At home with kids? It can be a challenge keeping them entertained when they’re separated from friends and school is held at home. But local restaurants, organizations and more are aiming to help. Sometimes a meal switch-up or a new activity can be just the thing to brighten the whole family’s day. Here are some Berks-based (and beyond) ideas to consider…
Animal lover? If your child loves animals, consider visiting zoo pages on Facebook. Many of them are doing educational lessons with the animal residents in fun real-time videos that you can watch live or on playback. A few favorites of our editor, Nikki, are:
Austin’s Restaurant & Bar is offering Kids Eat Free on Sundays. Enjoy one free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entrée. Take-out only. Check out their website here.
BCTV has you covered with a Kids Corner with activities including activities aimed at a wide age-range in Language Arts, Math, Science, Technology, Social Studies, General Education, Physical Education, the Arts, Mindfulness and more, here:
Berks County Living offers an abundance of boards and topics on our Pinterest page, including some great ones for kids. Check out the below links!
Berks County Quarantine Open Mic hosts a Children’s Hour daily from 2-3pm on its popular Facebook page. Each slot is 15 minutes. Feel free to sign up to participate or just enjoy watching here.
Berks Nature is helping to keep you entertained with virtual environmental education events available to view on their YouTube channel. They also host Virtual Preschool Classes daily at 10am on their Facebook Page.
Biography Essay: Create a list of historical figures; write one name each on a slip of paper and put into an envelope. Have your child pick a slip of paper and create an essay about that person. You can create a variation of this idea for any age group and topic.
Crayola has plenty of create & learn art opportunities to enjoy at home on its website. You can also sign up for the company’s weekly newsletter offering bonus ideas.
Creative Spirit Painting is offering online painting classes via its Facebook page. If you need a canvas and paint supplies, owner Bernadette Bresnahan will put them together for you to pick up. The cost is minimal and she is available for a virtual paint party if you have a group who would like to paint together virtually.
Fightin Phils, your hometown minor league baseball team, has a wide variety of activities for children to enjoy, including trading card coloring pages, word searches, crossword puzzles, math problems, design a baseball and more! They have also posted online pitching lessons from 2019 pitcher Jeff Singer. Check it out on their website or on their Facebook page
Firefly Bookstore in Kutztown is shipping of books free in Berks County, or pickup at the store by appointment. Games and puzzles are available for $5.
Go Fishing! On a nice day, get out and enjoy it with some fishing (all while social distancing, of course). Think Blue Marsh and the like and enjoy some fresh air. Pack a lunch and you’re set. Keep up-to-date here.
Gourmand Café is selling a cupcake/cookie kit, and even has one with a Mommy & Me theme for Mother’s Day. The kit includes six fresh-baked, delicious cupcakes and six @doughheadcookies incredible cookies, four bags of homemade buttercream and two containers of pastel sprinkles. Kits are $25. Gourmand will be taking preorders and the kits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The demand was high the first round and they sold out quickly, so don’t wait! Kits will be available for pick-up the week before and week of Mother’s Day. Send a private message via their Facebook page to reserve yours. They will respond that they have received your order, if it is still available.
Berks County native Wendy Sullivan teaches an #ImKinderThanThat class at 1:30pm every day via Zoom Monday-Friday from her current residence in California. It is a 45-minute mindfulness/kindness class. All kids are welcome. Lessons are geared for kids K-grade 8. Parents: the classes give you an opportunity to enjoy a few minutes to yourself while your kids have some fun. Check out the class on Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/196622206; Password: 402073.
Nature Journal: Each day, ask your child to go outside and write down or draw five things he or she finds in nature. If it is raining, have them look outside of different windows and locate various items.
Pennsylvania Americana Region has also created a Kid’s Korner including activities like word searches, color-by-number print-outs, connect-the-dots and more. Each week a new activity pack is revealed.
Follow Pete the Cat on Instagram. The author offers various activities, including a live story time where he reads one of his books. He also offers art classes where he demonstrates how to draw the different book characters. Geared for ages 0-6.
Reading.macaronikid.com has many activities on its website that are perfect for kids, including a list of online events for that day, and numerous articles with ideas for kids. Activities can also be viewed by age group.
Connect with the Reading Public Museum to enjoy free online star shows each Wednesday. The Neag Planetarium at the Reading Public Museum and Spitz, Inc. release a full-length Star Show and education guide (when available). Links to resources can be found on the RPM Facebook page posted each Wednesday or the RPM website.
The Museum is also working to bring the RPM Collection to your devices during shutdown. Visit on Facebook and on Instagram for highlights from the collection and special exhibitions, as well as word searches, online puzzles and games to keep you connected to the art inside the galleries.
Hands-On Learning on the Go! Grab-and-Go S.T.E.M. Kits and at-home projects are available each Friday. The team at The Museum is working each week to create a new project to safely pick up at The Museum and take home, complete with supplies and great learning tools! Keep an eye out on the RPM Facebook page for updates on the Friday events.
Birthday Parties To-Go: Celebrating birthdays at The Museum is always a big hit! Don’t miss out on your family celebrations because The Museum’s doors are closed. The Museum has partnered with Tompkins VIST Bank and The Original Mama’s Pizza and Grill to bring crafts, gifts and dinner to your home. To order, contact Stephanie at Stephanie.shaak@readingpublicmuseum.org.
Scouts - If your Scout is looking to earn a new badge or patch, either as a troop or individually, reach out to Wendy for more info at Wendy.koller@readingpublicmuseum.org
Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of things for your child to find either inside or outside. You can be as specific of general as you’d like. For example, inside: find a measuring cup, find something that is yellow, find something with pages, etc.; outside: find a red door, find two trucks, find a mailbox with numbers, etc. You’ll want to encourage they don’t stray too far from home and practice social distancing, of course.
Have young kids and want help with discussing Coronavirus? Sesame Street and CNN have you covered with a special town hall. Watch it on replay, here:
Snapology is offering online classes for kids from Pre-K through age 14. Price ranges and themes vary. There are free classes available. Snapology is also offering virtual birthday parties with different themes and pricing. Check it out here.
South Mountain YMCA Camps offers a season full of learning adventures from their mountain to your living room via their website. Join camp counselors, campers, directors and alumni as they “Keep the Fires of Friendship Burning” through online classes, stories, sing-a-longs, crafts and more. Bring the whole family and explore the wonders of camp from the safety of your desktop. Also, each day SMYMCA offers two camp classes at 10am and 4pm via its Facebook page. Visit each week to see the schedule.
Virtual Travel. Did your family miss out on a vacation or are you longing to explore other parts of the world? Do it virtually! Visit national parks here. You can also enjoy Disney fun here.
Do you have a kid’s resource to share and would like your information included in this listing? No problem! Just email us your offerings to RJones@BerksCountyLiving.com
