Welcome to the St. Charles Parks & Recreation’s Virtual Recreation Resources Center! This is your place to find active, fun, recreation resources through these unprecedented times. We are committed to ensuring that our community have resources to maintain healthy lives, foster relationships, and continue to create memorable experiences. During these challenging times, our Virtual Recreation Resources Center will help bring ideas to keep you and your loved ones healthy, entertained and informed.

STAY ACTIVE

As our daily lives are filled with more indoor time, there are many ways to stay healthy and active. Visit the links below for great ways to keep you moving!

 

ARTS & CRAFTS

 

VIRTUAL TOURS

 

FAMILY FUN

  • Hold a virtual play date through Facetime.
  • Build a fort
  • Backyard Camping
  • Create a backyard obstacle course
  • Set up a nature treasure hunt
  • Gardening – Guide to gardening for kids
  • Indoor Scavenger Hunt with Riddles
  • Spring outdoor fun
  • Nomster Chef – Illustrated recipes designed to help kids age 2-12 cook with their grown-ups
  • Make a Time Capsule with your family- include photos, letters, and tokens that you feel represent this time. Even include news paper articles from the past several days. This will help us remember what happened during this time in future years.
  • Moon and Back – 101 Fun Activities to do with Kids at Home

 

SCIENCE / EDUCATION

  • Nat Geo Kids – Learn about geography and animals from National Geographic
  • The Environmental Nature Center – Educational videos geared towards school-aged children
  • Aquarium of the Pacific – A collection of webinars, live-cam footage and classes for all ages
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art – A wonderful, endlessly detailed way to get kids engaged in the world of art
  • Artsology – Helps kids learn to appreciate the arts by providing them with the opportunity to play games, conduct investigations, and explore different forms of art
  • Kids Think Design – Explores careers in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, book design, product design, film and theatre, architecture, animation, and environmental design
  • Conjuguemos – Vocabulary, grammar, listening activities and games in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean, and Latin.
  • Learn a new language
  • ECB – Games to get “into the book”
  • Science Spot – Science projects that can be completed with or without Internet access
  • 10 Easy Science Experiments
  • The Happy Scientist – Just explore, have fun, and learn some science along the way.
  • Climate Kids – This NASA initiative covers a wide range of topics including weather, climate, atmosphere, water, energy, plants, and animals
  • Sid the Science Kid
  • PBS Learning– PreK-12 digital media service with more than 30,000 learning materials
  • Brainscape – Offers over a million flashcard decks for every subject, entrance exam, and certification imaginable
  • Banzai – Exposes students to real-world financial dilemmas to teach them the importance of smart money management
  • The OT Tool Box – At home OT, PT, and ST resources designed to build skills in children through movement and play
  • khanacademy.org – Free world-class education for anyone, anywhere

 

STAY CONNECTED / WELL-BEING

Although we’re all social distancing physically, as humans we need to stay connected emotionally. Try one or two of these out every day.

  • Call or Facetime a friend or relative you haven’t spoken to in a while to check in.
  • Write a letter.
  • Make time to unwind- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic constantly can be upsetting.
  • Support a local restaurant – Many restaurants are still open for take out or delivery orders. Support your favorite joints and order food for pick up or try out DoorDash or Uber Eats and have it brought to you.
  • Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep. Make time to unwind.
  • Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
  • Over Coming Obstacles – Life skills curriculum for students in grades K-12. Their resources include strategies for teaching social and emotional skills

 

STAY INFORMED

Visit the sites below for the latest local information regarding COVID-19.