With schools and our own facilities now closed, the Library has compiled a list of reputable, useful and fun resources to keep your young ones engaged and learning. Keep checking as we plan to add more links, some exciting videos featuring our friendly library storytellers and ideas for keeping our community connected.
Children’s Programs
Ongoing Children's Programs
While our storytellers wait impatiently to see you again, we’ve checked out a few great online alternatives. Follow these links for read-along picture books for parents and children to enjoy together:
StoryTime with Haldimand County Public Library staff
The Internet has thousands of sites with amazing ideas for keeping your children occupied and learning. We want to highlight seven sites that we found particularly fun and engaging:
Virtual School Day Over 100 free live K-12 classes all day long, brought to you by Varsity Tutors.
Virtual Summer Camps Free half-day summer camps with enrichment-based classes in subjects like foreign language, chess, theatre, coding, and even Minecraft! Offered by Varsity Tutors.
Curio : (Educational programs, documentaries, audio and archival material from the CBC)
Virtual Museum Tours (includes many Canadian Museums you can tour from home!)
New links just added!
Turn your unexpected free time into a creative masterpiece! Use your imagination to build something unique out of LEGO and showcase it by taking a picture and posting it on the Library’s Facebook page. Everyone who enters our LEGO Challenge will be entered in a draw for a great prize, drawn when the Library reopens.
Grab your LEGO, get building, and post your pic!!
Looking for some innovative, one-of-a-kind craft ideas using things you already have around the house? Make the most of old tin cans, cardboard boxes, paper and glue:
Put your crayons to the test and take advantage of this time-tested activity. One, Two, Green!
Art Connects Us! Calling all Haldimand County artists: showcase your stay-at-home creations and let your expressions have a positive impact on our community! Art engages us, moves us, and helps bring us together.
Gallery Submission Description: Submit a picture of a piece of your artwork that you have made since March 13, 2020. The artwork can be of any kind, in any format: paintings, sculptures, mosaics, needlecraft, photography, drawings, … or even mashed potatoes! Let your creative juices flow and be expressive!
eBooks
Find hundreds of children’s ebook titles on OverDrive and Axis360, the Library’s ebook lending services. OverDrive also offers many digital audiobooks for children and teens.
ABDO Digital has also made its inventory of hundreds of children’s and young adult ebooks and interactive titles available for free during this period. Explore picture books, graphic novels, non-fiction reference books and so much more.
ABDO Online Digital Library, Grades Pre-K to 8
ABDO Online Digital Library, Grades 5 to 12
AudioBooks
Amazon Audible is providing free access during this time to digital audiobooks for children.
OverDrive Audiobooks aren’t just for adults – there are hundreds of children’s titles available too!
Music Downloads and Streaming
Freegal offers thousands of song tracks by you child’s favourite artists, all available for free downloading or streaming.
Math Can Be Fun. Really. We mean it!
Tumble Math activities make a game of numbers and are educational at the same time.
- If you don’t yet have a library card number, simply complete the online email request form at the bottom of our Databases page, providing us with your full name and home mailing address, and we will issue you a card right away so you can get started.
Don’t lose your chord! We know our talented and devoted ukulele club members are going to miss our sessions. But we’ve found some online resources to help you keep your skills fresh and even learn new ones:
Explaining what’s going on in the world right now to a young child can be challenging. We’ve found some excellent videos from reputable sources to help you out:
You may already be seeing signs of worry, anxiety or stress in your child during these times. The resources below will help you alleviate some of this, both for your child and for you as well:
Our visit from local author Allen Kitchen, originally scheduled for April 25 at the Caledonia Branch, has been postponed until further notice.
Our Amateur Radio program, originally scheduled for April 23 at the Jarvis Branch, has been postponed until further notice.