Join Private Picassos with their virtual class on making clay vessels using dry clay. Kids will get to explore pinch pots, coil pots, and new art techniques. Twenty four hours prior to the class, parents will be sent a PDF with an online meeting link, a detailed lesson plan, and the art supplies your child will need. For ages 4-10 years old. May 15, 10-10:35 am EDT.

Learning more about wildlife and connecting with animals is an engaging and inspiring experience for all children, so why not spend some family time watching some of the best virtual safaris and Zoo Live Cams in the U.S.

Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and Prospect Park Zoo bring the best of wildlife to you online! Bronx Zoo’s Instagram account is where you can take a virtual trip to the Zoo and watch animal routines even when the Zoo is closed. Special training sessions are physically and mentally stimulating for many of its residents, like the sea lions, who need to play with keepers regularly to socialize and have fun. Join them!

San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo’s Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks highlight the incredible biodiversity on the African continent. Enjoy the beautiful graphics of the unusual and striking animals ready for their rise to fame. Guiding you into the different habitats like the mountains of Madagascar or the smooth beaches of the South African coastline. The Zoo’s lineup includes the African Penguin, the Blue-eyed Black Lemur, the Baboon, and so many more fascinating animals. 

Brookfield Zoo

Managed by the Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo is a world leader in high-quality animal care. The Zoo has captivated and educated visitors since 1934 and continues to do so now online. It is home to 2,000+ animal residents and is also an accredited arboretum. To see the animal caregivers in action, you can visit the Zoo’s YouTube channel, watch videos of animals’ everyday lives and learn more about them. You can chat with the Zookeepers and even vote for newborn animal names!

To see more virtual zoos, check out Virtual Zoo Tours: Meet the Zoo’s Wildlife From Home

Photo via Pexels

You’ll need: white glue, liquid watercolors (or food coloring and water), an ice cube tray, table salt, pipettes/droppers, cardstock and a tray or baking pan

Instructions: Write your child’s name on a piece of cardstock. Place the cardstock on the tray or pan. Let your toddler trace the letters with white glue, and allow them to cover their white glue with table salt. Have them shake the tray back and forth to make sure the glue is well-coated with salt. Fill an ice cube tray with water, and add different colors of food coloring into each “cube.” Present your toddler with a pipette so they can drip the food coloring/water mixtures onto their salt tracings. Watch what happens!

Photo and Experiment via Happy Hooligans

You’ll need: building materials (foam blocks, cardboard, craft sticks, straws, tape and more), a small figure toy and a squirt bottle

Instructions: Lay out various building materials for your toddler. Ask them to help you make a house for their toy that won’t let in any rain. Discuss ways they could keep the toy dry from the water. Ask open-ended questions that allow your child to solve the problem on their own, like “What can hold a roof up?” or “What makes for a strong wall?” Once the shelter is complete, test it out by squirting water to simulate rain. Did the shelter keep the toy dry? If not, redesign and try again!

Photo and Experiment via Kids STEAM Lab

Learn to cook at home with the family with these resources listed below!

CMOM at Home

Learn about Japanese food and culture as you create a balanced meal and snack resembling your favorite characters! Lunch and snack times don’t have to be a break from learning. Talking with your child at mealtime is an excellent moment to bond, help improve language and math skills, and even learn about a different culture. Additionally, introducing young children to a variety of foods from around the world helps expand their taste, curiosity, and understanding and appreciation of other cultures and traditions. This is why CMOM at Home is providing you with some great DIY ideas for some family fun in the kitchen.

Brooklyn Cookmobile

Librarians with Brooklyn Public Library created virtual Cookmobile. The typical program is a mobile kitchen that’s wheeled into the library to teach a class of 30 teens how to cook. Now, Brooklyn Public Library has adapted its program to reach teens at home with new virtual How-To tutorials and a whole curriculum focusing on how home cooking can be easy, enjoyable, cost-effective, healthy, and delicious. The Cookmobile program allows children to learn more about the chemistry of food, cultural diversity and team building. Students (11-16 age) will also generate their own recipes to compile into a Cookmobile Teen Recipe Book. 

RadDish

Raddish brings the whole family together in the kitchen. Online cooking class, grocery games, video tutorials, cook-along sessions and so much more. Designed for kids 4 to 14+, the RadDish membership includes a monthly cooking kit, digital bonus recipes and activities, and an online community. You can also visit their free resources section if you want to learn how recipes connect with math, science, history and geography. Don’t forget to check out the Bonus Bites library of activities, crafts, science experiments and more for fun ways to make learning delicious! And it’s perfect for picky eaters — kids who cook, eat! 

For more family-friendly online cooking resources, check out The Best Online Cooking Classes and Resources for the Family

Bill Nye has been teaching kid science for years, and now Bill Nye is having you bring the science lab into your home! Learn more about life, physical, and planetary science through home demos and experiments. Each experiment is easy to accomplish and asks for many items that you have lying around your house.

Hogwarts’ online collection includes kid-friendly activities, videos, puzzles, illustrations, quizzes, creative ideas, articles, and stories, that will help you take a break from these difficult times as you get transported to the wizarding world of Harry Potter. And if you are just entering the World of Magic, don’t forget to check out the Harry Potter dictionary where you can test your wizard vocabulary with terms like “muggle,” “quidditch,” and more words to explore.

For more about this site, check out J.K. Rowling Launches Harry Potter at Home Site for Families During Coronavirus Crisis

Children’s Museum of the Arts

Keep your children busy! CMA offers you contemporary exhibitions, classes, and How-To Videos with step-by-step instructions to create your own art projects and enjoy with the whole family. 

Brooklyn Museum

Current exhibitions include the history of Brooklyn, Chinese art, Dutch architecture, and the history of the Brooklyn Museum.

Cooper Hewitt

An integral part of the Smithsonian Institution, Cooper Hewitt Museum provides you with free digital access to classical craft from the 18th century, a rich catalog of bourgeois embroideries, and paintings capturing the spirit of this previous era.

For more virtual tours, visit Virtual Museum Tours in New York Families Will Love