How Parents Can Keep Kids Busy During the Coronavirus Outbreak

From Town & Country

As schools across the U.S. shutter in hopes of slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak, parents working from home are increasingly being tasked with teaching their children—or at the very least keeping them occupied. Here are a few educational ways to keep your youngsters busy (without putting on Paw Patrol for the fourth consecutive hour).

Virtual Art Class

Mo Willems, the Brooklyn-based artist and author of much-loved stories like Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, and all the adventures of Elephant and Piggie is teaching a lunchtime art class on YouTube.

"I know a lot of you guys are not in school, you're at home right now because of all the things that are going on. Guess what? I'm at home too. So for the next couple weeks, I'm going to do a lunch doodles with you," Williams, who is the first education artist-in-residence a the Kennedy Center, said in an announcement about the program. "There's nothing more fun than doodling with a friend, and I think you are a very good friend."

Watch the first video above, then head over to Youtube for everyday for a new lesson.

Celebrity Story Time

Need a break from reading aloud to your little ones? Allow a celebrity or an author to step in.

Storyline Online

Want to hear Viola Davis read Rent Party Jazz? What about Mary Steenburgen's rendition of Strega Nona? Storyline Online, a program supported by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation features free videos of celebrities reading beloved children's stories. For each book Storyline also includes a teacher's guide to further learning.

Here are a few other individuals who are reading books allowed online:

Josh Gad—a.k.a Olaf—has also been reading books aloud on Twitter and Instagram Live.

And Oliver Jeffers, the artist behind popular books like The Day the Crayons Quit and The Great Paper Caper is also reading his works on Instagram Live.

Yoga

If your youngster is missing PE class, but the constant running around your home is getting out of hand, calm them down—but keep them moving—with an at-home yoga class. YouTuber Yoga with Adriene has a few videos like the one below, for yogis of all ages.

Sesame Street

It's a classic for a reason. If your kids are still enamored of Elmo, Grover, and the rest of the Sesame Street crew, you should feel no reluctance about cueing up an episode or two. Several full shows are currently available on the PBS Kids website, and more clips are streaming on the official Sesame Street website, and on YouTube.

If your youngster is more of a Daniel Tiger kind of kid, episodes of his adventures are also available online.

CrashCourse and SciShow

If your kids are a little older, and you're worried about learning regression as they spend more and more days outside the classroom, peruse the offerings of CrashCourse and SciShow.

These free educational YouTube videos, headed up by John and Hank Green, go in-depth on topics ranging from mythology (above) to chemistry, world history, media literacy, and film production.

Take a tour of an art museum online.

Cultural institutions from art museums to symphonies, and theaters around the world are shutting down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and taking their art online.

Here's an updated list of all the artistic experiences you and your kids can take in from the comfort of your couch.

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