Weekly COVID Message from RAR

September   1, 2020 
September   8, 2020 
September 15, 2020
September 22, 2020 

Archives 

Resources for Families

E-Books for Children

  • ALSC Blog: A list of free children’s eBooks
  • Storyline Online: Video streams featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations.
  • Barnes and Noble: Free children’s eBooks for the NOOK
  • Amazon: Free eBooks for all ages of children
  • MagicBlox: Free and appropriate for all ages of children
  • Unite for Literacy: Digital books that provide audio narrations in more than 40 languages
  • NC Kids Digital Library: Free access with your Charlotte Mecklenburg Library card
  • CoviBook: An invitation for families to discuss the full range of emotions arising from the current situation.
  • Story Time From Space: Books read by astronauts on space stations

Online Storytimes 

Learning Websites & Activities

  • Reading Rockets: reading guides and resources to improve children’s reading
  • Scholastic Learn at Home: Projects to keep kids reading, thinking and growing
  • Read Charlotte-Home Reading Helper: Resource and information to help grow your child’s reading skills
  • Google Earth: Zoom in to anywhere in the world! Children will love seeing different places across the globe
  • PBS Education: Lots of fun, educational games with children’s favorite characters
  • Explore.org: Live streams of various animal habitats, which children love watching
  • YMCA-Boulder, Co: Resources for art projects, learning, and music & dance
  • Kids Activities: A list of education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings
  • NASA Kids Club: Space and engineering site for children
  • Boston Children’s Museum: A curriculum and activity resources focused on STEM and hands-on learning
  • The Kennedy Center Education: Curated collection provides educators and parents with ideas and strategies for addressing the needs of students who need to study and learn online.
  • Lerner: Helping students with remote access and online learning
  • Atlanta Speech School Cox Campus: Your child can continue to learn and grow while school is closed with a “live” preschool that is a safe destination for free learning experiences and lessons for you and your preschool-aged child
  • Rosetta Stone: The offer includes a 3-month, no-cost Rosetta Stone for students subscription for new users
  • STEM Next: Quality STEM programming for all youth
  • Varsity Tutors: Learning platform with numerous free resources to help students and parents cope with school and summer camp closures.

Apps

  • Khan Academy Kids: Fun educational learning and discovery for children ages two to seven
  • Vroom: Everyday learning activities and tips appropriate for all ages
  • Common Sense Media: Apps range from skills essential to life and  in the 21st century, to traditional academic subjects
  • ScratchJr: A perfect, playful way to learn to code
  • Shadow Puppet Edu: A fun way for school-age children to create presentations  
  • Stop Motion Studio: A great app for helping school-age children to make movies
  • ChatterPix Kids: Children can create cards with voice messages to send to their families and friends
  • Geoboard: Good learning math and having fun creating shapes
  • Special Needs Students: Apps for Special Needs Students compiled by National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement
  • Barefoot World Atlas:An educational app that gives children an interactive look at animals, indigenous people, and other topics of interest around the world.

ELL Resources 

  • RAR Aspen to Parachute: host Virtual Story Time via Facebook Live twice a week. Join the Spanish Story Time every Wednesday at 11am.
  • Parent Service Project: Offers information and activities including Little Red Reading Hood story times in Spanish on Tuesdays and Thursdays, literacy activities on Mondays and virtual play group on Fridays
  • ¡Colorín Colorado!: Offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs)
  • Common Sense Media Latino: Family engagement resources with articles, videos, and ready-made presentations in Spanish​
  • Jbary: A list of Bilingual Storytime Resources including videos, webinars, books and other websites/blogs on the subject
  • StoryPlace: Provides children with the virtual experience of going to the Library and participating in the same types of activities the Library offers at its physical locations.
  • Abriendo Puertas: Expansive list of resources in Spanish

Crisis Support

Partner Resources 

Social Media 

  • Pete the Cat:Join Instagram Live each day at 12pm ET @Petethecatofficial for a reading and drawing tutorial with Pete the Cat creator, James Dean
  • Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden: Connect on Facebook to follow the zookeepers each day at 3pm ET where they will highlight one amazing animal and include a home (or class) activity.  If you do not have social media these “home safari” videos will be posted on their website and YouTube.
  • Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems: Follow on Facebook each day at 1pm ET. Mo invites us in to his studio, grab some paper an pencils and learn, draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing.
  • RAR Aspen to Parachute will host Virtual Story Time via Facebook Live twice a week. Join the English Story Time every Tuesday at 11am and Spanish Story Time every Wednesday at 11am.
  • Search the hashtag #OperationStoryTime on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to find authors, illustrators and others sharing story time with children
  • Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta: Enjoy puppet shows, puppet presentations, and workshops all from the safety and comfort of home.
  • Parent Services Project: Information and activities including Little Red Reading Hood story times in Spanish on Tuesdays and Thursdays, literacy activities on Mondays and virtual play group on Fridays.
  • Fernbank Museum At Home: Take part in Atlanta’s field trip Fridays virtual event on social media starting at 10am EST each week.

COVID Tool Kit

Coronavirus: A Book for Children
Coronavirus Coloring and Activity Book
Disinfecting Materials Flyer 
Funding Resources
Grant Template Language
How to Create Videos
Inventory Spreadsheet
Publisher Permissions 
Parent Family Resources
Read Aloud techniques
(courtesy of Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County)
Recording Read Aloud Tips
 (courtesy of San Luis Obispo County Office of Education)
Red Bag Safe Keeping Flyer
Resource Library 
RAR’s Youtube Page
Safe Reading Routines Flyer (English/Spanish)
(courtesy of Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County)
Socially Distanced Library Connection
Surveys

TOWN HALL MEETINGS

This is a forum for RAR and Affiliates to share resources, ask questions and network-remember, we’re in this together!  Meetings take place on Friday’s at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST. Click here to register!

Recorded Meetings

If you missed one of our meetings, please click here to catch up.

Professional Development & E- Learning

The Campaign for Grade Level Reading 
Learning Tuesdays | 3:00 PM ET

 AG Collaborative-Mindful Allyship: A Conversation on Racial Healing with Tovi Scruggs-Hussein: Workshop Recording 

Cox Campus- Free 4 week Experience for Families