to code for kids, tweens, and teens
Storytime from Space - stories read by astronauts while in space
MetKids - Kids' resources from Metropolitan Museum of Art
Laurie Berkner Band - Live performances every weekday at 10:00 am
U.S. National Parks - Take virtual tours of America’s wonderful national parks
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County - 4-H Youth Family Fun at Home activities
NYS Museum - Facebook Live field trips for youth
Harry Potter at Home - Craft videos, articles, puzzles, games, and more
NASA at Home - Space and STEM activities for grades K-8
MiSci on the Move - Educational videos featuring MiSci educators
Common Sense Media - List of free online events & activities for kids
Lunch Doodles - With Mo Willems from The Kennedy Center
Authors Everywhere - With children’s book authors and illustrators on YouTube
Arcademics - Math and language skill building
FunBrain - Games, videos, and activities for grades K-8
Scholastic - Games, stories, videos for parents to do with younger children
StoryPlace - Stories with counting, colors, and animals for preschoolers
Smithsonian Distance Learning - Learning lab
Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari - Animal lessons and activities
Shedd Aquarium Sea Curious - Marine animal lessons
Pendragon Theatre - Stay-at-Home Puppet Camp for Kids
P.E. with Joe - Kid-friendly workouts
NatGeo at Home - Kid-friendly resources from National Geographic
Children's Poetry Archive - Poetry for all ages, read out loud.
Author Kelly Yang - Online writing classes for tweens/teens every M, W, & F at 3:00 pm
Create Your Own Butterfly Garden - How-to from the San Diego Zoo
Bronx Zoo - Facebook feed with lots of interest to kids & families.
Hancock Shaker Village - Videos of Hancock Shaker Village's baby animals & more!
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program - Writing activities & challenges for kids and teens
National Phenology Network's Nature's Notebook project - Be a nature observer & submit your findings
DK FindOut! - Publisher website with kid-friendly fun facts
The Spanish Experiment - Enjoy fun stories read aloud in Spanish
Rensselaer Youth Outdoors - Fun ideas for getting active outside
Dinosaur puppets (from Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County) - Fun DIY shadow puppets
Victoria Kann, author of Pinkalicious series - Facebook page with read-alouds
The Kid Should See This - Over 4,500 "smart videos for curious minds of all ages"
Skype a Scientist - Kids have the opportunity to talk with a scientist about a topic of their choice
Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Explore the world of bird-watching
ADULTS & CULTURAL RESOURCES
Headspace: NY State of Mind - Free mindfulness & meditation resources for NYS residents
America's Test Kitchen - Free access to 50 "recipes we need right now"
Duolingo - Free, fun language learning
New York Heritage - Digital collections documenting New York State history
NYS Historic Newspapers Project - Free online access to historic NYS newspapers
U.S. National Parks - Virtual tours of America’s beautiful national parks
Virtual Train Rides (from Travel & Leisure magazine) - Scenic rides from around the world
Library of Congress National Book Festival - Videos of famous and award-winning authors discussing their work
Library of Congress - Explore digital collections held by the nation's library
Live Nation - Live from Home concert series
Concert Livestreams - List curated by Vulture
The Metropolitan Opera - Nightly free streams of past Met performances
TED - Nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks
Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York, NY
Smithsonian Institute - Washington, DC
National Museum of Natural History - Washington, DC
National Museum of American History - Washington, DC
National Museum of African American History & Culture - Washington, DC
National Air and Space Museum - Washington, DC
British Museum - London, England
Vatican Museum - Rome, Italy
Museo Del Prado - Madrid, Spain
National Archaeological Museum - Athens, Greece
EXPLORE AREA MUSEUMS VIRTUALLY
Many museums in our area offer online exhibits or allow you to explore their collections online! Here are some links:
Albany Institute of History and Art
Arkell Museum
Bennington Museum
Clark Art Institute
Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery
Hancock Shaker Village
Historic Cherry Hill
Hyde Collection
Iroquois Indian Museum
New York State Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum
The Old Stone Fort Museum
Shaker Museum Mount Lebanon
Storm King Art Center