Here are some websites that offer free and creative learning:
BrainPop
Center for Civic Education
Center for Puppetry Arts
Chem4Kids
Cosmic Kids Yoga
Duolingo
EngineerGirl
FunBrain
Highlights Kids
Kennedy Center
Learning Blade
Learning Without Tears
Musicplay Online
New York Philharmonic Kids Zone
Scholastic Learn at Home
Smithsonian Learning Lab
Metro Nashville Public Schools has a Digital Tools page with links to frequently used classroom tools, apps and log in information and for the district’s Accessibility and Accommodations Resource Guide. MNPS Countdown to Kindergarten Website is a free website that provides information and resources to help families get ready for kindergarten. Highlights include Learning@Home, and Activity Sheets.
Entertainers and organizations are streaming activities and performances. Many of these resources are experiences that some families may otherwise never have access to due to travel and financial factors. Discover online resources to keep your child’s learning fun, while being quarantined indoors from the COVID-19 virus in the United States.
Visit the museum online! Virtual galleries are unavailable, however, each exhibition has its own online presence. On the landing pages for their current exhibitions, you will find a variety of resources that enhance enjoyment and understanding of this magnificent art. The Frist Art Museum invites you to explore the links that can be found under the “Resources” heading on each exhibition’s page. There they have posted gallery guides, educator resources, media coverage of the exhibitions, and video. And with children out of school, FristKids.org is a tremendous resource for home learning and fun activities.
They also have online storytimes.
September 14 Storytime with the Frist: Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
October 12 Storytime with the Frist: Whoever You Are
November 9 Storytime with the Frist: Same, Same but Different
December 14 Storytime with the Frist: Little Red
Nashville Symphony Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero hosted a virtual conducting class on Facebook Live.. Archives of all videos featuring Guerrero can be found at: NashvilleSymphony.org/GiancarloatHome.
The original Mr. Bond’s Science Guys in Nashville, TN and Maryland’s The Science Guys of Baltimore join forces to bring you online science events! They are offering virtual camps as well as birthday parties.
Tennessee-based, PowerUp Fitness, an evidence-based physical activity program aligned with academic standards, launched a new “At-Home” resource: powerupfitness.net/athome to help families get students moving and learning, even in their living rooms.
One-of-a-kind scavenger hunts help kids and families explore, discover, and connect. All you’ll need is your phone, your team, and your home. The interactive Let’s Roam app will present you with a series of challenges and questions ranging in difficulty and point value. You can pause as needed, spreading the activity across multiple days. Work through the challenges in any order and have fun. LEARN MORE HERE.
Checkout these Creativity Kits! They are primarily geared towards ages 4-14 but adults can enjoy them as well during a family art night. Purchasing creativity kits supports Turnip Green Creative Reuse staff, artists, and students during closures. For every 5 kits purchased, TGCR will donate 1 kit to a student in need! You can also sponsor a kit for a student in need.
STEAM Creativity Kit
Favorite Artists Creativity Kit
DIY Creativity Kit
Paper Scrap Kit
Fabric Scrap Kit
DIY Fabric Rope Kit
If you live within the Nashville area, they will ship the package to you or deliver it directly to your door, based on the size of the object and shipping address. If you are located outside of the Nashville area, they will ship the item to your home. Expected shipping/delivery time is 5-10 days.
Kits are $5-$29/Creativity Kit.
Visit the Nashville Sounds Facebook page for a variety of activities including:
Kidsville has a plethora of fun activities for the kiddos including Kidsville Sound Story and a Parthenon Workout. VISIT HERE.
Tina Randolph | NowPlayingNashville.com
Spotify has released an app for children with more songs, stories and other content. The app is largely designed to boost sign-ups for Spotify’s top-tier subscription, the $14.99 (USD) per month Premium Family plan. This plan offers up to 6 people in the same household access to Spotify’s on-demand, ad-free music streaming service, each with their own personalized account. It also includes other exclusive features like Family Mixes, as well as parental controls, and now, the Spotify Kids application. The app can also be customized by age range.
Nashville Opera features performances for children
Nashville Opera’s The Enchanted Forest
Your best friend’s a bee?
Enchanting!
