Here are some ideas for keeping your children entertained and engaged:

Set up an indoor treasure hunt: 
https://www.thespruce.com/indoor-treasure-hunt-for-children-1695332

Build a fort with pillows and blankets, or be inspired by these:
https://redtri.com/fantastic-indoor-forts-for-kids/slide/18

Make shadow puppets and take turns telling stories:
http://drama4kids.com/activities/31-how-to-make-hand-shadow-puppets 
https://www.adventure-in-a-box.com/make-shadow-puppets-home/

Make musical instruments and have a concert: 
https://redtri.com/homemade-instruments/slide/9

Make a paper airplane:
https://www.diynetwork.com/made-and-remade/learn-it/5-basic-paper-airplanes

Create a masking tape race track:
http://www.beafunmum.com/2013/10/masking-tape-road/

Get your kids excited for “Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems”! Doodle along with the author of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny, and the Elephant and Piggy series every weekday at 1pm EDT. https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/

Scholastic Learn at Home! 20 days worth of active learning. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/articles/resources/scholastic-learn-at-home--free-resources-for-school-closures.html

Scholastic press release here: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/content/dam/classroom-magazines/magazines/support/scholastic-at-home/LAH-letter-families_rev.pdf

Love animals? Cincinnati Zoo is going live on Facebook every day at 3pm EDT! They will highlight one of their amazing animals and include an activity that you can do at home. Previous videos will be posted to their website & youtube channel so you won’t miss a thing. http://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/cincinnati-zoo-is-bringing-the-zoo-to-you/

Did you know Smithsonian offers 1.7 million multimedia experiences? Each Smithsonian institution (museums, galleries, research centers and zoo) has their own website full of education resources. Here is a curated list of 8 digital resources from the Smithsonian.  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/eight-digital-education-resources-around-smithsonian-180974430/

Itching to travel? Had to postpone your vacation? You can tour famous museums around the world now from the comfort of your living room. Virtual tours of 12+ famous museums are available online! https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours

Need a little culture in your life during your self-quarantine? Looking for something different? Join the Metropolitan Opera for their “Nightly Met Opera Streams.” They will stream a different opera from their award-winning HD collection every day at 7:30pm EDT. Videos will be available for 20 hours. Check the schedule here: https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/met-to-launch-nightly-met-opera-streams-a-free-series-of-encore-live-in-hd-presentations-streamed-on-the-company-website-during-the-coronavirus-closure/

Check out this list of educational companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings. https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/135609/list-of-education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions/

 

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/articles/resources/scholastic-learn-at-home--free-resources-for-school-closures.html

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