Independent Picks

Watch over 20 episodes of read-alouds presented by the stories' very own authors.

View The Spanish Experiment! Check out some well-known children's stories translated into Spanish and spoken by a native Spanish speaker. Read along in Spanish or English.

Take a musical mission to Mars as astronaut Christina Koch reads aloud from space! Author Susan Lendroth's book, Hey-Ho, to Mars We'll Go, is a jaunty journey that follows five bobble-headed astronauts as they learn how to bathe in zero gravity, grow veggies in space, and entertain themselves on the six-month trip to the Red Planet. This interactive, innovative approach to learning is interstellar fun. Expect the young astronauts who experience this independent pick to sing about the science of space travel when they finish the read-aloud!

Do you love learning about space? If you answered yes, then NASA Space Place is the place for you. NASA Space Place's mission is to inspire and enrich kids' learning of space and Earth science online through fun games, hands-on activities, informative articles and engaging short videos. Click here to begin your exploration!

NYPL has plenty of digital resources to help you develop your STEAM skills! From origami to coding, discover the wide range of STEAM videos and activities available for kids! Online STEAM storytimes provide fun ways to explore topics like the five senses, movement, color, and sound! And be sure to check out NYPL’s list of new STEAM programs that will help you discover the natural world while getting creative!

Bear Goes Sugaring author Maxwell Eaton III offers some beary fun printable activities for students! Learn how to draw a beaver! Follow a maple syrup maze! Write a Bear Goes Sugaring postcard to a friend of loved one! And more! Check out the activities section of the author's website to download your very own activity kit!

Scholastic Publishing celebrated author and illustrator Dav Pilkey’s Reading Gives You Superpowers campaign during the week of March 22 to 26, and the activities are still available to download! The creator of the immensely popular Captain Underpants and Dog Man series has found unique ways to emphasize why reading is not only critical but fun! Visit Scholastic's website to download free activities, including an activity planner, comic book story starter, idea prompts, and more!

You remember Ann M. Martin’s popular Baby-sitters Club books from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Well, the series that championed friendship and entrepreneurship is back (and more popular than ever) with best-selling graphic novel editions, a Netflix show, and reprints of the classic books, featuring all new cover designs! And there are tons of fun tie-in activities, too! Practice writing a business pitch, just like Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, and the others! Host your very own BSC-themed sleepover (but please remember to practice current COVID-19 safety protocol)! And download a free printable activity kit, including a word search, trivia questions, and coloring page! Don’t forget that we have physical copies of the books in our libraries and eBook copies available in Sora, as well!

If you're athletically inclined or simply love to play or watch sports, author Matt Christopher wrote a book for you! With over 100 books published between 1953 and his death in 1997, Christopher remains one of the most popular authors of children's sports fiction today. We have several of his titles available in the lower school libraries. And check out Christopher's website for some digital sports-themed activities, including a word hunt, all star sports trivia quiz, and coloring pages!

Watch this video to learn how to draw your very own Matilda, the title character from the famous Roald Dahl book. If you think you are a Matilda expert, try taking this book quiz to see just how much you know.

Do you love Dog Man? If yes, then stop everything you're doing and go to the Dav Pilkey At Home page, where you'll find drawing video tutorials and more!

Ever wonder what a barn cat thinks? Take a photo walk with Ginger, the outdoor resident of Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, NY, as she prepares for the farm's annual Sheep-to-Shawl. This springtime event celebrates all things involved in the process of turning sheep's wool into clothing. Visit the Historic Hudson Valley website to learn more about this event and to view photos of the animals on the farm!

The weather's warming up, plants are flowering, trees are putting out new leaves, and all kinds of critters are busy preparing for summer. Now's a great time to go outside to check out all the things that are changing in nature! Take a device with you, so you can access this hunt from the Connecticut Science Center. But remember, try not to pick any of the leaves or flowers you see. It's better to leave them where they're happily growing so other people can enjoy them too!

The American Numismatic Association’s Virtual Exhibits page takes popular displays from the Colorado Springs-based Edward C. Rochette Money Museum and makes them available online to currency enthusiasts around the world! Learn about the museum's spectacular rarities, explore a wide range of historical subjects, and expand your coin collecting knowledge. These exhibits allow you to view high resolution images and detailed information about fascinating money-related objects.

Ms. Z recorded this video on Loom during the unit on software engineering. Do you remember learning about algorithms and computer programming? Click here to watch Spot the robot dance with Keith Richards! Fun fact: this is one of Ms. Z's favorite dance songs!

Join hosts Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas on a journey away from your screens, inside your brain, out into space, and deep into the coolest new stories in science, technology, and innovation. Click here to listen to the podcast!

Take a journey on a fairy tale audio adventure about extraordinary real-life women throughout history. Based on the bestselling book series, the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls podcast features episodes narrated by renowned innovators, creators, leaders, and champions of the Rebel Girls community. Tune in to experience an inspiring spectrum of female excellence!

Watch the PBS Kids videos channel, to visit with popular friends like Daniel Tiger, Pinkalicious, Peterrific, Alma, Arthur, and more!

Explore this monumental exhibit of 120 3-D printed statues celebrating women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This exhibit features the most statues of real women ever assembled together.

Explore deep Sea Learning at the Georgia Aquarium, featuring webcams of beluga whales, sea lions, and more!

Enjoy a virtual walk through the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, complete with cherry blossoms, in this extraordinary video captured by cinematographer Nic Petry.

Take a virtual stroll over to Unity Farm Sanctuary in Sherborn, MA, to view live streams of the farm! Observe alpacas, chickens, ponies, and more! Click on different cams and observe for as long as you want!