Updated 3/27/2020
Dozens of organizations, institutions, and authors are stepping up to provide wonderful virtual experiences and learning opportunities to keep us all connected and engaged. Be sure to check out the links on this page.
We will also be retweeting anything we come across that we think would be useful and enriching, so we recommend you follow us on Twitter, too! Follow @LakeForestLib
Virtual Field Trips
Explore Mud Volcano, Mammoth Hot Springs, and so much more on a Virtual Tour of Yellowstone National Park
Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover
Take a virtual visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Museum in Huntsville, Alabama, and see the Saturn 5 Rocket
Blast off to the Johnson Space Center with the Innovating the Future Virtual Field Trip
Travel to Paris, France, to see amazing artwork at the Louvre
Take a virtual trip to The Great Wall of China
Take a virtual journey through gorgeous panoramas from around the world
Go on a virtual tour of The Vatican
Explore the British Museum
Explore everything from Manet to Easter Island, and Bauhaus to Hieroglyphs with Arts and culture with Google
From Street Art Tours and the Taj Mahal, from Volcanoes National Park to deep dives below the sea, check out these 20 Amazing Places to visit
Explore the house of an heiress who built it to confuse the ghosts she was convinced were haunting her, featuring staircases that go nowhere, rooms you have to enter by climbing through windows, and more. Tour Winchester Mystery House
See how census data is collected and used
Explore Vienna, New Orleans, Cleveland, and Bristol, the Birthplaces of Music
Expand your knowledge of civics. Take a virtual tour of the National Constitution Center and dive into the Interactive Constitution
Learn about immigration during a Virtual Field Trip to Ellis Island
Online Learning
1/14/2021 update: Thank you to library fans Emma and Liam for suggesting Free Arts and Craft Resources for Online Learning. This curated list of museum tours, interactive games, and art projects will keep you engaged for hours!
Get free ebooks, audiobooks, and K–6 Math with Tumble Book Library.
For activities and tips you can use to help kids play and learn at home, sign up for the PBS KIDS' Daily Newsletter
Remote learning resources for schools, teachers, and parents are a click away at Khan Academy
Keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys from Scholastic Learn at Home
The Learning Network offers new ways for students ages 13+ to practice reading, writing, and thinking using New York Times journalism
Easily motivate 1st to 8th grade students to learn and practice math with Prodigy, the engaging, curriculum-aligned math platform
Build mastery of foundational reading skills with Squiggle Park's bite-sized games
Explore games, videos, animals, and more with National Geographic Kids
Stop by the Typing Cloud and learn touch typing
TED-Ed's mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world, so be inspired today by a TED-Ed talk
Explore the past with articles, worksheets, quizzes, games, and videos at History for Kids
Go on a virtual field trip with your peers and learn social emotional skills
Explore a collection of books that supports emergency remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation. Announcing the National Emergency Library
Code at home with new activities released weekly from Girls Who Code
25 Free Public Domain book sources in electronic and audio formats
27 Awesome Free (or Low-Cost) Websites for Practicing Reading
26 Best Podcasts for kids in Elementary, Middle, and High School
Animal Live Cams & Videos
Tune in at 11:30 am every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for live broadcasts from your very own Lake Forest Wildlife Discovery Center
Watch baboons, koalas, tigers, and more on the San Diego Zoo live animal cams, not to mention tons of videos, activities, and games just for kids
Be delighted by the antics of sea otters or mellow out to the hypnotic drifting of jellies on the Monterey Bay Aquarium live animal cams
Don't miss the Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam
Enjoy a live look at animals at the Houston Zoo
Watch piranha, beluga whales, and more on the Georgia Aquarium webcams
FarmFood 360 brings you everything from mink, pigs, cows, apples, and eggs during their virtual tours of farms
Tour the tundra and watch Polar bear videos
Sharks, penguins, and more await you on the Aquarium of the Pacific webcams
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens bring the animals to you during Home Safari
Live Music
Mr. John and Friends brings you music and movement for kids and a comprehensive spreadsheet of independent artists from around the world who are providing livestreams of children's shows
Livestream the Metropolitan Opera
Livestream the Seattle Symphony
Livestream the Berliner Philharmoniker
Livestream The Kennedy Center Digital Stage