Commonwealth-Parkville School | Virtual Resources PKS

Patricia Clare Library

Fun and Active Resources for Elementary School Students

Preschool and Lower Elementary
(some are great for Upper Elementary students as well)

By Cindy Jiménez, Librarian

5-Day Reading Challenge for the whole family

Day 1- Graphic novel.

Here are free great choices:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/free-ebooks/fiction-literature-kids/comic-books-graphic-novels-kids-fiction/_/N-ry0Zty6

Day 2-Audiobook.

Download free children’s audiobooks at audible:

https://www.audible.com/ep/kids-audiobooks

Day 3-Non-fiction book.

Choose your grade level: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

Day 4- Picture book.

Here are free great choices from all over the world:

http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

Day 5- A book of your choice.

Here are some free great choices:

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-Childrens-eBooks/zgbs/digital-text/155009011/ref=zg_bs/139-0654564-6056843?_encoding=UTF8&tf=1

Feel free to use books from home!!!

Film a Book

Dominoes with the books read during the Reading Challenge and with books from home.

Here is how:

http://www.wcl.govt.nz/blogs/kids/index.php/2020/03/28/family-lockdown-challenge-book-dominoes/

Build a Blanket Fort Together as a Reading Nook for the Family

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

Our beloved author and illustrator of all the pigeon books, Elephant and Piggy books, and Knuffle Bunny books, among other great contemporary classics, teaches kids all over the world how to doodle every day in his YouTube channel. All cool lessons are recorded so that you can see them anytime. Our students ADORE Mo Willems books! Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL14hRqd0PELGbKihHuTqx_pbvCLqGbOkF

Build an Obstacle Course

Set up a mini indoor obstacle course using kid-safe objects — think tunnels made of moving boxes and climbing walls from old stacked pillows. Kids of all ages and sizes will enjoy making the course, changing it around, and trying to navigate it in the fastest time. One way to enhance this family fun is to let the little ones map out the course and obstacles with you!

Paint with Flowers

If your kids like art projects but are a little bored with drawing and coloring, try something new and definitely appropriate for spring: flower painting. All you need are a few flowers or leaves from the garden, some kid-friendly paints, and paper. Use the flowers or leaves as paintbrushes: The variety of shapes and sizes will create unusual and interesting designs.

Create a Photo Diary

You’ve already had a reading challenge, book dominos, and an obstacle course. This family fun should be documented with photos. You can also ask your kids to create a photo diary of their day using a digital camera phone and the computer with your help. This creative exercise is a good way to talk about photography, photojournalism, and how they spent their time! You can even make it a contest for the whole family with the winner receiving a prize.

Playschool

You probably think most kids won’t enjoy anything resembling schoolwork on a day off. But school is actually a comfortable and familiar routine for most children, and they will jump at the chance to play school when THEY can be the teacher. Have the children in your family take turns teaching everyone else something they know or have learned. Give the “teacher” your full attention — no talking over them or asking questions unless you raise your hand and are called on! This is a fun, educational activity and don’t be surprised if your kids ask to play it again the next time there’s a day off.

Mindful Games Involving the Senses (SEL integration)

Here are some quick, simple, mindful games you can get your children involved in, without much preparation time and hassle:

Touch: Put a bunch of mystery items in a paper bag and take turns feeling one object at a time and guess what it is as you describe the texture and shape.

Sight: Look around the room in silence for one minute and point out all of the things you never noticed before.

Sound: Set a timer for one minute and count how many different sounds you can hear with your eyes closed, and then share what you heard with each other.