Children
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Questions about Children Services? Feel free to contact our staff:
Chalishia Alvarez, Children’s Librarian – calvarez@wellingtonpubliclibrary.org
Welcome our cheerful, cozy space! There is always something happening in the downstairs library! We love to have visitors and invite you to come and explore, play, and maybe find a book.
The youth library offers a lot of materials and activities. There are books for every age including board books for babies & toddlers, picture books for preschoolers and kids of all ages, books for beginning readers and chapter books for newly independent reader, lots of fiction for school-aged kids and non-fiction for everyone! There are also lots of great series, audio books, magazines, story sacks and more! Everything is easy to find and you can spend time browsing or ask one of our friendly librarians to help you!
Don’t have a library card? One of the librarians will be happy to help you get one! Library cards are available to all children and adults at no cost (library card applications for children should be signed by a parent or guardian). Books and other items in the youth library are available for checkout for 3 weeks.
Programs – Click on the program which interests you for more information
Recommended Websites – Click below to jump to what interests you most
Coding
- Girls Who Code – Computer Science educational activities featuring women in tech who pioneered innovative technology.
- Hour of Code Activities – Tutorials designed for all ages, all over the world.
- Scratch – coding tutorials
- Code.org – Learn to build your own game, app or website usign block, JavaScript, CSS, HTML and more
- Technology Behind Virtual Reality: Coding and Design
Cooking, Arts & Culture
- Arts and Culture – Explore some of the world’s most famous museums from home.
- Choose My Plate – Provides recipes and resources to support building healthy and budget-friendly meals.
- Classics for Kids – Listen to classical music, play games, and learn about different instruments.
- Cooking Resources for Kids! – A great article for kids who might have an interest in learning more about cooking! You will find recipes for kids and a lot of information on Kitchen & Cooking Safety.
- Lunch Doodle with Mo Willems – Artist, Mo Willems invites YOU into his studio every day for his LUNCH DOODLE.
- Spatulatta – Spatulatta presents kids with beginning cooking tips and recipes while encouraging them to eat well and to understand the connection between farms and the dinner table. The site also encourages kids to ask family members for recipes they can cook together.
e-Libraries
- To access Sunflower eLibrary you will need your Wellington Public Library Card and password (the last 4 numbers of your phone number). If your log in doesn’t work, please call the library to check your password.
- BookFlix – Great kids books to read or watch online!
- TumbleBooks* ebooks are available for USD353 students! Click on the appropriate link below, add your login information (User Name: Wellington; Password: 353) and READ!
Elementary Students Middle School/High School Students
*TumbleBooks is the digital media division of Tumbleweed Press Inc.
Fun Stuff
- Book Adventure – Book Adventure is a fun, free way to motivate your child to read! Kids in grades K-8 can search for books, read them offline, come back to quiz on what they’ve read, and earn prizes for their reading success.
- Crayola Central – Color a picture, read a story, and learn about Crayola crayons.
- Curious George – Curious about George? Check in on him at this website.
- First Palette – Free kids’ crafts, art activities, and printables designed to nurture creativity and the love for learning.
- Funbrain – Created for kids ages preschool through grade 8, offers more than 100 fun, interactive games that develop skills in math, reading, and literacy. Plus, kids can read a variety of popular books and comics on the site, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amelia Writes Again, and Brewster Rocket.
- Great Group Games – Your ultimate game group resource for free and fun youth party games, icebreakers, outdoor games, and more! Searchable by size of group, age of group, playing area, and type of occasion.
- Magic School Bus – Miss Frizzle takes kids on a wild magic schoolbus ride. Games, printables, and other fun things.
- Mrs. P – Kids can listen in as Mrs. P (played by Kathy Kinney) reads aloud classic children’s stories. The site also contains interactive games and activities.
- Play – Fun games and activities. Includes Ispy and Clifford.
- Seussville – All things Dr. Seuss. The Who’s Who in Whoville visit this site.
- Starfall – Starfall has been teaching children to read with phonics for well over a decade. Our systematic approach, in conjunction with audiovisual interactivity is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education, homeschool, and English language development (ELD, ELL, ESL). Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children.
- Storyline Online – The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Foundation has gathered celebrity members in film and television for Storyline Online. Storyline Online has celebrities reading children’s books aloud and offers books of various themes by award winning authors.
- The Space Place – Lots of cool games to play and projects to make for trips to outer space. NASA site.
Health
- Cosmic Kids Yoga – Kids, ages three and up, can join in themed yoga activities. Watch videos that teach relaxation and mindfulness in a fun and engaging manner.
- GoNoodle – Helps teachers and parents get kids moving with short interactive activities.
- Kids Health – If you’re looking for information you can trust about kids and teens that’s free of “doctor speak,” you’ve come to the right place. KidsHealth is the most-visited site on the Web for information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years. All KidsHealth articles, animations, games, and other content go through a rigorous medical review by pediatricians and other medical experts.
Life-Long Learning
- 1000 Books Before Kindergarten – Focus on promoting reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers. Encourages parent and child bonding through reading.
- Access Mars – Take a virtual tour and explore the surface of Mars with a 360-degree perspective through the lenses of NASA’s Curiosity rover.
