For my themed units, click here. For my own book recommendations posts, click here.
Curated Collections
The Kid Should See This — Quite possibly the best resource for kids and their parents on the internet. A vast database of fascinating videos, curated with impeccable taste and thoughtful commentary. The gift guide is a terrific source of books and learning toys for kids, too.
Kottke.org — One of the finest sites for finding out what’s interesting on the internet. It’s not aimed at children, but there’s plenty here that kids might be interested in or that could be adapted for use with children.
Colossal — An excellent resource for art and culture, written for grown-ups but with so many finds that kids would love, too.
Math and Science
It’s Okay To Be Smart — Science videos for kids, with everything explained clearly and with humor. Genuinely funny and informative.
Deep Look — Stunningly beautiful short videos on biology.
ExpeRimental from the Royal Institution — ExpeRimental provides beautifully composed and organized info sheets for all of their experiments, but, even better, the videos that go along with the experiments model how grown-ups might successfully talk about science with young children.
The Exploratorium’s Science Snacks — A vast array of science experiments, from simple ones to do with young children, to complicated ones that require quite a bit of technical knowledge. But all experiments come with detailed instructions and explanations. You can also sort experiments by grade band (here is the K-2 collection)
Bruce Yeany — Many brilliant science demonstrations (and experiments you can do at home) from the kind of science teacher any child would be lucky to have.
Physics Girl — Fast-paced and fun physics videos and demonstrations, with plenty of ideas of simple experiments to do at home.
The Curiosity Show — An archive of science, technology, and math puzzles and tricks.
Art, Culture, and Literature
Tate Kids — Kid-friendly introductions to artists, along with ideas for art-based projects and experiments. The site’s organization is slightly confusing, but the content is excellent.
The Kennedy Center’s Digital Resource Library — A truly impressive collection of materials to help you and your kids explore the arts (or here), and detailed arts-based lesson plans, too.
Little Angel Theatre — A tiny and beloved children’s theatre in London has produced a large collection of literature- and theatre-related crafts for children, along with a series of beautiful puppet shows to view at home. (Perhaps available only for a limited time.) Make a donation if you can.
The Children’s Poetry Archive — A charming collection of wonderful poems for children, coupled with audio of the authors reading them. You can sort them by theme or audience age group. Also of note: some resources on teaching poetry to children.
Poetry By Heart — For children 7+, a database of poetry to enjoy, including “Poetry Mix It Up,” a visual method of finding new poems to enjoy, and a database of poems by Black poets.
The Conscious Kid — A terrific resource for anti-racist children’s books, along with guidance to help parents and teachers talk about race with children.
Right On, Kids! Teaching 