Spring break is over, and online school has started, but family fun should never take a vacation. Here are some virtual ways to keep the kids active and entertained from the confines of the home.
Published: April 1, 2020
By: Shannon Pease-Severance
THIS WEEK’S FEATURED LIVE BROADCASTS
Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade
Facilities might be closed, but the fun doesn’t stop at the Boys & Girls Clubs. Youth members can participate in virtual after-school activities, including storytime, STEM, arts and crafts, physical fitness, yoga, homework assistance, mentoring and more via Zoom. Online schedules vary by club and age group. Visit http://www.bgcmia.org
Florida Children’s Theatre
The nonprofit organization invites the public to participate in Social at a Distance programs via Zoom and Facebook. Some are free, while others require a small fee to stream. April features an Alumni Panel and an FLCT Benefit Concert. Visit http://www.flct.org for a list of programs.
JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store
Head to any tabletop in your home to create some crafts with the family. Follow @JoAnn on Facebook or Instagram for live tutorials at 10 a.m. weekdays. To design something for yourself, tune in at 7 p.m. for a Crafts for Grown-Ups session.
John Wai Martial Arts
The Plantation studio is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus, but daily classes for kids and adults are in session via virtual broadcast. In addition to providing interactive martial arts lessons, instructors also gently remind kids to keep up with their daily chores and maintain good habits while at home. Join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/johnwaicommunity for access to free, virtual classes.
Kennedy Space Center
For fun that’s out of this world, check out one of the Kennedy Space Center’s sessions. The fun and educational workshops, about rockets, space exploration and more, are aired on Facebook Live @KennedySpaceCenterVisitorComplex every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m.
Miami Children’s Museum
“Museum at Home” delivers hands-on art projects straight to your computer. Visit @miami.childrens.museum on Facebook for artist-inspired projects for kids, like Georgia O’Keeffe flowers and Yayoi Kusama contemporary art.
Michaels
A creative twist to crafting, Michaels craft store presents a live, family activity every Wednesday at noon. Tune in to http://www.facbook.com/michaels to join the fun.
South Florida Science Center and Aquarium
The Science Center is taking its mission virtual. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SFScienceCenter for Facebook Live aquarium programs every Friday at 12 p.m., Live science lessons every Friday at 3 p.m.,
Virtual Science Shorts and DIY@Home science experiments every Thursday at 2 p.m., Future Scientist Storytime every Tuesday at 9 a.m., and weekly virtual exhibit tours. Learn more at http://www.sfsciencecenter.org/virtual.
JUST FOR PARENTS
Autism Society
The Autism Society provides a weekly Facebook Live Coronavirus Information Series on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. dedicated to providing information to the autism community. Broadcasts include an expert discussion on topics including mental health, federal emergency funding and financial planning. Go to @AutismSociety on Facebook.
ONLINE PROGRAMS, PRE-RECORDED TOURS AND MORE
Bonnet House Museum & Gardens
The historic home and museum celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Take a virtual stroll through the museum and grounds of the Fort Lauderdale Beach estate, built in 1920, while viewing elements of art, architecture, history and ecology. The four-part virtual tour can be viewed at http://www.bonnethouse.org/a-virtual-and-vintage-tour-of-bonnet-house/.
Broward County Library
Peruse books, music and more through the library system’s online portal. Through a variety of streaming services, the library connects library cardholders with ebooks and audiobooks, music, movies, TV shows, courses and more. Visit http://www.broward.org/library to learn more.
Flamingo Gardens
Flamingo Gardens encourages you to explore the outdoors while stuck indoors. Flamingo Gardens posts videos and shares fun projects each day about plants and animals. The program is designed for younger kids and covers topics from A to Z starting with “A is for the Annatto Bush and Alligators.” The series can be found on YouTube and @flamingogardens on Facebook and Instagram.
Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami
MOCA North Miami continues its educational Fun Friday programming for kids by posting art projects with step-by-step instructions on Facebook at @MOCANoMi. Kids can learn how to make their own sheet of paper and more. Online guests are also invited to tour the museum’s collections virtually by visiting https://mocanomi.org/category/moca-from-home/.
ONGOING LIVE BROADCASTS
Boca Raton Museum of Art
Being inspired and creative has not been canceled. The new, free Keep Kids Smart with ART program for all provides online art lessons, tips, and activities for artists to express their creativity at home. Follow @BocaMuseum on Facebook and Instagram or visit http://www.bocamuseum.org.
Jungle Island
Children ages 5-12 can learn about animals, nature and the Everglades through free, daily, online lessons offered by Jungle Island. Visit the park’s Facebook or Instagram pages @jungleisland weekdays at 11 a.m. for fun-filled daily programming that includes Everglades Exploration, Spread Your Wings, Primate Practices and more. Kids can win prizes with homework assignments from the videos, which are posted at http://www.jungleisland.com/education/homeschool/.
Museum of Discovery and Science
Kids can keep up with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics via the museum’s free virtual learning videos, available weekdays through the museum’s e-news emails and social media channels. The STEM videos range from reading and hands-on activities to science and animal demonstrations. Visit http://www.mods.org and click “Sign up for e-News” to sign up for the email or follow them @MODSFTL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to join the fun.
Nature Postings
Tune in to Nature Postings’ YouTube channel for nature-based Fun Fact Friday videos that include online visuals such as animal interactions, cool critters, tours and more. Visit http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0HlVXwrM9eXwE4zZVnIIhQ.
Pérez Art Museum Miami
PAMM brings the museum to you, with at-home art-making activities, guided online museum tours, artist tasks and more. Visit http://www.pamm.org or @PerezArtMuseumMiami on Facebook.
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
Explore Frost’s Science@Home digital learning platform at http://www.frostscience.org/athome for DIY science, at-home science activities, step-by-step videos and more that you can try with your family at home. Follow @FrostScience on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for regular updates and behind-the-scenes content and tag #FrostScienceAtHome.
Planet Fitness
You might not be able to work out at the gym, but you can “work in” at home. Planet Fitness offers daily classes taught by instructors and special guests via Facebook live stream every day at 7 p.m. The free classes are open to all – no membership or equipment needed. Visit http://www.facebook.com/planetfitness.
Stranahan House
The historic home in downtown Fort Lauderdale is offering free storytimes, virtual museum tours and history show-and-tells via Facebook Live at 11 a.m. weekdays.
Tinkergarten
Gather your little ones for Tuesdays with Tinkergarten activities streaming live on Facebook at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays. You can join remotely for a 20-minute fun-filled class designed to keep kids active and engaged. Visit http://www.facebook.com/Tinkergarten.
Young At Art Museum
The YAA at Home program helps provide art relief for all and keep children artistically engaged with virtual tours of the museum’s interactive art galleries, downloadable art activities and creative prompts from special guest artists. The art activities are designed with common art supplies and recycled materials, and participants can win prizes. Follow @YoungAtArtMuseum on Instagram and Facebook or visit http://www.youngatartmuseum.org/yaaathome.php.