Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Previous Installments in this Series Stuck at Home Staff Picks 1 Stuck at Home Staff Picks 2 Stuck at Home Staff Picks: Teens Edition Great Ideas for Activities and Experiences Need Virtual Elmo Hugs? Sesame Street has New COVID-19 Resources for Kids. Fun Things to Do at Home from Today’s Parent. Virtual
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Archives for Homepage Kids
Offline Tech Activities
Digital Media Specialist Austin Olney put together this list of fun and education offline tech activities. If you're looking to learn more online, check our virtual calendar for a schedule of tech programs that Austin will be leading throughout April. ANIMATION DESIGN How to Create a Phenakistoscope How to Make a High-Quality Flip Book AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) How to Make a Holographic Illusion Pyramid CODING Code a Lego Maze GAME DESIGN DIY Maze for Kids to Make How to Make a 3D Topographic Map GRAPHIC DESIGN How to Make Collage Art Using Magazine Clippings HACKING DIY Cipher Device LOGICAL THINKING
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covid-19 and offline tech.
Parenting in a Pandemic
Are you the parent of a child with special needs? Chances are you feel like you have been abandoned by everyone in this quarantine climate. Quite honestly, in some cases, that is true. Everyone, teachers, students, special education providers, work at home parents—we are all struggling to adjust. Children with special needs often have way more trouble adjusting and this is our struggle. We are going to see behaviors we thought our children had outgrown–they are going to be frustrated, we are going to be frustrated. There is some good news. If your child is under three, under the jurisdiction
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covid-19, parenting tips, and special needs parenting.
Stress, Anxiety, Your Child, and COVID-19
By Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. Is it all getting to be a bit much? Trying to balance #WFH; home learning; shared space; concern about safety, health, wellbeing; social distancing – the list goes on. Do you feel like your children are driving you insane? If online memes and videos are anything to go by, families went crazy within one day of being at home together. Take a deep breath. This pandemic has impacted everyone’s lives immeasurably, but consider the disruption to your child’s life: routines, school, activities, friendships, and their mental and emotional health. Your child may not
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Virtual Museum Visits
While local museums may be closed (meaning our museum pass program is temporarily unavailable), many of them have virtual tours and other programs you can experience from the comfort of your own home. Take a virtual trip to one of our participating museums listed below: Boscobel House and Garden Highlights of the House, the Collection and the Gardens and Grounds. Children’s Museum of Manhattan Videos, sing-a-longs, games and so much more for you to do together with your family. Cooper Hewitt Museum View collection online. Videos on interviews with designers, public programs and stories from behind the scenes. Frick Collection
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PandemiComic
Calling all writers and artists! White Plains Public Library is collecting comic strips that illustrate a day in the life of social distancing. We're accepting submissions from adults, kids, and teens. Check out the prompts below for your age group. KIDS/TEENS: Here are some things to think about… How are you learning from home? Is it interactive/fun? Have you picked up any new hobbies like cooking, reading, playing a new game? How are your caretakers/siblings/relatives dealing with the pandemic? What are some pros and cons of spending so much time with family? Aside from the big stuff, what unexpected changes
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art, comic submissions, comics, kids, and teens.
April 2020 Children’s Calendar
Yes, our beautiful building at 100 Martine is temporarily closed, but it turns out there are plenty of other ways we can keep the Library open and still serve White Plains. Join us on Zoom with a variety of virtual events presented by Library staff and local experts. Find a full listing of events below with details on registering. And don't forget, you can reach us Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our new number 914-448-4859, by texting WPPL to 66746, or by emailing us anytime. Ideas for programs or activities? Send them my way. Take care,
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Stuck at Home: Staff Picks Part 2
Stuck at home with kids and teens due to the virus? The White Plains Public Library has you covered with these suggestions from Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Great Ideas for Activities and Experiences Family Maker Camp – free projects and ideas Smithsonian’s Fun Stuff for Kids Cincinnati Zoo Home Safaris
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#WPPLreads: Kids Stuck at Home Reading Program
How many books do you think White Plains kids ages 0-12 can read before the pandemic crisis is all over? 1000? More?!?! Let’s find out. While this is mostly for fun and to put forth a challenge to the community to engage in reading while at home, participants will earn badges for their reading, and the Library is working on coming up with ideas for fun digital/virtual prizes. Stay tuned. Need a book? Check out White Plains Public Library's website for access to eBooks, digital audiobooks, and more on Overdrive or Libby, Hoopla, TumbleBooks, and other digital resources! Need a
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RPGs at Home
By Joshua Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. Role Playing Games are a fantastic way to work on creative, shared storytelling. Allowing all players to build their characters, help to direct the story, and use their imaginations, RPGs are not only fun, but a wonderful way to engage each other while stuck at home. And, you don’t have to even be stuck at home together! Apps such as Discord provide an easy-to-use system with text and chat to allow the game to take place virtually, as if you players were in the room together. No dice? There are apps for that,
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April Funny Stories in TumbleBooks
By Tata Cañuelas, Trove Librarian. April brings us April’s Fool, meaning jokes and silliness for us all. Try these stories and a song in TumbleBooks and start laughing with us. Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance, by Keith Graves Frank the monster indulges his love of dancing by strutting his stuff on stage. That’s it, until his head unzips, his brains flop out and he continues to lose body parts on stage. Down by the Bay, Folk Song This traditional folk song gets the Tumblebooks treatment! Sing along and have some fun “Down by the Bay.” He Came
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Music-Themed Picture Book Read-Alouds on Libby
Some of you may ask what is Libby? Libby is an easy-to-use app that allows you to borrow eBooks and digital audiobooks with your library card for free. Libby has thousands of Adult, Teen, and Children’s titles that you can borrow using your iPad, tablet, or phone by downloading the app from your app store. One of my favorite types of content available on Libby are the Read-Alouds that with their narration and word highlighting make them perfect to share with pre-readers and beginning readers. For fun, I have highlighted 3 of my favorite Read-Alouds that share the subject of
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libby, music, picture books, and read-alouds.
