Online resources

Columbus Children’s Theater Shows Online

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Beginning next week, the Columbus Children’s Theater will post full performances of some of their touring shows, available for free on their website. The first show is The Three Little Pigs. More shows will be added on a regular basis, too. Check it out here!

Study guides are also available here for the posted shows, as well as for shows from the past few years.

The mission of the Columbus Children’s Theater (CCT) is “transforming families through the power of the stage. Through our programs, we foster self-esteem and self-discovery by emphasizing discipline, integrity, team-building, and communication skills in a positive and creative environment. We promote access to theatre arts for families who do not have regular opportunities to appreciate theatre in their lives because of either economic, cultural, or other barriers.”

Learning About Copyrights

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In this ever-changing, fast-paced information age, no student is too young to learn about fair use and copyright issues.

Everyone is a copyright user, to some extent, and everyone is a copyright owner, even children. The youngest students in kindergarten, up through the oldest in high school, can learn about what a copyright is, why it is important, and how to use copyrighted material correctly.

The Library of Congress has written all about copyright for kids here:

It includes information for kids of all ages, as well as links to more related information.

Here are a few additional sites with helpful information for children all about copyrights:

NASA Essay Contest for Grades 4-12

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NASA Glenn Research Center is celebrating 80 years! Located in Cleveland, the Glenn Research Center “designs and develops innovative technology to advance NASA’s missions in aeronautics and space exploration. It has world-class facilities including wind tunnels, drop towers, vacuum chambers, and a research aircraft hangar.”

To honor the Center’s 80 years, students in grades 4 – 12 are invited to join the celebration by learning about NASA Glenn’s missions and people, and then writing an essay explaining how they are inspired or how new space discoveries may change our lives in the future.

See the NASA Glenn site here for important dates and details!

Here are some other fun and informative NASA sites for kids and families:

Inauguration & Government Resources for Kids

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Inauguration Day has arrived! In celebration, we have created a list of a dozen kid-friendly, fun, and educational resources all about the presidency and the United States government. You will find resources for children of all ages, from pre-Kindergarten through grade 12.

Here is a link to check out some of our library’s children’s books and materials about the US presidency and presidents.

Here is a link to check out some of our library’s children’s books and materials about the US government.

Here are a dozen related websites:

If you would like help finding further information or books about Inauguration Day, the United States government, or any topic for kids and teens, please call our Children’s Library at 330.653.6658, ext 1020. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our New Education Resources Site!

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Check out our brand-new education resources website for students, teachers, and parents here!

This new online resource has loads of helpful websites and information, divided into age groups for birth-Pre-K, grades K-5, and middle & high school. Links include a variety of academic subjects, educational resources, literacy information, and learning-based game sites.

Also on this site, you will find:

  • Library links, including information on at-home library use and STEM kits
  • Local links for Hudson, Ohio
  • Featured resources, which include main sites such as tutor.com

Parents and teachers may also access our material request form. Here, you may request materials of all types and subjects, either specific titles or general topics. Our children’s librarians then will select books and materials based on your list and contact you for curbside or drive-through pickup.

For easy reference, this blog also has a link to the education resources site at the top of each page on the toolbar.

Storytimes from Space!

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In honor of our Space Weeks, we want to share a fun website called Story Time from Space.

Families can listen to storytimes from astronauts in space! In each segment, an astronaut will read a story while aboard his or her spacecraft up in space!

Featured stories include Endeavour’s Long Journey, The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home, Khalifa And Amal Go To Space, A Moon of My Own, Mousetronaut, and Rosie Revere, Engineer, to name just a few.

The site includes more than twenty stories to choose from, as well as several “Science Time” videos in which astronauts perform science experiments while in space.

Story Time from Space is a nonprofit educational program.

Coronavirus E-books for Children

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Whether children are getting ready to head back to school or to just go out more often in public, reminders about the coronavirus, how to stay safe, and how to express your emotions about it are very relevant.

