Resources for Educators: Boredom Busters

Supplemental resources for teachers, parents, and other caregivers

Boredom Begone!

Bored at home? Looking to fill up your day but mentally exhausted by all the endless options? We’ve got you covered! APL is putting together quality content from the internet and our virtual collection so that you don’t have to. These "lessons" are fun and informative!

Cooking With Fractions

picture of a pie used as a fraction
Wait...what is a fraction

Ok, so how do you measure things so you can cook with them anyway? 

Practice coloring in fractions in measuring cups with this printable worksheet.

Ask an adult to help and practice your math by making chocolate chip cookies!

Finally, read this ebook to learn more about fractions in everyday life.

Baked Goods

Book Cover: Arnie the Donut

Start the day by watching international treasure Chris O’Dowd read Arnie the Doughnut.

Then get ready and set to draw a cupcake with Author Illustrator Joyce Wan.

Discover the answer to the colossal question: who invented doughnuts?

Finally, head over to Hoopla to check out an always available book to bake some delicious treats with your kids.

Spiders

Garden Orb Web Spider

Learn about the worlds biggest spider with Mystery Dave.

Then join BBC Earth to watch a garden orb spider spin her web and catch a fly!

Learn some science behind Spiderman's webs. Would Peter Parker's synthetic spider webs really work

Finally, swing over to Hoopla to read an always available non-fiction book like Spiders Up CloseOr, is your Spidey Sense tingling? That's because there are a ton of Spiderman graphic novels available on Hoopla as well!

Bananas

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Join the SciShow for Kids to learn where bananas come from

Get your wiggles out and GO BANANAS!

Learn from Scientific American why bananas turn brown!

Brown bananas make the best banana bread! We've heard that the banana bread recipe in Chrissy Teigan's second cookbook is amazing. It is also available on Overdrive!

Moon Phases

image of the phases of the moon
Watch this video on the phases of the moon.

Check out the Farmer's Almanac Calendar. What phase is the moon in today?

Read this always available book on moon phases.

Finally, do this activity from NASA and recreate the phases of the moon WITH OREOS!!!

Hula Hoops

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Start with a story about a Hula-Hoopin' Queen Read by Oprah Winfrey.

Then learn why it is almost impossible to spin 300 hula hoops at once. 

If you've got a hula hoop - get hooping! If not, head over to Hoopla to check Hula Hoops (part of the Early Physics Fun series) and read about this amazing toy!

Finally, try this science experiment and hula hoop with a rubber band (don't worry - all you need is a rubber band and a pencil).

Dinosaurs

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Enjoy an animated storytelling version of Mo Willems' classic fractured fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs on Hoopla.

Just how big were the dinosaurs anyway? 

Find answers to the colossal questions of what was the deadliest dinosaur? Or why the there are no more dinosaurs (hint: there are!).

Take a break to do the Dinosaur Stomp with Koo Koo Kangeroo. 

Finally choose from over 100 non-fiction books in our virtual collection

Beekeeping

picture of bees in a hive
Watch a video of Beekeeper Maddie explaining how bees make honey.

Then watch (and listen!) to Kaia and the Bees to see the daughter of a beekeeper overcome her fear of bees. (You can also check out the book on Hoopla to read again later!)

What exactly is the waggle dance? And WHY do honeybees do it?

Finally, let's make some bees together using a paper tube!

Narwhals

Still image of Narwhal and Jelly book in Emily Arrow's music video

What are narwhals anyway? Start with this video by National Geographic to see some real narwhals!

Sing the Narwhal and Jelly song with Emily Arrow!

Learn some more facts about narwhals with SciShow Kids. 

Grab a pencil and paper to draw a simple narwhal

Finally, the entire Narwhal and Jelly series is available on Overdrive! Start with the first book or search for the author Ben Clanton to find the sequels!

Jon Klassen

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Watch a puppet show based on Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back

Continue the hat saga and check out an always available video of This is Not My Hat on Hoopla.

Move over to the Shape Trilogy and check out Triangle, Square, or Circle which Jon Klassen illustrated for author Mac Barnett. 

Watch Van (a Literature Live! puppet) interview Mac Barnett on his creative process!

Finally, print this Shape Trilogy activity book for some fun extension activities.