Bird Nest Sensory Bin
May 2021
It’s time to think like a bird as you create your own bird nest sensory bin! Birds use all sorts of items from nature to create a nest. See if you can find items, like a bird does, and bring them home to explore the textures and colors of nature and create your own nest.
Make your own cardboard sled
March 18, 2021
Let’s enjoy these last weeks of winter by playing in the snow with our very own cardboard sled. The beauty of making a sled out of cardboard is that it does not require any expensive materials or tools, yet the possibilities are endless.
Saturday Family Craft
January 11, 2021
Join Brittany, from Nevada County Library, for a demonstration on how to create a Saturday Family Craft that can be used to decorate your home. This is a self-guided activity that will allow families to create together.
7 Fun Ways to Play with Snow Inside
December 13, 2020
Kids love to play with snow but we can’t always be outside. So bring the snow inside! Try one of these fun activities for kids to play with snow indoors.
Corn on the cob painting
November 16, 2020
This great fall activity is fun for kids and adults. Plus, you only need a couple items, corn, paint, and paper. Corn on the Cob painting will give your children an experience with texture painting and it makes a perfect hands-on activity.
Sensory Fall Scavenger Hunt for Kids
October 13, 2020
This is an awesome activity that helps kids use their senses (ok… maybe not the sense of taste in this activity), but all the other ones including touch, sight, smell, and hearing.
Create a Vet Clinic dramatic play area
August 3, 2020
Kids seem to be fascinated by animals big and small. One way to support this love of animals is to create a vet-themed play area.
Looking for more activities? Check out our other libraries!
10 super fun ways to play with rocks
July 27, 2020
Do your kids insist on gathering rocks everywhere they go like mine? I mean, we literally cannot cross a parking lot without scooping up seven little treasures that they just HAVE to have. So we spent all week gathering the piles of rocks laying around our yard and can’t wait to find all kinds of ways to play!
Build a blanket fort
July 20, 2020
Bored? Bringing back an old favorite—the blanket fort—might be just the thing to boost everyone’s mood, It’s creative, engaging and the design can be changed over and over again.
Play capture the flag!
July 13, 2020
Remember this one from summer camp or childhood camping trips? Capture the Flag is a favorite backyard game that offers players a fast-paced, exhilarating mix of fitness and fun.
Creative Hula Hoop Games and Activities for Kids
July 6, 2020
Hula hoop games and activities for kids are super motivating and fun ways to promote gross motor skills like coordination, endurance, balance, strength, and more.
Shaving cream fireworks process art
July 6, 2020
These Shaving Cream Fireworks paintings are as fun to make as they are to display! Kids loved this cool process art project. It’s messy fun and doesn’t need very many supplies.
Play games while you walk
June 27, 2020
Let’s face it: Sometimes kids just don’t want to go on a walk or hike. But if we make it fun, a hike is a great way to explore nature around us. Here are some fun games to play while hiking to keep kids motivated and engaged.
Recycled cardboard lion
June 27, 2020
Make this cute lion with Deep Space Sparkle. This lively little lion, inspired by the illustrations of Clare Youngs, is sure to have your students roaring with excitement! With only a few basic shapes involved, students can easily create a lion with stunning results.
Make your own cymbals
June 27, 2020
Check out our crash course on DIY Cymbals! Following Boston Children’s Museum” step by step guide, you can make your own cymbals to jam with at home. We used washers and old pennies to make noise – what makes music in YOUR home?
Ice Cream Art Fine Motor Painting
June 22, 2020
You and your children are going to really enjoy this Ice Cream Art Fine Motor Painting project because it’s easy, fun and has a unique twist on the typical way of painting.
Kids summer bucket list
June 22, 2020
Here is a fun bucket list made for kids who want a good old fashioned summer. See how many things you can check off your summer bucket list.
Head out to Sand Harbor and build a sand castle
June 22, 2020
Sand Harbor is an amazing beach on Lake Tahoe. You feel like you are in the Caribbean there, with its white sand and turquoise water. It’s the perfect place to build an epic sand castle. Here are some great tips for building a sand castle.
Learn the art of flower pressing
June 15, 2020
This technique is super easy and uses household items. Enjoy the whole process of gathering the flowers, pressing the flowers, then making beautiful art with them.
Grow sunflowers with this helpful guide
June 15, 2020
A sunflower blooming in the garden is a quintessential sign of summer. Yet there’s more to this sunny ornamental flower than meets the eye. Native to North America, sunflowers have been cultivated for thousands of years not only for their beauty, but also as a source of food, oil, medicine and dye.
Rose-scented playdough
June 15, 2020
Make some beautifully scented rose petal play dough for a natural sensory play material and a lovely way to practise fine motor skills.
Cardboard beads!
June 8, 2020
Staying at home gives us a lot of opportunity to re-imagine what might otherwise be, well, boring. Take cardboard, for example. This awesome activity re-imagines a totally different use for something you certainly have around the house.
Painting with marbles
June 1, 2020
Marble painting for kids is an easy and fun action art activity that results in a wonderfully abstract work of art. There are lots of fun variations included in this article.
Create your own shadow puppets!
June 1, 2020
Make a shadow puppet of a person, animal or character from a story that you like…or make up your own puppet character!
Sew a paper cloud
May 25, 2020
This happy paper cloud pillow is an easy sewing project for kids and a fun fine motor skills activity. Kids will love threading yarn to make this adorable pillow!