Stuck at Home: Staff Picks
Stuck at home with kids and teens due to the virus? The White Plains Public Library has you covered with these suggestions from Josh Carlson, Manager of Youth Services. Some of the sites listed here may be offering some content free of charge or may be offering free access currently in response to the virus, but will move to a charge model again in the future. Please take care when using these sites to avoid unwanted charges. Online Reading, Storytimes and Read Alouds from the Library These resources require a library card to access. Libby: Access an abundance of digital
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Storytimes at Home
Just because you’re stuck at home (and can’t get physical books from the Library) doesn’t mean storytime can’t take place. While screen time has always been a concern, perhaps that concern could be let slide to get great books read-aloud to your child. Check out these resources for online storytimes. Some are from the Library’s resources and others are hand-selected by Trove librarians. From the Library Daddy-Daughter Storytime with White Plains Public Library’s Youth Services Manager, Josh Carlson. Morning and Evening Storytimes from Trove Librarians on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting April 7. Bedtime Stories for Teens and Adults with Edge
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Talkin’ Tech: Modern Multilinguals
Let’s talk about technology. Since the invention of the wheel, tools have become more and more complex – and today it can be hard to keep up! In the “Talkin' Tech” column, we will discuss the ever-changing trends in the modern digital arena. From artificial intelligence to Zuckerberg, join Austin in examining all things tech from our vantage point in the 4th industrial revolution: the imagination age! Have you ever wanted to try your hand at coding? Coding, or computer programming, is the way we talk to computers and tell them what to do. It is like learning a second
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coding, digital technology, STEAM, and STEM.
Reading Around the World: Irish Culture
With Tata's “Reading Around the World” book picks, younger patrons and their families will enjoy reading about the different cultural celebrations around the world. Easy holiday Picture Books and easy Folklore stories will introduce young readers to the world outside the U.S. Simply click on a title or cover to place it on hold. Irish lore and traditions are cherished by all. The contributions of our Irish immigrants have carved a path into our very identity. Enjoy these titles full of wit, humor and tradition. And may we all enjoy the luck of the Irish! PICTURE BOOKS The Leprechaun Under
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Online Tutoring
If your schooling and learning support options have been affected by COVID-19, remember—as always—Tutor.com is available to help. Students will be able to connect with tutors from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, until June 15. Access for free through our website here: https://whiteplainslibrary.org/trove/tutor-com-info/
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education, learning, school, tutoring, and tutors.
Cancellation Updates
Program Cancellations: Check back here for updates All Programs and Events Suspended through March 31st As a precaution to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and support the City of White Plains' efforts to promote social distancing, the White Plains Public Library has suspended all programming and events through March 31. The Library will remain open during our regular hours. The Westchester Library System is suspending all loans between libraries for the foreseeable future. We believe this is in the best interest of our staff, patrons and the public health of the County. This means our patrons will no
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cancellation, coronavirus, events, and programs.
Youth Services Program Cancellations
The Trove and Edge are canceling all programming through April 12th with the exception of the Trove's regular weekly storytimes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:30 a.m. Check our online calendar for a full list of up-to-date cancellations. Special events will be rescheduled.
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Letter from the Library Director
Dear Library Patrons, As you know, Westchester County is experiencing an outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. A respiratory illness, it is spread from person to person and is occurring in countries around the world. The White Plains Public Library is committed to the health and well-being of both the public and the Library’s staff. At present, there is no change in our hours, operations or procedures. However, we are taking some preparatory steps: Throughout the Library, you will find hand sanitizers. There are wall-mounted sanitizers in the Lobby, the Café, the Edge, and on the second
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