Rejoice, parents stuck at home with school-aged kids. Local organizations have added and expanded to their online resources so you and your young students can keep your minds active. Here are a few:

Is your local organization offering free resources for area students? Send all the info to connelly@charlestoncitypaper.com.
Charleston County Public Library has a variety of free digital resources including access to research databases like Mango Languages and access to the New York Times. Through ccpl.org you can set your kids up with daily story time and art classes. CCPL is purchasing more e-books and audio books to decrease wait time for patrons, too. If all this sounds great but you don’t have a library card, you’re in luck. Charleston residents can apply for a temporary digital library card that provides you with access to most of CCPL’s digital resources during library closures. Apply online.

The Charleston Gaillard Center’s Education and Community Program offers performance videos and prepared lesson plans, which are available for free online at gaillardcenter.org. The Gaillard’s director of education, Sterling deVries and education coordinator, Stephanie Creger, have curated lesson plans to correlate with the South Carolina Department of Education standards.

The Charleston Museum will also be releasing a variety of videos from all of their collections, and lessons for kids, on Instagram and Facebook as well as a learning guide to access the information available through their research section. The public can send any requests, help with homework, and questions for curators to any of the museum’s social media outlets.

Blackbaud has tools for parents (and teachers) in need of at-home teaching ideas. From tips for guiding lower school kids through arts and crafts and puzzles to resources for teachers, there is a lot of useful info here.

Stay tuned for what the South Carolina State Museum promises is “engaging content,” available soon through their social media outlets.

The Avian Conservation Center has implemented a temporary learning program, which will allow students to connect to educational content remotely. Check out live streaming presentations on Facebook and educational videos on the center’s YouTube channel.

The South Carolina Aquarium is offering virtual visits through their Facebook at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily. You can also find coloring sheets and online curriculum on their website, scaquarium.org.

The First Tee Greater Charleston, a nonprofit that works to positively impact the lives of local youth by providing structured educational programs through the game of golf, is expanding their virtual learning with a daily live video lesson through Instagram Live. Check out all videos on the First Tee’s YouTube page.

While Drayton Hall is closed to the public, the organization is still offering virtual videos so you and your family can learn more about the history of the estate. Find these videos on Drayton Hall’s YouTube page.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art will be sharing activities, resources, videos, and more on their social media channels. On Fri. March 27 they’ll be sharing this year’s Young Contemporaries and Salon de Refusés as online exhibitions.

The Gibbes Museum of Art hosts Facebook Live story readings followed by drawing tutorials from local artist Tim Banks. You can always check out the Gibbes’ permanent collections online, too.

Middleton Place is now offering digital programs through a digital content portal, “Plugged In To History.” Digital programming will be streamed online over the coming weeks while the property is closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Local bookstore Itinerant Literate has 80 educational and fun resources for kids for at-home learning on their website. Take things up a notch with books and workbooks, available for pick-up and delivery.

The South Carolina State Museum has developed several e-learning resources including: virtual gallery tours with museum curators; online lessons and experiments with museum educators; and blogs containing info developed by educational staff.

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