As we wrap our heads around having so much time at home, we’re grateful to have the ability to turn towards expert educators and entertainers online to help us stay connected to the world outside our own homes — and to find new ways to keep the kids entertained and learning! Below we’re sharing an on-going list of streaming concerts, art lessons, movement classes, and more online resources. Bookmark this page and keep checking back, as we’ll keep updating it as we find new things to share.
— Pollyanna Theatre Company’s Distance Learning Programs
Available online here
Austin children’s theatre company Pollyanna Theatre has developed a free series of educational activities based on its productions of Through the Slumber-Glass and Everything is Round. Designed for distance learning, the activities incorporate video clips from Pollyanna’s performances to reinforce educational objectives for children in both pre-school and grade school. Get started by clicking the Distance Learning tab on their website.
— Virtual Hoppy Hour with Tiny Tails To You
Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9 am, Follow on Facebook
Virtually hang out with Tiny Tails to You Owner and Founder, Chelsea Phillips, and some of our adorable animals. Live stream will be available on Facebook Live or Instagram Live! Details here. Read about our virtual play date with some really cute furry friends!
— Cook with Rachael Ray & Friends!
Everyday at 1 pm through Aug. 14
This interactive online cooking camp will bring kids and their families into the kitchen with their favorite culinary stars and celebrity guests – live, everyday for a summer program you won’t want to miss! Free for everyone! Register here.
— DJ Mel’s Living Room Dance Parties
Saturdays, 6-10 pm, Follow along on Facebook
This favorite local DJ will be hosting awesome dance parties every Saturday from 6-10 pm on Facebook Live. Fun for you and totally kid-friendly. So everyone in the family can dance along.
— ZACH Theatre’s Tortoise and Hare
Stream the show online here
Even though ZACH’s stages are currently closed, they are bringing you musicals, plays, performance clips, and new artist collaborations—updated weekly, all for free. Enjoy the full performance of Tortoise and Hare, a family musical from Allen Robertson.
— Thinkery at Home
Check it out online here
Thinkery has created a new online series called Thinkery at Home. The series features science experiments, story times, and hands-on activities to keep the little one’s hands busy and minds stimulated! You can view 10 of their favorite hands-on activities to do at home listed here.
— Austin Public Library’s Virtual Summer Reading Program
Browse activities here
The Austin Public Library designed a Virtual Summer Reading program for kids, teens, and adults. There are dozens of activities for toddlers, grade-schoolers, funny activities teens can vote on, and new quests each month for adults 18+. They also have all of these activities En Espanol.
— Cap-tivities from CapMetro
CapMetro has put together two free, fun activity book for your kids. Inside Cap-Tivities with Armi Dillo and Cap-Tivities with Batthew, you’ll find coloring pages, word searches, mazes and a whole bunch more.
— The Rock & Roll Playhouse Live
View video gallery here
The seasonal series Live From The Playroom offers kids and families delightfully bite-sized programs featuring 20-minutes of music that the whole family can dance and sing to. Each episode is led by Live From The Playroom hosts Mike Messer and Teagan Taylor! You can watch all of Season 1 of Live From The Playroom on The Rock and Roll Playhouse’s YouTube channel.
— Magical Mornings with Margaret at Hideout Theatre
Every weekday at 9:30 am, Sign up here
Stretch your Body, Heart and Imagination! Master teacher Margaret will lead kiddos in stretches, help them center, ignite their imaginations and pump up their positivity. The most delightful start to any day! Aimed at kids 5-10, but really fun for anyone. The class is $6 a day drop in or $27 a week.
— AIA Architecture for Kids At-Home
Available online here
Working from home and looking for activities for your children? Architecture: K-12 has compliled this list of architecture and design-related resources. Resources are on an ongoing basis, with newest entries added to the top of the list, so check back regularly for more activities!
— The Story Ship Virtual Kids’ Shows
Browse stories here
The Story Ship offers virtual educational children’s shows through Zoom, Facebook, Youtube, Vimeo and other major streaming portals. These programs are available with a live actor interacting or as a pre-recorded video on demand service. The Story Ship’s virtual shows offer the same great combination of animation, comedy theater, magic, puppets, games puzzles and music that have thrilled live audiences for two decades. Each show is carefully crafted to provide an extraordinary interactive educational experience. Be sure to check out their virtual pirate shows–great for birthdays!
–– Life Ki-do Martial Arts
Enter the Virtual Dojo here
Life Ki-do Martial Arts virtual classes are fun, engaging, keep kids active, and lends tools to deal with the uncertainty, anxiety and stress. Classes build emotional strength, resilience, growth mindset and most importantly, flow. The Virtual Dojo includes unlimited virtual classes, free virtual private lessons, and extra family well-being support. The best way to check it out is to take advantage of the free 30 minute intro lesson.
