Your Quarantine Survival Guide

Everyone is spending more time indoors these days – so let’s make the most of it! Our librarians have rounded up their favorite online tools for learning, exploration and recreation to help your stay at home be a more enriching experience. In addition to the library’s popular array of eBooks and digital offerings, these resources are all absolutely free.

VIRTUAL Programs

While in-person events are on hold, LCPL is working to provide you with virtual storytimes as well as other programs of interest for adults and teens. Visit our event calendar to see what's coming up or watch past programs on our YouTube channel.

CHILDREN'S RESOURCES

Education and learning

How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus: From PBS Kids featuring Daniel Tiger and Sesame Street.
Fred Rogers Center: COVID-19 emotional and educational support for kids and caregivers.
Early World of Learning: With your library card, access read-alouds and learning games.
Read-Alongs on OverDrive: Read with your eyes while you listen with your ears in these library eBooks.
BookFlix: This library resource pairs video storybooks with related eBooks to build a love of reading.
Homeschool with Hoopla: Library eAudiobooks to augment at-home lessons.
Scholastic Go!: Explore nonfiction texts, world newspapers, videos and more with this easy-to-navigate library tool.
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum: Educational activities and games about local farming life.
PBS Kids: Daily activities to encourage early learning at home.
Khan Academy: Free expert-created content and resources for every course and level.
Scholastic Learn at Home: Lessons by grade level – free during COVID-19 outbreak.
Reading Rockets: Lessons for teaching and supporting reading instruction.
Library of Congress: Helpful resources for at-home learning chosen by staff experts.
StoryBlocks: Rhymes and songs for young children in several languages including Arabic and Russian.

Fun diversions

Freegal: Have a family dance party using the library’s free streaming music site.
Kanopy Kids: Enjoy unlimited streaming of shows like Daniel Tiger and Sesame Street with your library card.
Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museums: This roundup features links to tons of digital resources, virtual tours and eCollections.
Animal Webcams: Observe animals on live webcams around the world.
Stories, Songs and Stretches: A yoga video lesson to encourage movement and learning.
Virtual Disney Rides: Experience magical rides at home, like Space Mountain.

STEM

Hour of Code: Learn coding skills with daily hour-long activities.
Ranger Rick: Reading guides, outdoor activities, crafts, recipes and wildlife videos.
Steve Spangler Science: Hundreds of science experiments that can be done at home.
National Geographic Kids: Science experiments, quizzes and homework help.
NASA STEM @ Home: Hands-on learning, puzzles, DIY rocket tutorials and coloring pages.
The Franklin Institute: Explore an interactive “Your Brain” exhibit.

Storytimes online

GainPeace: Afroz Shahil reads A Day of Fasting with Omar and Maya for Ramadan.
Pete the Cat Club: James Dean leads stories and drawing activities on Instagram.
Storyline Online: Watch videos of celebrities reading your favorite books.
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems (Archived)
Laurie Berkner: Storytime songs and activities for preschoolers livestreamed on Facebook.
Dav Pilkey At Home: The creator of Dogman and Captain Underpants leads activities that encourage kids to read, draw, create and have fun.
Dan Guttman: Join the author on Facebook for read-alouds from his new and classic books.
Story Time from Space: Watch astronauts on the Space Station read children’s books and perform science demonstrations.
ASL Storytime: Your favorite children’s books read in American Sign Language.
Spanish Storytime: Listen to well-known Spanish children's books read aloud by native Spanish speakers.
Stimola Live: Live-stream events for kids and tweens led by authors and illustrators.

TEEN RESOURCES

Books

eBooks on OverDrive: Use your library card to get YA titles on your device.
eComics on Hoopla: Download new comics and graphic novels on the same day they’re released with your library card.
Shelf Stuff: Video games, quizzes and book recommendations for tweens.
Epic Reads: Quizzes, blogs, videos, upcoming YA news and book clubs.
LibriVox: Free public-domain audiobooks.
Internet Archive: Millions of free books, plus movies, software, music and more.
Dear Hank & John: YA author John Green partners with his brother, Hank Green, to answer your questions.
We Are Bookish: A roundup of virtual book and author events.

DIY

#The100DayProject: 100 days of craft projects to do at home.
Mermaid Masterpieces: Join a paint party on Facebook Live.
Drawing with Jarrett Krosoczka: Follow along with drawing lessons from the Hey, Kiddo author-illustrator.
Finger painting tutorials: Get messy with this updated form of finger painting.

Health and wellness

Go Ask Alice: Reliable, accurate information for teens about a variety of health topics.
Make It OK: Research and support for mental illness and stigma.

Homework help and test prep

SparkNotes: Your source for help with Shakespeare and English literature.
Khan Academy: Lessons covering math, science, history, AP and more.
Varsity Tutors: Free practice AP exams.
The College Funding Coach: RIGHT My College Application Essay.

STEM

Online programming and computer science courses: Choose from 610 free classes.
Learn to code from home: Links to essential coding and computer science courses.
Code Academy: Another simple way to learn coding from home.
Crash Course: This YouTube channel features simple and entertaining videos about a wide variety of subjects.
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell: Well-sourced videos on science and society.
Scratch: Coding to build animation and games
Pixlr: Free online photo editor software similar to Photoshop Elements.

Virtual visits

Concerts, plays and museums: Peruse CNN’s roundup of cultural offerings you can enjoy from home.
Houston Zoo: Live animal webcams.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Virtually tour one of the country’s greatest museums.

