ONGOING
Arizona Broadway Theatre
Storytime Saturdays with ABT’s Mary Poppins is a 30-minute storytime led by ABT alum Renee Koher. Renee played Mary Poppins in ABT’s 2018 production of Disney’s Mary Poppins. All-new storytime series to air weekly on Saturdays at 10 am MST on the theatre’s Facebook page.
Childsplay
We’re excited to announce the launch of online theatre classes with Childsplay Academy. Every class is taught by professional theatre artists with engaging, participatory and dynamic online drama instruction. Join us as we imagine together. For more information or questions about Childsplay Academy classes, please contact Katie Brantley at kbrantley@childsplayaz.org.
Common Sense Media
Families and teachers everywhere trust Common Sense for expert reviews, objective advice, helpful tools, and so much more.
Disney Bedtime Hotline
Parents and kids can call the hotline at 1-877-7-MICKEY (1-877-764-2539) to hear a short message from Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, or Goofy. The hotline will be running through midnight on April 30. Disney has also put together some downloadable sleep activities on its website, www.shopDisney.com/BedtimeHotline.
East Valley JCC
Fun at Home features content from their Early Childhood Learning Center teachers and other resources.
Free Educational Websites
With a lot of schools shut down for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus outbreak, many parents are finding themselves at home trying to juggle their jobs with raising their kids, which for now includes providing education as well. Popsugar has come up with a list of 31 sites to help you out. popsugar.com
IAC – Israeli American Council
IAC Keshet’s mission is to strengthen the Jewish identity and connection to Israel for children ages 1-12, as well as their parents. Learn more.
IAC Eitanim is a cutting-edge experience that connects middle and high school students to Israel and their Jewish identity through innovation and entrepreneurship. Learn more.
JCC Live
Join live programming and events at JCCs across North America. jcclive.com
Martin Pear JCC
Featuring J at Home with videos and resources on topics from art to sports for the whole family. vosjcc.org
Nigri International Jewish Online School
Five schools under one (virtual) roof offering Bar Mitzvah Lessons Online, Hebrew school online, Jewish Learning online, Jewish education online and Jewish Day school Online. Now accepting short-term registration. nigrijewishonlineschool.com
#OperationStoryTime – Authors host storytime online
If there is a silver lining to COVID-19 closings, it’s that our favorite children’s book authors are now doing virtual storytimes!
Mo Willems — in conjunction with The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts — is offering a daily Lunch Doodle from 1 PM – 1:20 PM through March 27. Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together.
Author Mac Barnett is also reading a different book every day at 3 PM ET via Instagram Live.
Other authors are grabbing their favorite books and phone and are recording themselves reading — thanks to a new online series organized by Romper. Search the hashtag #OperationStoryTime on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to find a beloved author or discover a new one! Here are some of our favorites:
- Jan Brett reads “Cozy“
- Susie Jaramillo reads “Little Sunny Sunshine” from the Cantico Series (in English and Spanish)
- Sophie Blackall reads Ivy & Bean
- Anica Mrose Rissi reads “Love, Sophia on the Moon“
- Steven Weinberg reads part of “AstroNuts“
- Shawn Harris reads “Everyone’s Awake“
- Molly Idle reads “Pearl“
- Ame Dyckman reads “You Don’t Want A Unicorn!” (She’s dressed as a unicorn, btw…)
- Eva Chen reads “Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes“
- Karen Romano Young reads a chapter of “A Girl, a Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon“
Pardes Jewish Day School
Pardes@Home features videos and daily activities for the community. pardesschool.org
PJ Library
Plenty of ideas and activities to keep the kids busy and have fun at home. pjlibrary.org
For guidance in talking with your children about quarantines and pandemics, visit our page on How to Talk to Your Kids About Scary Situations.
Tucson JCC
A project created by the Tucson J to keep our community connected through a virtual community online platform. Visit the Virtual J Community at tucsonjcc.org/virtual-community to find activities to do with children, Jewish texts and resources, Early Childhood Education tools, recipes, online workouts and more.
Virtual Pop-Up Camp. A community of motivated Jewish camp professionals representing more than a dozen California Jewish overnight summer camps are offering programming for six hours per day, Monday-Friday via Facebook Live.
