At the Eastern Lancaster County Library, we aim to provide resources and tools for life-long learners. We have compiled a list of things to do, learn, and enjoy while you are at home.

All Ages

Common Sense Media for Families– Common Sense Media created resources geared towards families for at-home learning.

Scholastic Learn at Home– Scholastic has provided day-to-day projects for Prek-9th Grade.

Project Gutenburg– Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world’s great literature here, with a focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired.

CK-12– CK-12 aims to provide open-source content and technology tools to help teachers and students learn and teach in their own way.

Kahn Academy– Kahn Academy has free courses, lessons, and activities for PreK-High School.

Julia Child on PBS– Julia Child on PBS via the free Julia Child Video Collection consists of full-length episodes of select Julia Child programming (including some early The French Chef episodes) as well as shorter interviews, behind-the-scenes clips and other snippets.

Google Arts & Culture– Virtually explore a new museum!

WITF/PBS Learning Media– WITF and PBS have curated FREE, curriculum-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more for teachers and parents like you. You can also access their student portal for activities and information for students in grades Pre K-12

Smithsonian Space and Air Museum– Bring the wonder of Air and Space to life through videos, hands-on activities, games, and more. Our learning resources bring the National Air and Space Museum’s one-of-a-kind collections and world-class research to you, anywhere and anytime.

Museum of Modern Art– Immerse yourself in ideas and see your world in new ways through art. In MoMA’s free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on Coursera, you will hear directly from artists and designers, look closely at works in our collection and exhibitions, and join a community of learners unlike any other.

PennState Extension– Penn State Extension is a modern educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities. They are offering over 50 online courses.

Become a Citizen Archivist– Ready to start tagging and transcribing? The National Archive curated these topical missions to help you jump in and contribute!

Home Learning for Kids with DK Books– Are you a homeschooling guardian or an educator teaching remotely? Do you need additional resources for your children or students? Let DK help take some of the pressure off with our fantastic range of downloadable content that makes learning fun.

The Lancaster Science Factory– The Lancaster Science Factory knows that parents need educational resources to help keep their kids engaged in STEM learning while they’re at home.

BreakEDU Fun at Home– BreakoutEDU has provided educational games for children to play at home.

Early Literacy (0-5-year-olds)

Sesame Street in Communities– Sesame Street in Communities builds on our almost 50-year commitment to addressing kids’ developmental, physical, and emotional needs. Our time-tested research model and thorough testing with families and providers ensure that these resources have a measurable impact in the lives of parents and children.

Parents.com– Parents.com want to help parents and caregivers raise happy, healthy kids – and have some A LOT of fun along the way. There are activities and information for toddlers and preschoolers and their caregivers.

Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children– Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children, known as PA’s Promise, is a campaign to help families make good choices about their child’s early learning and choose quality early learning programs that are right for their family. The link will take you to activities to do with your child.

Zero to Three– ZERO TO THREE works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development. There is information for both educators and parents.

Talking is Teaching– “Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing” is a public awareness and action campaign that helps parents recognize their power to boost their children’s early brain and vocabulary development through simple, everyday actions.

PBS Kids– With a 360-degree approach towards learning and reaching children, PBS KIDS leverages the full spectrum of media and technology to build knowledge, critical thinking, imagination, and curiosity.

Reading Rainbow with Mychal the Librarian– Explore the magic of reading with Mychal the Librarian, or watch classic episodes of this landmark educational program promoting literacy in children.

Elementary Age

Crash Course– Started out with Hank and John Green teaching biology and literature and turned into so much! Use Crash Course to learn about new topics, help understand tough topics, and as a teaching resource.

Radiolab for Kids– Radiolab, one of the most beloved podcasts in the world, reaches into its archives to create Radiolab for Kids. It’s a place where they’ve collected Radiolab’s most family-friendly content.

National Geographic Kids– National Geographic has created videos and games for kids about animals, countries and more.

STEM from the START– STEM from the START (SFTS) is designed for PreK-2 learners. Produced by New Hampshire PBS & Learniverse Educational Media, SFTS uses the power of educational video to help lay the groundwork for STEM subjects by engaging children in learning that is fun, engaging and long-lasting.

Classics for Kids– Classics for Kids information, games, and music about classical composers and their music. It is designed to help introduce your child to classical music.

Girls Who Code– Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology and to change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. They have provided coding activities for at-home learning.

Code.org– Code.org is a nonprofit dedicated to the vision that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science (CS) as part of their core K-12 education.

Bill Nye Home Videos– BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! Try out some experiments led by Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

Stay Home with Candlewick– Candlewick Press provides activities, videos, and more for at home learning.

Boodle Learning– Boodle Learning is a math resource for Grades 1-6. They are offering their resources for free to parents and teachers during the pandemic.

Middle School/High School

#GoodforMEdia– GoodforMEdia is a youth-led peer mentoring and education program. An initiative from the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, GoodforMEdia advocates for helping youth practice healthier ways of engaging with media and technology.

#GoodforMEdia Teens Guide to AI– This guide provides background on common AI technologies youth might encounter online and offers practical ways to engage with them responsibly, creatively, and in ways that support mental health.

Deutsch- waurm nicht?– The language course “Deutsch – warum nicht?” teaches you German through different series that consists of 26 lessons with dialogs, exercises and downloadable audio clips.

Free Harvard Online Classes– Get a world-class education from home with free online courses from Harvard University.

Bob Ross Videos– Follow along with Bob Ross and create something new!

Bill Nye Home Videos– BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! Try out some experiments led by Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

TED Talks– TED is a non-profit that believes powerful ideas, powerfully presented, move us: to feel something, to think differently, to take action. They offer free presentations by experts on topics from activism and biology, to virtual reality and urban planning.