— Sideserf Cake Studios Online Tutorials
Every Monday, on Youtube
Get crafty in the kitchen with Natalie Sideserf, the master artist busy crushing the, “cakes for weirdos,” game. The entire family can watch a tasty pastry transform into the likes of Willie Nelson, Michael Scott, and even Baby Yoda!
— Mr. Will’s Facebook Live Concerts
Saturdays at 10 am, streaming here
Mr. Will has been making fun music for youngsters for over two decades. These days he’s bringing the energy to your living room with lively toe-tapping and often interactive sing-along sessions. Tune in Saturday mornings for Mr. Will’s infectious melodies, and upbeat lyrics the entire family can vibe with!
— Red Yarn Streaming Live Shows
Mondays & Wednesdays at 12 pm, Follow along on Facebook
Originally from Austin, and a favorite of the Do512 Family team, Red Yarn and his puppet critters will be entertaining kiddos with his Facebook Live shows all the way from Portland, Oregon on Mondays & Wednesdays at 12 pm. All are welcome to watch, and donations are most appreciated. Click here for more info and to learn how best to make a contribution. You can always watch more on his YouTube channel.
— PARD Virtual Enrichment for Families
View programs here
The Parks and Recreation Department is offering a variety of online recreation and cultural experiences for residents sheltering in place. The programs include enriching learning experiences, exercise classes, and family activities ranging from yoga for kids and chalk obstacle courses to origami and DIY play-doh tutorials!
— The Escape Game Field Trips
Available online here
TEG Field Trips are free online games designed to take students on engaging and educational journeys through famous museums, to historic landmarks and even back to major moments in time. Much like their escape rooms, players progress through our virtual field trips by uncovering clues and solving puzzles. To be successful, players must exercise their critical thinking and deductive reasoning.
— Live Streaming Sing-Along with Lloyd Miller
Tuesdays and Fridays at 9:30 am, Follow along on Facebook
Known for his music with the Deedle Deedle Dees, Lloyd Miller hosts The LLoyDeeLLoyD Show, an interactive sing-a-long program for the whole family! Streaming every Tuesday and Friday at 9:30 am with a suggested donation of $10 per family.
— The Austin Chronicle Coloring Book
Pre-order here – $30-$45
The Austin Chronicle teamed up with over 50 local artists to bring you a coloring book that celebrates all things Austin. When you purchase a coloring book, you are supporting both local journalism and each and every local artist involved. All proceeds will be split with participating artists. So, grab some crayons or colored pencils, support the Chronicle and our local art community, and indulge your creative side during self-isolation.
— Texas Outdoor Family’s Educational Videos
Tune in on Facebook
Celebrate the great outdoors with Texas Outdoor Family Texas Parks and Wildlife! Tune into their Facebook for videos on backyard birding, fort building, service projects and more adventures to get the kiddos outside!
— The Kindness Campaign’s Morning Meet-Up & Storytime
Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays 10 am, Follow on Instagram
Join The Kindness Campaign MWF mornings at 10 am for a cheerful check-in about feelings and emotions, followed by read-aloud storytime.
— Fisk & Fern Free Printables
Download online here
Fisk & Fern is happy to offer some free activity and coloring digital downloads s such as a neighborhood bingo and alphabet pages.
— Zilker Botanical Garden Tour
Take the tour
Participate in an innovative Virtual Tour of the Zilker Botanical Gardens for use on phones, tablets, and computers which is available in both English and Spanish. Choose your preference here.
— ATX Ballers Online Basketball Tutorials
Watch tutorials on Youtube
The local youth basketball organization is providing several short video lessons that kiddos and their families can do from home, even without a hoop! The ATX Ballers hope to #DunkTheVirus with tutorials on layups, footwork, rebounding, and more! Follow their Facebook page for more sporty shares!
— Lake Marble Falls Sunset Tour
Take a virtual vacation
Take a break from your science experiments, singing lessons, math equations and writing prompts to chill out on this 15 minute virtual tour of Lake Marble Falls at sunset. The whole family will feel just a bit more zen after the much needed respite.
— Camp Tinkergarten
Tuesdays, Sign up here
Tinkergarten, known for their outdoor-based early childhood education programs, has put together Camp Tinkergarten which provides eight weeks of free, wildly fun activities to fill your child’s summer with joyful outdoor play.
— The Little House Yoga for the Whole Family
Sign up here
The Little Yoga House is a family wellness studio offering online family style yoga classes, pre & postnatal yoga, story time yoga, and more! New student sign up can be found here.
— Bake Austin’s Virtual Summer Camp Kitchen
Join the Facebook group
When you join their Facebook group, Bake Austin gives you access to baking and cooking classes for kids of all ages. The page will update with a live or recorded baking lesson every weekday at 11 am with a suggested donation of $20 per class.