ADULT RESOURCES

Books and author talks

eBooks & eAudiobooks: The library is your go-to source for new and classic titles on OverDrive and Hoopla.
Online book clubs: This article links to 14 clubs you can join right now.
Catch up on classics: Read the classics that you always meant to read — or enjoy them again. Choose from over 60,000 free books including Kindle format.
Politics & Prose Live: The iconic bookstore hosts live author talks online.
Penguin Random House: Virtual events with Kiley Reid, Emily St. John Mandel and more.
C-SPAN Book TV: Watch tons of on-demand author interviews.

Education and learning

Mango Languages: Basic or complete online instruction in over 70 languages with your library card.
Great Courses: Use your library card to stream over 6,000 college-level lectures on history, hobbies, science and more.
Navigating Investing During Novel Coronavirus: From Morningstar Investment Research Center comes a free webinar about investing opportunities and advice.
Loudoun Habitat for Humanity's Tools for Life: Check out upcoming virtual workshops.
English language learning: Free quizzes, lessons and online conversation classes.
Open Culture: Choose from 1,500 free college-level courses.
Alison: Over 1,000 courses available across nine distinct categories, all absolutely free.
At-home learning resources: Parents, bookmark these homework-helper tools.
TED-Ed: From the same people that brought you the all-encompassing web series comes a site chocked full of educational videos.
edX: Access 2,500+ online courses from 140 top institutions.
BBC Podcasts: For the casual learner, the BBC offers a wide variety of podcasts on many different topics.

Fitness

Orangetheory: There’s a new 30-minute home workout video each day.
Planet Fitness: Tune in at 7 p.m. every day for a “Work-In” on Facebook Live.
CorePower Yoga: Get free access to a limited collection of yoga and meditation classes.
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center: Free guided meditations.
YMCA 360: On-demand videos for all ages.
Blink Fitness: Try a new class every day at 8 a.m. on Facebook Live.
305 Fitness: Daily cardio at noon and 6 p.m.

Health

Loudoun County COVID-19: Keep informed of the latest updates impacting our community.
Find Local Resources: Search the county for food assistance sites, restaurants and businesses with takeout or delivery options, and groceries or pharmacies with designated shopping hours for vulnerable individuals.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Background information, research and statistics about specific conditions.
Mayo Clinic: Jargon-free information about various conditions, treatments and the useful “when to see a doctor.”

History

Ancestry.com Library Edition: Research your family history with the library's comprehensive collection of genealogical sources.
Chronicling America: Thousands of digitized newspapers from all 50 states.
FBI Records: The Vault: Fascinating insights into government investigations.
Library of Congress: Browse archived photos, videos, manuscripts and documents.
National Archives Catalog: An extensive collection of digital primary documents.
National Register of Historic Places: Download PDFs of historic sites that include photos and documentation.

Hobbies and DIY

Universal Class: Learn something new by taking an online class with your library card. Courses range from calligraphy and soap-making to stress management and marine biology.
Bullet journaling: It’s time to embrace this stress-busting trend.
Learn to draw: Free drawing lessons for beginners.

Job development

Lynda.com: Take your business, software, technology and creative skills to the next level with comprehensive online courses through the library.
Loudoun County Jobs Search: Loudoun Economic Development has unveiled a jobs portal that aggregates and filters all positions currently open in Loudoun. The portal pulls in and de-duplicates listings from more than 10,000 public job boards.
Loudoun County Workforce Resource Center: Virtual resume critiques, employment coaching, job listings and online workshops.
Occupational Outlook Handbook (Department of Labor): A go-to resource for those deciding where or how to begin a career in a specific field, as well as for those considering changing careers.
W3Schools: This collection of web-coding language tutorials covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, PHP, jQuery and more.

Legal

Legal Forms: The library's online depository has hundreds of customizable legal documents for divorce, wills, real estate, bankruptcy and more.
Supreme Court of Virginia
VALegalAid.org
Legal Services of Northern Virginia

Museums and virtual tours

Colonial Williamsburg: Virtual tours, recipes, quizzes, coloring pages and behind-the-scenes information.
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art: Interviews, articles, videos and more related to the artists and artwork currently on view as well as favorites from past exhibitions.
Google Arts & Culture: Visit a virtual museum from the comfort of home.
Virtual museum tours: Step inside the world’s greatest art museums, including the Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery of Art, Musee d’Orsay, the Van Gogh Museum and more.
Grownup coloring pages: Grab your colored pencils and download free images from 113 museums.
Smithsonian: Explore online exhibits from home.
National Parks tours: Enjoy a taste of the outdoors, from your couch.
Great Wall of China: Take a virtual hike along one of the world’s most impressive sites.

Music

Kennedy Center Digital Stage: Watch original works, new clips and the best of their vast archive.
Seattle Symphony: Free streaming performances on YouTube.
Classical music: Streaming concerts and free offline listening.
Metropolitan Opera: Streaming HD performances from the back catalog.
Ambient Mixer: Listen to relaxing music, ambient atmospheres and astonishing sound effects.

Natural sciences

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day: Jupiter. Colliding galaxies. Neutron stars. This database is a great resource for captioned cosmic images.
Endangered Species (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service): Research species-specific habitat information and geographic range, as well as petitions regarding protection statuses.
A to Z Index (EPA): Up-to-date information on hundreds of topics related to ecology, green technology, natural resources and environmental health.
Florida Museum of Natural History: The collections include topics as broad as archaeology, ethnography, the natural sciences and paleontology.
Macaulay Library (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): Images, audio and video of birds.