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In an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), schools have closed. This leaves parents, some also working from home, with the challenge of entertaining. But don't fret, in addition to free online learning programs launched by companies like Varsity Tutors, there are plenty of ways to keep the kiddos entertained—and learning—in the digital age. Bonus: These options are St. Louis centric.
Take a virtual trip to the Zoo: Did you know Google's Street View team toured our Saint Louis Zoo in 2016? Challenge your kids to navigate the zoo's paths from Google Maps street view and see how many animals you can find! We did a quick tour and found Raja, a hippo, and several penguins. Can you find more?
Build your own Gateway Arch: Did you know the Gateway Arch is a giant mathematical equation? Inspire your future engineers by learning how the Arch was designed at How Stuff Works, then try your hand at building your own model. Making Math Visible has a catenary arch classroom experiment you can build at home with a few sheets of cardstock and some precision cutting. The tabletop model is similar to the foam Arch blocks at the Science Center—sticking together with the power of gravity.
Make a Sloth Pal: Coconut the Sloth made a big splash with kids during her debut at the St. Louis Aquarium. She returned to record a virtual breakfast outing with the kids and has released a Sloth Quiz and papercraft.
Go on a scavenger hunt: Entertain the kids with a St. Louis style scavenger hunt they can complete without leaving the house. Kids are challenged to find hometown symbols in everyday objects with this printable scavenger hunt. Can you find a cardinal in the toy box? Or a Gateway Arch on your bookshelf?
Be a mad scientist for a day: Can't get to your favorite Magic House STEAM lab? Bring the experiments home with the help of KiwiCo. You don't need to be a subscriber to access their Kiwi Co At Home Resources, which is being updated daily with experiments for kids from preschool to middle school. Kids can learn about rainbow refraction, make invisible ink, build a rubber band race car and make ping pong glow lights. Most experiments use common household ingredients. They also have useful teaching tips for parents who suddenly need to home school.
Challenge them with Show Me Missouri worksheets: Education.com has free worksheets about St. Louis and Missouri, including coloring pages, word searches and geography lessons. Most of the free worksheets are for kids from 1st to 5th grade and covers topics from fine arts to science. You do not need to subscribe to access their free printable worksheets.
Have an artsy afternoon: Many local businesses are offering curbside pickup, including Webster Grove's YuCanDu art studio. Browse their take-home art kits online then call 314-963-4400 to place an order, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Kits include paintable paper mache animals, a mosaic Blue Note, a fairy garden and several drawing kits. Kits start at $23 and include everything you need to complete the project.
Bake a St. Louis treat: Teach your kids how to bake a St. Louis original with local blogger Cheryl Sousan's Gooey Butter Cake recipe at TidyMom.net. This is the simple recipe your grandma makes, using a box of yellow cake mix and a whole stick of butter.