The ever-changing, fluid nature of the coronavirus is challenging, and the life that we live right now is likely very different than what a child – or anyone – feels comfortable with.

While we have no books in print at this time that deal directly with the virus and its impact specifically, we have found many free coronavirus-related online children’s ebooks that are readily viewable, and some are even printable.

Here are stories to consider sharing with your child. Some are fiction, and others are nonfiction. Most are geared for preschool and elementary-aged children:

Bad Kitty: Wash Your Paws

Be a Coronavirus Fighter

The Big Alone

Captain Corona and the 19 COVID Warriors

Coronavirus, A Book for Children

Coronavirus Coloring Book

Coronavirus, The Traveling Virus

COVID-19 Activity Book

COVID-19 Helpers

COVID-19, What Can Kids Do?

Dave the Dog Is Worried About Coronavirus

Engaging Readers: What is Covid-19?

Family Guide to Covid: Questions & Answers for Parents, Grandparents & Children

First Aid for Feelings: A Workbook to Help Kids Cope During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The Germ That Wears a Crown

The Great Doggy Holiday

I Have a Question About Coronavirus

A Kid’s Guide to Coronavirus

King Covid and the Kids Who Cared, for ages 4-6

King Covid and the Kids Who Cared, for ages 7-9

Learn About Coronavirus and COVID-19

My Coronavirus Helping Box

My Hero Is You

Our Smallest Warriors, Our Strongest Medicine

P Is for Pandemic

Piggy and Bunny and the Stay-at-Home Plan

Piperpotamus Learns About the Coronavirus

The Princess in Black and the Case of the Coronavirus

Rainbows in Windows

The Spooky, Shallow Cough

Stay Clear, Stay Clean, Stay Kind

The Story of the Oyster and the Butterfly

Stuck Inside

There’s No Monster Outside, It’s a Virus

Tomorrow

Unstuck, 10 Things to Do to Stay Safe and Sane During the Pandemic

We Will Dance Under a Star

What Color Is Today?

What Is Coronavirus?

Where Did Everyone Go?

We hope that you find some of these e-books helpful for your family. If you would like resources specific to mask-wearing, see our previous post entitled “Kids & Masks: Helpful Online Resources.”

Kids & Masks: Helpful Online Resources

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With the school year fast approaching, and mandated masks a new way of life, parents are faced with the challenge of teaching their children how and when to wear a mask, and helping to make them feel comfortable and safe, as well. Learning about masks and practicing with them now will make it easier for your child to transition to wearing one at school.

A few basic strategies include finding a mask that your child wants to wear (maybe with a favorite character, print, or color), wearing your own mask comfortably and confidently while you’re around your child, and having your child get used to wearing a mask in your home while doing familiar or fun activities.

A very timely and relevant article we have found online is How to Help Kids Adjust to Masks Before School Starts. It covers 16 easy, practical, fun activities you can do with your child to practice mask-wearing.

This same site provides an article here with sensible ways to introduce your child to wearing a mask, and another article here that breaks down tips for mask-wearing by the child’s age.

University Hospitals has published an article entitled How to Help Your Child Get Used to Wearing a Mask. It explains that masks can be unsettling in a number of ways for children and suggests ideas for caregivers to ease that anxiety.

Here are a few more related sites, with videos and ebooks for kids, and articles for caregivers:

We hope that those resources will help you find some tips and ideas that work for your family.

When you are ready for your child to practice wearing a mask outside your home and to interact with others, consider a trip to the Hudson Library to choose a few books and chat with our friendly mask-wearing librarians!

Fun Educational Sites for Summer and Beyond

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As the school year winds down, parents and caregivers may be looking for resources to keep the kids engaged and learning throughout the summer, so that they beat the summer slide and are ready for classes in the Fall.

But since fun is the name of the game in the summer, will kids really want to feel like they’re still in school? Well, probably they will not, but never fear, because there are some great sites that are not only educational, but lots of fun, too!

Here is a list of ten free learning websites, with games and lots of entertaining and educational content for kids in the summer and all through the year. Check them out!