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The Tianyu Lights Festival transforms the Citi Field parking lot into a magical holiday destination with larger-than-life lanterns and kid-friendly activities. Photo courtesy of the festival
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Free Online Classes For Kids: Science, Art, Fitness, and More Free Enrichment

Kidz Bop does a daily Dance Break
Kidz Bop does a daily Dance Break
7/19/20 - By Laurie Rein

Finding the bright side of 2020 may feel challenging some days, but the variety of free classes and enrichment opportunities available to kids online is definitely a win. In a year when summer slide feels like it started in March, it's great to be able to learn from institutions normally out of reach. Kids can get crafty in art classes at New York's MCNY X Project Kid, whip up recipes in cooking class at Fresh Bites for Kids, learn marine biology at Santa Monica's Heal the Bay Aquarium, or write music with Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame.

There are plenty more free science, art, dance, technology, and cooking classes below. For more options to enrich the long days of summer, check out the free and low-cost classes on Poppins@Home, our Giant List of Top Virtual Summer Camps, 20+ Free Online Summer Camps, or How to Make Summer Camp at Home Fun.

 

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Photo courtesy of Heal the Bay
Photo courtesy of Heal the Bay

Free Science & Nature Classes

Heal the Bay Knowledge Drops

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through July 29
Heal the Bay scientists, experts, and advocates explore the water world and offer fun lessons about the marine environment, in the new interactive science education series Knowledge Drops. READ MORE

CSUN Outdoor Adventures

Mondays and Thursdays through July 30
Outdoor Adventures is helping everyone get a daily dose of nature at home. All ages can enjoy live virtual tours of national parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. READ MORE

Liberty Science Center Interactive Programming

Tuesdays and Thursdays through July 30
Liberty Science Center hosts daily interactive activities for all ages via Facebook. Programs range from storytimes to planet exploration. READ MORE

World Wonders

Daily through August 26
The Penn Museum invites kids on a weekly trip around the world. The World Wonders morning summer series celebrates the diversity of the world’s cultures through live virtual interactive workshops and activities for school-aged children and their families. READ MORE

Online: Tuesdays with Doc Harmon

Tuesdays, July 14-28
While the doors remain closed, Westchester Children's Museum presents Dr. Harmon’s science experiments every Tuesday on YouTube. READ MORE

Become a Wondernaut: A Hands-On Celebration

Wednesday, July 22
Celebrate the 51st anniversary of the moon landing with this fun online family program. READ MORE

Intrepid Museum's Virtual Classes

Tuesdays & Thursdays through July 31
The Intrepid Museum offers virtual classes on topics such as astronomy and aviation, as well as the history of the Intrepid.   READ MORE

Westchester Children's Museum at Home STEAM Activities

Fridays through August 21
Each week, join Westchester Children's Museum online for new STEAM activities. Projects have included marshmallow launchers and fireworks in a jar. READ MORE

Santa Monica College Planetarium Now

Fridays through August 21
Santa Monica College offers free virtual planetarium shows each Friday.  A Virtual Night Sky Show is presented live via Zoom. The Night Sky programs last roughly 30 minutes, followed by a short question and answer period where guests can type questions into a chat box. READ MORE

A Sailor's Life, Live!

Wednesdays through August 26
Museum educators and USS Constitution crew lead A Sailors Life, Live!, a new online program series about life on board USS Constitution in the War of 1812 era. Suitable for students grades 3 and up and their families. READ MORE

Polynesian Star Lore and Navigation in the Pacific

August 27
The Mystic Seaport Museum celebrates the diversity of the night sky by highlighting the star lore of different cultures, and the traditions of "wayfinders." READ MORE

Night Skies in the Observatory at Home

Thursdays through September 3
Franklin Institute's chief astronomer Derrick Pitts invites stargazers of all ages to step outside and join him for a series of night sky tours from home. Amateur astronomers can join the pros to tour the cosmos—no telescopes needed. READ MORE
Photo courtesy of the Art Students League of New York
Photo courtesy of the Art Students League of New York

Free Online Arts Classes for Kids

Art Students League of New York Free Online Classes

Saturdays through August 8
The Art Students League of New York presents a series of free summer kids art programs. These special programs stream live on the Art Students League's Facebook page, and are archived for those who can't join at the specific class time. READ MORE

MCNY X Project Kid

Wednesdays, July 15-August 5
The Museum of the City of New York and PROJECT K!D invite young artists to virtual art-making sessions. Each week Amanda Kingloff, artist and founder of PROJECT K!D, shows participants how to create a NYC-themed craft project using everyday materials. READ MORE

Camp Creativity at Michaels

Daily, July 12-August 1
Get crafty with a new project every day at Michaels' virtual creativity camp. Each day of the week focuses on a theme; supplies can be bought online or at the store. READ MORE

Online Family Program: Songwriting 101: The Blues

Wednesday, July 22
A museum educator leads the group on Field Trip Zoom to write a song in this introductory workshop. Music professional Adam Ollendorff teaches the fundamentals of songwriting, including form, theme, and rhyme scheme. READ MORE

Fractured Fairytales Camp

Daily, July 20-August 7 (every other week)
Young writers get to write their own adaptations of classic fairy tales in this free writing class. The class explores several fairy tale stories that look at changing perspectives. READ MORE

Online Family Program: One Sheet Songwriting Journal

Wednesday, July 29
Join a Country Music Hall of Fame educator to learn about the influential songwriting duo Boudleaux and Felice Bryant—responsible for penning “Rocky Top,” “Bye Bye Love,” and many other classics. READ MORE