Nashville Opera’s back with more magic for your streaming pleasure. This week, tune in to THE ENCHANTED FOREST, an original choose-your-own-adventure opera by Anna Young! As our story opens, a fire-breathing dragon threatens to burn down the forest and all its friendly inhabitants. It’s up to our brave princess and her best pal Bumble to save the day. (Happy Spoiler Alert: They do!)
Click and see what the buzz is all about!
Nashville Opera’s Little Red’s Most Unusual Day
Nashville Opera ON TOUR usually comes to you in school, but they are delighted to share their latest children’s opera with you wherever you are, video-style!
Get ready for bright sets and costumes, four professional opera singers, and an amazing pianist—all members of Nashville Opera’s acclaimed Mary Ragland Emerging Artist Program. LITTLE RED’S MOST UNUSUAL DAY is 40 minutes of opera fun with activities to boot!
Click and enjoy.
Nashville Opera’s BEAR HUG/ABRAZO DE OSO
Need a hug?
Nashville Opera is happy to post its second full-length children’s opera for you to stream and enjoy at home: BEAR HUG/ABRAZO DE OSO! It’s the first bilingual opera they ever presented in schools, and it was written by their own Anna Young, who directs their education programs. BEAR HUG’S catchy, danceable music is taken from the world of Spanish opera—called zarzuela—and if it happens to get stuck in your head, that’s just the happy side effect the Nashville Opera is going for! If you’ve got a young reader in the house, check out the accompanying story boards. They’re like little photobooks of the opera, and you can compare the English to the Spanish versions for even more fun.
WATCH HERE.
LeVar Burton Kids
LeVar Burton, one of the world’s greatest storytellers and long-time host of Reading Rainbow, has created Skybrary and Skybrary School. Skybrary features digital stories and videos. LISTEN HERE.
TEG Field Trips are free, online games designed to take students on engaging and educational journeys through famous museums and historic landmarks, and even back to major moments in time. Much like The Escape Game rooms, players progress through games by uncovering clues and solving puzzles. To be successful, players must exercise their critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills. VISIT HERE TO PLAY.
Nashville Children’s Theatre Online
Don’t know what to do with your kid stuck at home? NCT has the answer: At-Home Acting Adventures!
Teddy Bear’s Picnic and 2-minute At Home Drama Activities.
BroadwayHD streams over 300 productions as well as playlists. You can watch and list with a free seven-day trial, along with an $8.99 monthly plan.
Virtually experience Walt Disney World attractions, shows, hotels, monorails, trains, boats, park areas, and more within an interactive 360º video environment.
Mr. Matty’s World is the creation of local entertainer Matt Walberg. He has a long history of children’s entertainment and offers a unique escape from the chaos of everyday life! Check him out on his Facebook and also on his Website.
Giphy.com
This local momma has pulled together a list of online resources as well as some creative ways for the whole family to occupy their time. She also adds some self care tips!
Astronauts read to your child from up above!
Classics for Kids® is here to help you learn about classical music and have fun too! Find Classics for Kids on the radio, listen to their podcast or listen to the programs online. Have fun online with classical music games.
The Classics for Kids® lesson plans and teaching resources give teachers now your homeschool Moms practical, effective plans and activities that use classical music to help children learn. and meet national and state standards.
Emily Arrow
Former Nashvillian, Emily Arrow has taken to her YouTube channel to offer. She creates music, books, workshops and videos for young children. Learn more about Emily at EmilyArrow.com and watch her YouTube Channel here.
Nashville-based company, GoNoodle® engages 14 million kids every month with movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. Available for free at school, home, and everywhere kids are! Let’s get kids moving at home.
Teach or improve their game with this printable instruction booklet. VIEW HERE.
View photos, listen to sound recordings and print materials available for online browsing.
Visit Nashville Public Library Online
Delve into Nashville’s history by viewing the library’s digital archive of over 100,000 historical photographs. They also have an online collection of their interpreted puppet shows.
The Adventure Science Center’s lessons provide instruction, a materials list, and ideas for activities to get hands-on with science, including sample questions to get those gears turning. Visit here for the lessons.
Visit Cheekwood Estate & Gardens for their Tots! program with weekly lessons online.
The Nashville Symphony will use their Facebook post videos that highlight music education. You can also visit their Home Resources page on their website for fun ways to teach key educational concepts through music. Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez shows how to make a hand drum with items you probably already have in your kitchen. Learn about women in classical music, look at orchestra instruments, and so much more. They are updating this resource regularly so visit often. Have a question or suggestion? Contact their Education Team via email at education@nashvillesymphony.org.
