Online Resources for Kids

Posted by Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon on April 28, 2020

With Pennsylvania schools now closed for the remainder of the year, I asked my team to gather some resources for children, teens, and parents navigating these strange times. Take a look and see if there are any that might be of interest to your family, a kid in your life, or even yourself!

The Franklin Institute, although temporarily closed to the public, has adapted their website to ensure kids can stay connected to science and keep learning outside of school. They’re offering ways to explore the night sky, access to the experts with live videos, virtual tours of the Giant Heart, and experiments and recipes to try at home: https://www.fi.edu/

The Philadelphia Zoo has their entire database of the animals at the zoo so you can explore and learn about them for free on their website. Kids can also learn directly from the experts about lions, bears, birds, primates, and more during 30 minute sessions hosted by the zoo’s staff from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They have a host of online learning experiences that are perfect for kids who love animals: https://philadelphiazoo.org/

The Free Library of Philadelphia is offering digital resources, including access to their wealth of children’s literature while physical branches are closed. You can find something for everyone — children, teens, and adults — with your library card number: http://www.freelibrary.org/

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has tons of art to explore on their website. You can view their collection, find activities for kids, and set your kids up with some art supplies to make their own works of art inspired by PMA’s collection of famous works: https://philamuseum.org/