Online: Musical Mornings with Westchester Children's Museum

Daily through July 31
Kids can tune into Facebook Live every morning to learn all about singing, instruments, and music history. This program is taught by guest educators from Rock Island Sound. READ MORE

Heckscher @Home Kids Edition: Summer Break

Saturdays through August 15
Kids can celebrate art and the great outdoors this summer with Heckscher @ Home Kids Edition: Summer Break. Participants explore a variety of techniques and art materials as they enjoy Mother Nature. READ MORE

Day of Ancestors: Festival of Masks Community Workshops

Saturdays through August 8
This summer, Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks goes online to celebrate the rich traditions of the African Diaspora and connect families with Black creatives from across the globe.  READ MORE

Tube Town Live

Saturdays (end date not specified)
Get creative with Sprout/Universal Kids TV host Carly Ciarrocchi in a craft-along improv, livestream for all ages. READ MORE

Free Technology Classes for Kids

Tech Scholars Online: App Builders

Daily, July 13-17
High school girls are invited to learn JavaScript code and design thinking to create their own app for social change. READ MORE

School of Interactive Arts Free Camp

Daily, July 13-August 21
High schoolers have the opportunity to learn the foundations of game design and the C# programming language on the Unity game engine in this free virtual camp. SIA prepares students for the top game design college programs in the country. READ MORE

Tech Scholars Online: Video Games

Daily, August 10-14
High school girls immerse themselves in the powerful stories of women in history by learning to code in JavaScript to create a video game. READ MORE

Tech Scholars Online: Web Design

Wednesdays through August 12
High school girls are invited to explore important contributions by underrepresented women in history, then code and create a website to amplify a woman’s story as you learn HTML and CSS. READ MORE
Dance DTLA goes digital this summer.
Dance DTLA goes digital this summer.

Free Fitness and Movement Classes for Kids

Prospect Park Virtual Yoga

Thursdays through September 3
Get moving in this free virtual yoga class, taught from one of New York's scenic parks every Thursday. Classes will be broadcast live via Zoom, and participants may tune in from any device. READ MORE

Kidz Bop Dance Break

Daily (end date not specified)
Take a dance break every afternoon with the Kidz Bop kids. READ MORE

Digital Dance DTLA

Fridays through September 4
The Music Center’s free annual summer dance series goes digital, with lessons from top LA dance instructors every Friday night. The series closes out with Samba! READ MORE

Free Online Cooking Classes

Delicious Little Tokyo (Virtual)

Fridays through July 24
The virtual culinary festivities continue in LA's Little Tokyo. Starting this week, the theme is going Green! READ MORE

Fresh Bites for Kids

Tuesdays through August 18
NYC's Essex Market Kitchen kicks off free weekly cooking classes for kids. The recipes focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, and are kid-tested and approved. Middle school-aged kids should be able to cook along on their own; younger chefs might want help from an adult. READ MORE

Culikid No-Bake Cheesecake Virtual Cooking Class

August 23
Culikid's cooking classes are now virtual. While our classes will be paced to be accessible for a child with special needs, they are open to everyone. During this 45-minute class, participants will make no-bake cheesecake. READ MORE
Photo courtesy of The Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling Center
Photo courtesy of The Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling Center

Free Storytime and Sing-alongs Online

Author Event: Danica McKellar

Wednesday, July 22
Actress Danica McKellar is also an internationally recognized mathematician and advocate for math education. In this free Crowdcast event, she introduces her latest book, offering a fun way for 2nd to 5th graders to memorize multiplication facts. READ MORE

Cayton Children's Museum Recess

Daily (end date not specified)
The best part about homeschooling? Home recess! Santa Monica's Cayton Children's Museum hosts weekday"recess breaks" with music, artmaking, stories, and more. READ MORE

A Hamilton Read-Along

Daily through August 27
Hamilton fans can delve deeper into the story of the "$10 founding father" by reading Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton, the book that served as the source material for the musical. READ MORE

Sea Chantey Sing-Along

First Sunday each month through September 2
Cooped up in one place with the same people? That was the life of sailors on long voyages back in the day. And just like sailors of yore, you can break the monotony with a rousing sea chantey sing-along.  READ MORE

My Weird Read-A-Loud with Dan Gutman

Daily through late summer
Cozy up on the sofa and listen to My Weird School author Dan Gutman as he reads chapters from his books on Facebook. Dan says he'll keep doing the readings until the kids go back to school! READ MORE

Virtual Stories at the Statue: Hans Christian Andersen Story Telling

Saturdays through September 25
Stories at the Statue celebrates its 65th year this summer, continuing a beloved legacy of sharing tales and music in NYC's Central Park—but, this year, it's online once again. READ MORE

My America: Adrianna Cuevas

Wednesday, July 22
First generation Cuban-American writer Adrianna Cueva presents her magical middle-grade debut novel. In The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, a Cuban-American boy uses his secret ability to communicate with animals to save his town from a tule vieja, a witch who transforms into animals. READ MORE

Online: Museum Minis at Westchester Children's Museum

Thursdays through August 27
Singing, finger plays, movement exercises, and silliness are all part of the fun in this online adaptation of one of the most beloved drop in programs, Museum Minis. READ MORE

Harry Potter at Home

Tuesdays through August 25
Yer an audio book narrator, Harry! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is read aloud by actors from the Harry Potter series. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

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