Newly added to the Museum’s website is TSM Kids! This new page acts as a portal to fun Tennessee State Museum resources that will help kids and their families learn and interact with Tennessee history. Travel back in time with stories and activities on the Junior Curators Blog, watch a Storytime video, download coloring book pages featuring objects from our collection, and solve Museum jigsaw puzzles. Content is for Pre-K age to children of all ages. Let your creativity run wild!
Click Here for TSM Kids page.
Visit 500 museums and galleries around the world online courtesy of Google Arts and Culture.
The Actors Fund, the national human services organization for everyone in performing arts and entertainment, announced today that SiriusXM Broadway host Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley, will produce daily online mini-shows, entitled “Stars In The House”, featuring stars of stage and screen singing and performing live (from home!) to promote support for The Fund’s services for those most vulnerable to the effects of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
New shows will be produced DAILY at the traditional theater times of 1pm/c and 7pm/c. Each star will be singing a mix of their hit songs and/or something unexpected. And between each song, Seth will interview the star as he does on SiriusXM, leading them to give fun, inside stories about their careers. Both the star and Seth will encourage people watching to donate at StarsInTheHouse.com, and James will be giving updates from The Fund as well as giving shout-outs to people donating in real time.
Stars scheduled to appear include: Iain Armitage, Shoshana Bean, Laura Benanti, Sierra Boggess, Wayne Brady, Betty Buckley, Laura Bell Bundy, Andréa Burns, Kerry Butler, Norbert Leo Butz, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, Kristin Chenoweth, Gavin Creel, Melissa Errico, Raul Esparza, Christopher Fitzgerald, Kathryn Gallagher, Ana Gasteyer, Mandy Gonzalez, Justin Guarini, Debbie Gravitte, James Monroe Iglehart, Rachel Bay Jones, Jeremy Jordan, Marc Kudish, Judy Kuhn, Anika Larsen, Linda Lavin, Beth Leavel, Telly Leung, Beth Malone, Melissa Manchester, Lesli Margherita, Lindsay Mendez, Idina Menzel, Varla Jean Merman, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Julia Murney, Rosie O’Donnell, Kelli O’Hara, Christine Pedi, Alice Ripley, Adam Pascal, Faith Prince, Keala Settle, Marc Shaiman, Kate Shindle, Jennifer Simard, Elizabeth Stanley, Patrick Wilson, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Scott Wittman, and many more to be announced. WATCH HERE.
The Storytellers Museum is proud to announce ‘Storytellers Sessions’ a Youtube exclusive show that will only be premiered on their YouTube Channel! Mark Alan Cash will be joined by other local songwriters weekly for this virtual performance every Thursday at 7pm CST. Grab some popcorn and don’t miss out on this incredible show packed ful of original music, never before heard stories, and wonderful talent. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to their Youtube channel and turn on your notifications so you do not miss any of the Storytellers Sessions!
Storytellers Hideaway Farms
KidsActivities.com
KidsActivities.com has put together a list of education companies that are offering free subscriptions due to the school closings. The websites feature art, science, reading, and so much more.
Storyline Online
Storyline Online is offering its FREE children’s literacy resource featuring the world’s best storytellers reading books aloud. Each video includes an activity guide with lessons for K-5 students to do at home. https://www.storylineonline.net/
Many museums around the globe are offering virtual tours you can take from your living room. Museums listed on Travel + Leisure include British Museum, Guggenheim Museum, Musee d’Orsay, Van Gogh Museum, The Uffizi Gallery and more. View all of them listed here.
Scholastic set up a ‘Learn From Home’ website with four categories: PreK and Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6+. Each section is already equipped with one week of content for students with 15 additional days on the way.
The Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera’s free nightly opera streams is now available. Due to unprecedented demand and web traffic, they recommend you access the stream through the Met Opera on Demand apps for Apple, Amazon, and Roku devices and Samsung Smart TV. The free streams will be available on the apps without logging in under “Browse and Preview” in the apps for connected TV, and “Explore the App” on tablets and mobile devices.
Need more? Here is a list of some free learning websites:
If we missed something, let us know in the comments box below and we will update.
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
French
German
Japanese
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Spanish
Vietnamese
