Monthly Archives: April 2020

It’s been awhile since libraries have been able to have physical sets of the voluminous World Book Encyclopedia. Price and room come into play, but there’s also the fact that encyclopedia-style information gathering truly works so well in the online arena.

During this quarantine, homeschool-ready resources are more in need than ever. In that vein, it is truly exciting that World Book has opened up access to their World Book Online platform—for free! They ask for some basic information and a log-in link is sent to your e-mail right away.

There are many options from the initial landing page, divided by audience (Kids, Student, Advanced) as well as World Book imprints (Activity Corner, Discover, and Dramatic Learning).

Each section is graphically rich and easy to navigate. The Kids section, for instance, includes crafts & activities, world of animals, science projects, and more. A page that I think is especially fun is under the Activities link: Crack the Code. These are perfect for kids that love a puzzle.

The Dramatic Learning section is also a unique way to make a learning project more interactive. There are many plays & monologues divided by age and each play includes links to more information on the topic—from the Wright Brothers to the Cherokee Trail of Tears. A script is included—act it out or just read through it!

World Book Online is perfect to allow kids of all ages to explore on their own or in conjunction with a specific lesson plan in mind.

Jeff, South Park

If you haven’t already checked out the TumbleBook Library collection through the eLibrary page, now is a great time to become familiar with this children’s ebook resource.

The robust collection is great for beginning through elementary school readers. Resources include picture/story books, early readers, chapter books, and even graphic novels. Many of the stories in the collection have read-along features for listeners and emerging readers.

Additionally, story books in the collection have fun video animation which can grasp the attention of the youngest readers, with follow-along guides for the words in the stories.

On top of this useful ebook resource, users now have access to more collections!

TumbleMath is a comprehensive collection of math-related picture books, presented in TumbleBooks format with narration and animation. Help reluctant mathematics learners by using stories and literature to spark interest.

From subtractions and fractions to place value and finance, users will find resources for almost every variation of elementary math. The books are accompanied by supplementary materials such as lesson plans and quizzes, which are organized by grade level K-5.

Working with older children? The Teen Book Cloud is an ebook collection perfect for middle school and high school users!

From classic novels to graphic novels, the collection is curated for specifically for young adult readers (& the young at heart). Users can take notes as they read, add bookmarks so they don’t lose their place, or change the text size and background colors for a customized reading experience.

The non-fiction collection is also a good resource of primary source materials in history, science and civics.

Supplement your student’s learning experiences with the Tumble Collections!

-Richelle @ Sewickley Public Library

An exciting new resource from Gale is now available on the library eResources page! Miss Humblebee’s Academy is a learning aid for children aged 3 to 6. There are lessons available in Art, Math, Music, Language & Literacy, and Science & Social Studies.

Each lesson includes both a visual and audio component, with songs and graphics helping to keep children’s interests.

Parents can set up an account with Miss Humblee to keep track of lessons, take tests and assessments, and review curriculum progress. With an account, there are also additional resources on top of the lessons available. Under the Resources option at the top of the Homepage, there are printable worksheets, reading charts & lists, and a DIY section that includes crafts, science experiments, cooking projects, and more.

There is also an option to go through lessons as a guest user, where you can get familiar with Miss Humblebee’s Academy and take lessons, but not keep track of your progress.

Beyond the lessons, there are also Library and Music Room sections. In the Library, there are a selection of books divided up between Animals and People, Places, and Things. Each book has “Read to Me” or “Read by Myself” options.

In the Music Room, there are a selection of songs in Animals, Letters, Numbers, &  has, and People, Places, & Things section. Each song is about a minute long and provides a mini-lesson about each topic.

Miss Humblebee’s Academy is a great resource to assist parents in teaching children at home and has been offered to the library for free!

Jeff, South Park

There is a common saying that music soothes the soul – well it seems more than ever that the collective human soul could use something deeply soothing. So, the Allegheny County Libraries are here to help!

Maybe you need more music, but you cannot imagine paying for a Spotify or Pandora account right now well you don’t need to stress. We have you covered with Hoopla!

The libraries also have a way to feed your need for knowledge about all the musicians you love and legends you want to learn about. Just head on over to AllMusic and read up on the biographies and discographies on the musicians you love. They even have genre charts to browse and distract you when your partner, child, or roommate just won’t leave you alone.

Things can be monotonous and bleak right now but if you put on a good jam Hoopla maybe we can help groove or grind your way through to the other side. Stay safe and don’t worry the libraries will continue doing all we can to provide as many services as possible!

Enya anyone?

-Adrianne

Northland Public Library