— LZM Studios Online Drawing Class
Follow on Youtube
For the past nearly 20 years, Laurie’s been teaching drawing and loves the process of watching a budding artist gain skills and blossom. Check out her free video lessons and stay tuned to her website for drawing lessons online for ages 10-adult.
— Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
Follow along on their Facebook
Children’s music superstars Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis are keeping the online community’s heads bopping and hips shaking with daily family jams and episodes of their Emmy award-winning PBS show, “Lishy Lou and Lucky Too” at 9 am. Groove along with their dance party explosion on The Lucky Band’s Facebook or Youtube.
— Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
Follow along online here
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. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together. Episodes remain archived here.
— The Houston Zoo’s Camp Zoofari
Wednesdays in July at 11:30 am on Facebook
Each weekday, the Houston Zoo is bringing Camp Zoofari to you this summer. Tune in to My20-Houston on Wednesdays at 11:30 am CST through the end of July! You’ll get to explore the Zoo with Camp Supervisor Nick to learn all about their animals. You won’t want to miss it!
— HomeschoolAnywhere.com
Browse their site
Homeschoolanywhere.com is a new, free website that connects homeschool families with organizations that offer homeschool activities. Kids can dive into the online fun by attending theatre classes, touring zoos, and crafting homemade puppets! The options are endless. The site offers resources for parents, too!
— Amazing Cities Coloring Book
Download here
The group behind Gensler design and architecture firm created a coloring book series featuring more than 100 designs and sketches for you to bring to life with color. In this issue kids can color their way across Texas, traveling through Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas!
— Music Medicine with JoyRx
Tune in here
MusicRx, the flagship program of the Children’s Cancer Association, believes joy matters and music heals. Their JoyRx program delivers live and online performances by Koo Koo Kangaroo, Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish and many more artists that will boost your child’s mood! The site also offers interactive games and music lessons for your little ones.
— Audible Stories
Start listening here
Audible has made hundreds of titles available, free of charge, with a promise to kids who are at home and missing stimulation from the classroom. Now, you can easily browse their collection of stories to entertain, engage and inform young people ages 0–18. Audible Stories even reach across six different languages. Keep your kiddo dreaming and learning by diving into story time!
— Circuit Building Kits for Home
Circuit Scribe offers Electronic Inventor Kits and Drone Builder Kits with lesson plans and tutorials so kids can work on STEM skills from home. They’ve taken engineering from the chalkboard to an immersive hands-on with conductive ink pens and endless possibilities. More info here.
— NuMinds.TV
Start streaming here
NuMinds Enrichment is committed to providing real, inspired learning that reaches beyond the school day. Students can join the virtual classroom Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm, on their Facebook page. Through fun, zany hands-on activities on the hour, along with homeschooling tips for parents, you and your child can work together toward a reliable routine of learning.
Enroll in Enrichment Classes from Home:
There are several enrichment classes that you can sign your kids up for, with a variety of subjects such as music, art, foreign language and more. Check out these opportunities:
— Music Lessons with Orpheus Academy of Music
For over 16 years, Orpheus Academy of Music has brought music, community, and connection to local families, and they are now offering virtual lessons.Whether you’re choosing to start from the basics or wish to pick-up where you left off, Orpheus teachers can offer great instruction to fit any level of music education for piano, guitar, violin, viola and vocal lessons. Students can participate in both group classes and private lessons online. Click here for the full overview of lessons available.
— TuneBugz!
TuneBugz! Music Together classes are now offered 100% online. Sign up for a parent/child session of quality, research-based music and movement instruction with trained teachers! View the class offerings, schedules and more info online here.
— Mi Casa Es Tu Casa
Enroll in parent/child music and Spanish classes with Mi Casa. All of their classes are moving live and online this summer. Sign up for a eight LIVE interactive online weekly classes July 6th – August 29th, or if your family cannot commit to a full session, you can book individual classes here. View info and sign up online here.
— Art Classes with Contemporary Austin
The Contemporary Austin is now offering a broad range of new online classes for adults, teens, and kids taught through the museum’s art school. Online Art School classes include one-on-one feedback in real time by professional artists and educators. Click here to view the class schedule and pricing.
— Mariposas Spanish School Online Classes
The Spanish school for kids is continuing their classes virtually by emailing story times, songs, vocabulary lessons, and more directly to your inbox! The classes operate on a pay-what-you-can basis. Enroll in the digital classes here.
— Virtual Classes with Austin YMCA
All YMCA members can join complimentary virtual classes to help you stay fit and healthy during this time. Join classes online here.
Tune in for More Tunes: Our pals at Do512 put together a HUGE list of Live Music Concerts You Can Stream At Home. While this list might not be geared towards the little ones, you can be sure to tune in for some music to suit your tastes, too.
–> Share Your Favorites! Just like the rest of our community, we’re navigating uncharted waters here! But we’re eager to hear about your new favorite streamed and online activities. Send them our way at [email protected], as we’ll be updating this list regularly.