Peace Out Guided Relaxation for Kids | Cloud Story
May 27, 2020
Peace Out is a series of guided relaxations and visualizations for kids, written and voiced by Jaime from Cosmic Kids. In this calming guided relaxation, we imagine we are lying on some soft green grass looking at the clouds.
Minute to win it games for kids
May 18, 2020
This game is a lot of fun. Minute to win it features a team of contestants that have to complete challenges in under a minute for prizes. The great part is the challenges use common household items so they are easy to set up at home too.
“Bee” an artist
May 18, 2020
Follow along with Art for Kids Hub and learn how to draw a realistic bee!
Build your own rain stick
May 18, 2020
The rainstick is a traditional instrument thought to have originated in Chile, where cactus spines are inserted into dried, hollowed-out cactus branches that are then filled with pebbles, raw rice, or dried beans.
Sing along with children’s singer Rick Charette
May 18, 2020
Mud Mud I Love Mud is a fun song to sing as we enjoy a little rain and mud this spring. Rick Charette writes and performs songs that delight in the joys of childhood.
Meet a tree
May 11, 2020
Practice your observational skills and connect with nature by meeting a tree! In this activity, partners will trade-off leading their partner to a tree blindfolded, “meeting” the tree using senses other than vision, and attempting to find their tree after removing their blindfold based on the observations they have made.
Learn how to draw a castle
May 11, 2020
Thrive art school teaches us about the unique details of a castle and how to draw your very own unique castle.
Sidewalk chalk art – say that 5 times fast!
May 11, 2020
This Mosaic Sidewalk Chalk Art is a great way for the kids and adults to play outside. There are so many creative ways to create art with sidewalk chalk.
Make your own life size board game
May 4, 2020
Have you ever been in a real life board game? A Children’s Museum Houston educator shows you how to keep your body moving by creating a life-size board game in which you’re the game piece.
Draw animals with Disney animators
May 4, 2020
National Geographic and Disney have teamed up to create a series of lessons on drawing our world’s most special animals.
PE with Joe
May 4, 2020
Popular UK fitness coach Joe Wicks has been rousing nearly a million fans each morning for at-home kids’ P.E. classes on YouTube. The high-energy half-hour sessions involve lots of bouncing, skipping in place and cartoon-style kicking. The kids get a great work out while having tons of fun.
Tahoe Institute for Natural Science Week-Long Scavenger Hunt
April 27, 2020
Spot a rock with moss or lichen, observe a flying animal, or find Venus in the night sky while you complete this fun and engaging scavenger hunt.
Tahoe Bike Challenge
April 27, 2020
The 15th annual Tahoe Bike Challenge is returning this June! This year, the challenge will take place over the entire month of June. Follow the link to find out more about it and how to register.
Coco the Butterfly, A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure
April 27, 2020
- Cosmic Kids mixes yoga and storytelling. In this episode Jamie takes the kids on an adventure with Coco the butterfly.
Make your own board game with Mo Willems!
April 20, 2020
This is such a fun episode! Mo teaches us how to make our own board game and turn a virtual friend into a game piece.
Art Projects Inspired by Earth Day
April 20, 2020
Deep Space Sparkle shares some of their favorite Earth Day art projects. Dump out your recycle bin to create the coolest recycled robot.
Spring Scavenger hunt
April 20, 2020
The beautiful spring season is a perfect time to get the kids outdoors for a nature scavenger. Here are eight fun and simple spring nature scavenger hunts for kids!
DIY personalized cape
April 13, 2020
All you need is an old t-shirt and a little creativity to make your very own personalized cape.
Cosmic Kids Yoga and Mindfulness
April 13, 2020
Tune in to Jamie from Cosmic Kids as she mindfulness and relaxation with Jaime on the Cosmic Kids YouTube Channel. Parents and teachers report significant improvements in self-regulation, focus and empathy.
House work hustle
April 13, 2020
We all need to pitch in and help keep our homes feeling clean and cozy. Add some upbeat music to this task and it might just become a chore everyone wants to be a part of.
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
April 6, 2020
Mo Willems invites YOU into his studio every day for his LUNCH DOODLE. 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.
Finger Knitting
April 6, 2020
Do you know how to finger knit? Here are simple instructions and a catchy little song that make it fun and easy. All you need is a small ball of yarn.
Bubbles!
April 6, 2020
There is nothing more simple and fun than playing with bubbles. Here is a great homemade recipe.
Make a cardboard sled!
March 30, 2020
Cardboard, duct tape and a little imagination is all you need to create your very own personalized cardboard sled.
Beach party in your family room!
March 30, 2020
Grab a beach towel, put on your bathing suit and pack a lunch and head to your family room for a beach party.
Make your very own puppet show
March 30, 2020
With some simple supplies you can make your own puppet theater and puppets. Use a favorite book for inspiration or make up your own story and characters.
Are you ready for more?
Share with us!
We are encouraging community connection while we’re physically distancing! Show us how your family is using KidZone@Home and share your activity ideas with us. Tag your photos and videos on social media with #kidzoneathome or by emailing our Education Manager, Holly.
KidZone@Home in the Community
During this difficult time of social distancing, we are providing KidZone@Home kits to under-served families. These high-quality kits will help children learn, stay occupied without screen time, and decrease family stress. Kits vary and may include Legos, blocks, play circuits, arts, games, books and more. Kits are developed for infants, preschoolers, elementary students, and children with special needs. Each kit costs us $50 to put together.
Please consider purchasing a KidZone@Home kit or two for an under-served family by making a donation. We appreciate your support!
