Tag Archives: Mo Willems

Wow – how is January halfway gone?  Does it take you as long as it takes me to get into a routine for the New Year?  Obviously, our blog posts have been falling by the wayside as we settle into 2013!  Between sorting through all those “Best of 2012” book lists to make sure my collection isn’t missing anything, prepping for upcoming parent workshops, and planning some very special new events for our preschool aged patrons, 2013 is already hectic.  But as the weather turns colder and wetter (at least here in New Jersey), I thought I’d share some cool things kids and parents can do from the cozy comfort of their very own computer screens!

For Preschoolers:

• One website we’re loving right now is the super sweet, interactive alphabet site Bebmo’s Zoo .  Click each letter for animal-inspired alphabet fun!

• If your preschooler loves, loves, loves Mo Willems -and what preschooler doesn’t? – you have to check out the Pigeon Presents website for interactive games like Naked Mole Rat Dress Up, fun character bios (did you know that Piggie’s favorite food is bubble gum?) and great videos.

For Elementary Schoolers:

• This got a lot of press when it first launched, but don’t forget that J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore site is still live and packed full of family fun!  Whether kids are just discovering Harry or they want to revisit the stories, this is the perfect indoor way to spend a cold winter’s day.   A bonus for parents is that you won’t have to worry about elementary school kids who want to get on by themselves – you can rest assured that the Pottermore content is squeaky-clean fun.

• We love National Geographic, but we’re especially loving the videos section of the National Geographic Kids website, where you can view free, online videos about animals, history, space and more.  Check out the Weird and Wacky tab for extra-amusing offerings (like the seal who caught a piggy-back ride from a sea turtle).

For Teens

• Whether you love them or hate them, you can’t deny that Disney does a lot of cool things.  An example? The Monsters University website.  Its a fully-functioning website designed for the fictional Monsters University (which will be featured in Disney/Pixar’s upcoming Monsters, Inc. sequel), and includes all the hallmarks of real University websites, including tabs for Admissions (not accepting applications until next semester), Campus Life (sororities include Slugma Kappa Theta),  Academics (with departments like the School of Liberal Arts and Monstrosities), and more.  Teens tired of scouring websites of potential colleges and universities  will get a kick out of this one for sure!

• Whether a teen follows John and Hank Green’s Vlog Brothers videos or not, they’ll certainly enjoy the live recording of John and Hank Green’s Night of Awesome, which took place in Carnegie Hall (yours truly was lucky enough to attend!).  Bestselling author John Green and his brother celebrated the one year anniversary of John’s wildly successful teen book The Fault in Our Stars with music, readings from the book, and lots of special guests.  An empowering night of awesome, indeed!

Posted by darbythelibrarian in Uncategorized Tags: Family Websites, Hank Green, John Green, Mo Willems, Pottermore, Rainy Day