- AR BookFinder – Need to find out if a book you got from the library can be tested on at school? Here is the site to find out!
- Ben’s Guide – A Guide to the U.S. Government to inform students in grades K-12, parents, and educators.
- Citation Machine – Help citing research in several styles
- Cool Math – Online math tutorials.
- Fact Monster from Information Please – An almanac, encyclopedia, kid-safe search engine, and homework center all rolled into one.
- History Explorer – History Resources for K-12 teachers and students, afterschool program providers, families, and individuals interested in lifelong learning. The site includes lessons, activities and media.
- SOS Math – Advanced Math help and tutorials
- Space Place – NASA provides games, crafts, activities, and other media for kids to learn more about the Earth, the solar system, the universe, and more.
- Virtual Nerd – Over 1,500 video lessons covering Middle Grades Math through Algebra 2.
- Wonders of the Day – Learn 2,000+ Wonders of the Day covering a vast range of topics that will lead to natural curiosity and imagination in learners of all ages.
Newspapers, Magazines & Books
- 4Kids.org – A weekly newspaper feature and Web site produced at the University of Kansas by a team of educators and students with support from Advanced Learning Technologies in Education Consortium (ALTEC).
- National Geographic Kids – A component to the National Geographic Kids magazine created for ages 6 and up. This site provides educational games, kid-friendly information, and videos.
- Newseum – Free resources are available to teach children and teens history, civics, and media literacy. The activities seek to connect history with current events.
- Ranger Rick – Free digital versions the Ranger Rick magazine with activities, educator’s guides, and animal crafts.
- Sports Illustrated for Kids – Puzzles, games, sports news for kids.
- Story Line Online – Children’s favorites read by celebrated actors! Free streaming videos!
- Teaching Books – A resource for anyone who reads, teaches, or enjoys books for children and teens.
- TIME for Kids – Free access to four different grade-specific digital editions of TIME magazine for Kids.
- Virtual School Activities – A collection of sites to live webcams, virtual tours/trips, and other miscellaneous fun academic sites
- Random House Kids – Has an array of activities, games, and resources for children & teens.
- Read Kiddo Read – An authoritative resource for finding the best, current literature for children of all ages. It includes summaries, read-alikes, reviews, and links to related activities. Find the books with links to Library Finder and various booksellers. Join the newsletter and the ReadKiddoRead Community to access author interviews, blogs, lesson plans, and more!
- Typetastic – Learn grade level typing and keyboarding skills while playing games.
- Art Dictionary – Art Dictionary with videos, articles, and kid tutorials.
- Big History Project – This free site offers a social studies course spanning 13.8 billion years. It can be used as a resource for teachers and students, as well as any lifelong learner.
- Code Camp – Learn to code with free interactive tutorials. Practice what you learn, build projects, and earn certifications that can be added to your résumé.
- Crash Course – Crash Course offers freely available, educational videos covering a wide range of topics from the humanities to the sciences. Author, John Green, is a notable host and co-creator of the series.
- Digital Tutorials – Learn at your own pace with a collection of video-based tutorials from beginner to intermediate skill levels. Topics include computers, searching the internet, job skills, email, Skype, and more. Available in English and Spanish.
- Education Tutorials – Offers free, self-paced tutorials and essential tools to help further your education in more than 200 topics. Available in English and Spanish.
- English Grammar Guide – English grammar guide filled with the rules of English usage. Each grammatical rule is explained in plain English with several examples.
- FirstGov for Kids – It provides links to Federal kids’ sites along with some of the best kids’ sites from other organizations all grouped by subject.
- Health.gov – Tools, videos, and fact sheets to stay active and healthy.
- How Stuff Works – The lowdown on the workings of everything from refrigerators to cell phones to cookies to car engines.
- How Products Are Made – How products are made.
- PBS Learning – Free videos and interactive media on a variety of topics for learners of all ages.
- Personal Financial Planning – The Federal Trade Commission offers courses and tools for all aspects of personal financial planning and management.
- SAT Practice Tests – Free personalized SAT practice tests.
- Science Interactive – Various science topics are represented through activities, case studies, videos, and interactive media for high school and undergraduate students from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
- Science News for Students – Science news for kids.
- Tuition Funding Sources – This free scholarship database has access to $41 billion in funding, career aptitude tests, and detailed college and career information.
- Typing Tutorials – Self-paced typing tutorials for all learning levels.
- Virtual Nerd – Offers tutorials that serve as supplemental learning resources for teachers and students. The covered topics include Middle Grades Math through Algebra 2.
- Writing Lab – Online writing lab provides writing resources and instructional material. Find information to assist with many writing projects and different styles.
- Disney Junior – Fun games, shows and activities all from Disney!
- Disney Now – Fun games, shows and activities all from Disney!
- Nick Jr. – Blue, Dora the Explorer, et If they’re on Nick Jr. they’re probably here.
- PBS Kids – Educational activities, videos, and games that facilitate learning.
- PBS Learning – Free videos and interactive media on a variety of topics for learners of all ages.
- Sesame Street – Sesame Street Friends provide videos, playful learning activities, and ways to help families stay physically and mentally healthy.