Learning more about wildlife and connecting with animals is an engaging and inspiring experience for all children, so why not spend some family time watching some of the best virtual safaris and Zoo Live Cams in the U.S.

Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and Prospect Park Zoo bring the best of wildlife to you online! Bronx Zoo’s Instagram account is where you can take a virtual trip to the Zoo and watch animal routines even when the Zoo is closed. Special training sessions are physically and mentally stimulating for many of its residents, like the sea lions, who need to play with keepers regularly to socialize and have fun. Join them!

San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo’s Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks highlight the incredible biodiversity on the African continent. Enjoy the beautiful graphics of the unusual and striking animals ready for their rise to fame. Guiding you into the different habitats like the mountains of Madagascar or the smooth beaches of the South African coastline. The Zoo’s lineup includes the African Penguin, the Blue-eyed Black Lemur, the Baboon, and so many more fascinating animals. 

Brookfield Zoo

Managed by the Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo is a world leader in high-quality animal care. The Zoo has captivated and educated visitors since 1934 and continues to do so now online. It is home to 2,000+ animal residents and is also an accredited arboretum. To see the animal caregivers in action, you can visit the Zoo’s YouTube channel, watch videos of animals’ everyday lives and learn more about them. You can chat with the Zookeepers and even vote for newborn animal names!

To see more virtual zoos, check out Virtual Zoo Tours: Meet the Zoo’s Wildlife From Home

Photo via Pexels

You may know her as Mary Poppins or as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in The Princess Diaries, but she’s actually the brilliant actress Julie Andrews. Her new podcast “Julie’s Library” will give a new unique voice to the best children’s classics. This weekly audio series created by Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton will share their library and read their favorite children’s books. Every tale will come to life with music and special guests who will surprise the listeners every week.

Photo via Getty Images

You’ll need: vegetable oil, water, food coloring, a clear cup and a few Alka Seltzer tablets

Instructions: Color 1/2 cup of water with food coloring. Fill another cup about ¾ full with vegetable oil. Then pour the colored water into the cup of vegetable oil until it reaches about 1-2 inches from the rim. Break the Alka Seltzer tablets into 2 or 3 pieces. Let your kids take turns adding pieces of Alka Seltzer to the cup.

Water and oil don’t mix. The oil won’t change color because the food coloring is water-soluble. The Alka Seltzer reacts with the water to make bubbles of carbon dioxide, which attach themselves to the colored water and rise to the top of the glass. When the bubbles pop, the colored water falls to the bottom of the glass.

Photo and Experiment via Fun Learning for Kids

Shiny crystals don’t always have to be hard to find if you learn how to make them at home. This experiment shows kids how safe-to-use chemicals can mix together to make a beautiful crystal that the whole family can admire!

Kids can take a moment and wind down in their day with Cosmic Kids Yoga. Have your kids become stronger, calmer, and wiser through different yoga classes that stream on YouTube. These classes are designed for kids 3 and up and incorporate different themes and characters that your kids can connect with. These classes make yoga and mindfulness fun and interactive and give kids a better use of their screen time.

Photo from cosmickidsyoga.com

Being stuck out home is the perfect opportunity to spend some time in the kitchen. Tastebuds Cooking is offering a free at-home cooking club for kids to create their favorite dishes. Tastebuds release two new cooking videos a week that are made with simple ingredients everyone (hopefully) would have in their pantry already.

After weeks spent at home, your child probably misses getting to spend time with their friends and classmates. Although virtual connection can’t replace the real thing, virtual apps and games that allow your child to play alongside and challenge friends can add tons of fun to their day. These are some of the best free virtual games kids can play with friends while social distancing.

Draw Something

On Draw Something, your child can draw and guess doodles with family and friends. The Pictionary-like app encourages creativity and connection. When prompted with words from themed categories, your child will create a quick doodle or a virtual masterpiece and send it to their friends, who will try to figure out and guess the prompt for points.

Scrabble Go

The Scrabble Go app allows users to play the classic board game virtually with the official Scrabble tiles, board and dictionary. There’s also the in-app option of trying new versions of Scrabble, like Scrabble Duel, Word Drop and Scrabble Rush. Your child can easily start games with friends and connect by sending emojis and messages through in-game chat.

Sky: Children of the Light

Sky: Children of the Light is an open-world game where your child can fly through seven realms and unlock new paths for exploration by solving puzzles. Social features allow users to connect with friends and family along the way. The award-winning animation and beautiful soundtrack are set to inspire as users spread hope through a desolate kingdom and return fallen stars to their constellations.

For more games, check out The Best Free Virtual Games Kids Can Play With Friends

The Whitney is bringing art straight to your home. Go to Whitney Kids Art Challenge, a free online resource designed for both kids and grownups to do together. All activities are based on the works of art from the Museum’s collections which will introduce families to the way artists think and work! Keep your eye out for new projects being added on a regular basis to their site.