Education & Exploration: Virtual Experiences for the Entire Family

Exploring the world around us is a great way to learn but now that our outdoor adventures are limited to our backyards and neighborhoods while we #StayHomeForNevada, keeping everyone interested in learning can be a challenge. Many of our local community partners have stepped up to help parents keep their kids’ minds engaged and fill the days with educational and entertaining activities. Check out these resources that include learning as well as fun ways to stay connected to the outdoors.

Stay Connected With These At-Home Family Activities

The Discovery

The Discovery has Learning at Home resources including experiments your kids can do with household items, links to educational videos, computer coding challenges and more. And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a scientist to get your family interested in the materials you’ll find on their website.

Animal Ark

For a dose of cuteness, follow Animal Ark on social media to see photos and videos of their animals’ antics, then visit their website to learn more about each of the residents. This is a great way to introduce kids to animals native to our area, such as desert tortoises and black bears, as well as exotic animals such as tigers and cheetahs.

Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful

More time at home means you may be producing more trash than usual. Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful has shared creative ways to reuse waste items, including using egg cartons to start seeds, using plastic bottles for art projects and re-purposing old t-shirts into colorful rugs.

Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation

Spring is here and we know it’s hard to keep your time outdoors limited but fortunately, Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation has started a virtual Discover Your Parks Walk, with the Sparks Marina being the first park area featured. They also share educational information about science, wildlife and the outdoors, specifically related to Northern Nevada.

Washoe County Library

Of course, we can’t forget the Washoe County Library! While their physical locations are currently closed, you can find educational resources available online for kids of all ages. And if you’ve exhausted your Netflix list, you can get a digital library card and check out ebooks and audiobooks through the library lending app, Libby.

Reno Little Theater

If your kids are aspiring actors, check out Reno Little Theater’s Facebook page for fun activities the whole family can partake in, as well as theater education classes.

Nevada Museum of Art

The Nevada Museum of Art is bringing their popular monthly Hands ON! program into your homes so you can keep your kids engaged with the arts. Hands ON! at Home projects are a perfect way for families to use basic art supplies and household objects to engage in art practices. Show off your masterpieces and share your photos on social media with the hashtags #ShareNevadaArt #HandsONatHome and tag @nevadaart.

Turn being home into a chance to learn as a family and even discover new, interesting things about the Reno Tahoe area. You might even find ideas for places to visit in the future!