There are some efforts by local businesses and organizations to provide fun and interactive activities for families while they stay at home during the COVID-19 crisis. Check out our schedule below and stay tuned as more are added. If you have a virtual activity to add to the list, please email kellym@macaronikid.com.
Museums
Barrington Stage Company's Education Department staff will begin posting fun improv and theater games to play at home on Mondays on their Facebook and Instagram pages. And on Fridays, they will be posting the ArtsChallenge where they will challenge performing artists at home to share their work with them on the same accounts. 🎭 Are you ready?
Berkshire Museum is posting daily videos — Daily Discovery and the Daily Doodle — on their youtube channel. Daily Discovery videos include piranha feedings, Chuck the tortoise, snakes and more. The Daily Doodle encourages kids to doodle with inspiration from a daily vocabulary word. These videos are educational and so much fun.
The Norman Rockwell Museum is offering a variety of virtual programs. Adults and children alike can experience virtual exhibits, tours, visit the Curriculum Lab with lots of activities for kids and more. Explore the possibilities!
Storytimes and Playgroups
Authors will be going LIVE on their Facebook pages in a collaborative effort with Berkshires Macaroni Kid to introduce local families to their work and share some amazing stories. Find our current SCHEDULE HERE (We will be adding to this page as others join in. We may have some other special guests besides just authors.)
Tiny Book and Zine Making Class
Author/Illustrator Adam Gudeon and teaching artistJoey Chernila will be doing a live Tiny Book and Zine Making class for any tiny makers ages 5 and up on Friday, March 27, at 4 p.m. You should bring: Paper, Pencil, Scissors, Stapler, Coloring stuff. And it would be super cool if you have a home copier/printer, but if you don’t that’s totally okay.
Virtual Visits and Free Audio Book From Local Children's Author Jana Laiz
Jana Laiz is offering virtual visits and free audiobooks downloads and teacher's guides, as well as Zoom or Google Meets for any online class that wants to chat. Simply visit her Website HERE and use the contact form to let her know you are interested.
Virtual Play and Learn with Miss Jenn
Jenn Faulconer from Pittsfield CFCE has turned her weekly Play and Learn at the Berkshire Athenaeum into a virtual form on the Pittsfield CFCE's FACEBOOK PAGE. She has been sharing YouTube stories every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then providing families with accompanying activities.
The Family Center of Northern Berkshire Virtual Playgroup & Storytime
The Family Center is posting daily YouTube stories and then providing families with accompanying activities on their FACEBOOK PAGE.
Miss Vicky from the West Stockbridge Library has reading stories on the West Stockbridge Library FACEBOOK PAGE.
Music and Movement with Miss Kim
Miss Kim who leads a Music and Movement program at the Bushnell Sage Library shared a few songs recently on the South Berkshire Kids FACEBOOK PAGE.
Put together by Lanesborough Library's children's librarian and storytime musician, this storytime features a combination of videos made by staff and links to fingerplays and a Storyline Online video that features celebrities reading the book of the week. Go to the LIBRARY'S WEBSITE and scroll down to find Storytimes in the righthand column.
North Adams Public Library is hosting a weekly storytime on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. Ms. Sara will sing songs, read a variety of stories, and incorporate other activities appropriate for children ages 1-5. To best comply with copyright permissions from children's book publishers, the storytimes are held in a private group that anyone is welcome to join. To join, visit the North Adams Public Library's Storytime Group HERE and ask to "Join" the NAPL Virtual Story Time Group. Once a member, you can view past storytimes and watch future storytimes live.
Hosted by North Adams Public Library on Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. Grab your favorite book, get to know one of the librarian's pets, and read to them. Visit the library's FACEBOOK PAGE or INSTAGRAM PAGE to learn more.
South Berkshire Kids has created a Virtual Page for families featuring some local group leaders reading and singing, as well as other FREE educational resources. Find there Virtual Page HERE.
CHP and its Family Services are hosting a number of programs from Virtual Playgroups, to cooking demos, nutrition and more. Find their programs on the CHP YouTube Channel HERE.
Local Resources
Fun and Informative Videos for Kids (and Parents)
Jennifer Daily, LICSW, had been posting regular videos on her Facebook Page to help kids and families understand, have fun, and deal with some of the feelings and emotions they are having as the number of days at home increase.
Art
Art Activities with Dalton School of Art and Creativity
Check out the Dalton School of Art and Creativity's FACEBOOK PAGE for a series of videos with fun art projects families can do together.
Cookies and Canvas with Berkshire Paint and Sip
Berkshire Paint and Sip is offering virtual Cookies and Canvas painting classes on their FACEBOOK PAGE HERE. Scroll around, there's a whole bunch of different options for family members of all ages. We may just host a Watch Party on one of these if anyone wants to join us.
Fitness
Virtual Child Yoga with Jodi Pellerin-Herrera
Julie Pellerin-Herrera on the Berkshire Yoga and Dance Fitness Facebook Page for a Live Stream Radiant Child Yoga Class held Sundays, noon to 1 p.m., for boys and girls age 5 - 10. Kids will have fun developing self-awareness, strength, balance, and flexibility! They will learn how to center their minds through focused breathing exercises and explore their imagination through fun games and visualizations.
