There’s something for everyone at the library, and sometimes you don’t even need to leave home to have access to these great resources!! Here are some ideas for things you can do at home!
- Watch videos!
The youth services department has been busy creating fun videos, specifically for youth! Watch library staff read stories, sing songs, perform puppet shows, create DIY crafts, and more! Click here to watch the videos.
- Check out this Youth Digital Media List
The Notable Children’s Digital Media list includes real-time, dynamic, and interactive media content for children 14 years of age and younger that enables and encourages active engagement and social interaction while informing, educating, and entertaining in exemplary ways. Click here to learn more.
- Download coloring pages!
Download this coloring book, courtesy of CAM Fort Bend, Art Museum Texas, and Inter-University Program for Latino Research! The pages are filled with artwork submitted by artists through Latino Art Now! The pages are appropriate for both youth and adults. Click here to download the book for free!
- Learn a New Language!
The Transparent Languages resource offers online courses for people who would like to learn a new language. The database includes more than 80 languages – from Afrikaans to Zulu – as well as ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for non-English speaking people who would like to learn English. The English-language-assistance courses are available for people who speak Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Farsi, Hindi, Czech, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Romanian, Swahili, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, Russian, German, French, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Greek, Arabic, or Italian. Click here to get started!
- Download an ebook or an e-audiobook!
Our digital collections – Hoopla and OverDrive – have a wide variety of books for all ages! Click here for instructions on how to browse and download a book to your smartphone or other mobile reading device.
- Stream a movie or TV show!
Yes, we also have movies and TV shows (and music!) that you can stream from our hoopla digital collection! Click here for information on hoopla digital.
- TumbleBooks for Kids!
These animated, talking picture books are presented in an innovative and exciting format that helps children to read, build vocabulary, and have fun at the same time. The books are particularly helpful for new readers, reluctant readers, or ESL (English as a Second Language) readers. Children may read along as the story is read to them, or they may choose to mute the sound and read at their own pace. Puzzles and games that relate to the stories add an interactive element to the books, and increase the fun!
More-advanced readers may enjoy the Read-Alongs or downloadable e-books and audiobooks, which include classic chapter-books like Black Beauty, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz. Students who participate in the Accelerated Reader program for school will find the reading level and point-value for each book shown on the Read-Along book’s information page. Accelerated Reader points are not available for e-books or audiobooks. TumbleBookLibrary includes a growing number of books available in Spanish and French. Some of the titles are available in the bilingual format, allowing the user to read the book in two languages. Children who are more interested in reading about real animals, people or places may explore the selection of nonfiction books that are available, as well! Click here for FAQs and instructions, or here to get started!
- Enroll your infant/toddler/preschooler in our “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program!
Part of a nationwide initiative, this ongoing program encourages reading to newborns, toddlers, and preschoolers to foster a love of books and prepare them for school. The 1,000-book goal is not as daunting as one would think. If a child is read just one book every night, he/she will have heard 1,095 books in just three years! Even if children sign up at age three or four, they can still meet their goal before kindergarten. Books that are read over and over count each time they are read. Books can be from the library or from home. Even books read at Story Time count! All children from birth through the time when they enter kindergarten are eligible to participate. The program is self-paced, so it can take anywhere from a few months to a few years to complete. Click here and select “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” to sign up!
- Take a Practice SAT or ACT Test!
For those who struggle with a fear of tests, sometimes taking a “practice test” can help alleviate those fears by giving the test-taker a sneak peak of what to expect on the actual test. The LearningExpress Library is a resource that has a wide range of practice tests that can be taken over and over until the individual feels ready for the real test. This resource has practice tests for the SAT and ACT exams, and for the U.S. citizenship test. It also offers practice exams for a variety of fields, such as civil service jobs (for example -- firefighters, EMTs, postal workers, and police officers), careers in teaching, nursing, real estate, and much more. Click here to get started!
- Flip Through a Digital Magazine!
Our Flipster eMagazine resource includes full-color eMagazines that can be read on your computer or by using the Flipster app on your mobile device. Click here for details and instructions!
- Work on your Family-History Research
Our Genealogy and Local History Department has a variety of family-history-research resources that can be explored from home. Click here to get started!
- Keep your kids’ minds sharp with these educational resources!
Our Brainfuse HelpNow (Homework Tutoring) program enables the library system to provide online homework assistance in a broad range of subjects in both English and Spanish for students in grades K through 12, free of charge. In addition to homework help, this homework-tutoring program offers a Skills Building section in which students may receive additional exercises to help them master the concepts being taught in their homework lessons. Skills-building lessons involve one-to-one sessions with live instructors. These tutors utilize a library of field-tested, state-aligned lessons, including age-appropriate content, reading passages, simulated test questions, and worksheets to help students master key academic areas. Click here to access this great resource, as well as others that include educational options.
World Book Kids has science projects for kids, as well as interactive stories, games and videos for preschool and early-elementary age children that reinforce literacy skills such as phonics, colors, shapes and numbers. Click here to access World Book Kids.