Make extra screen time extra educational with Kanopy Kids, a video streaming service that’s free with your Des Moines Public Library card. Kanopy Kids includes hundreds of movies, TV shows, and read along books you’re your kids will love. The app is appropriate for children ages 2 and up, with an emphasis on programming for ages 2-8.
If you haven’t yet created a Kanopy account, it’s easy to get started. Go to dmpl.kanopy.com, and sign up using your library card number and PIN. Afterward, when you log in again, you’ll use the username and password you set up during registration. Residency restrictions apply - cardholders must live in Des Moines or rural Polk County to use Kanopy.
If you’ve used Kanopy before, you know that you have ten “credits” that you can use each month to watch movies, documentaries, and TV shows. When you click over to the Kanopy Kids section, there are no credits and no limits. You can watch however many programs you want, whenever you want, how ever many times you want. Kanopy Kids can literally provide limitless entertainment for your family.
The Kanopy Kids menu makes it easy to find what your kids are looking for. Looking for shows that feature fairy tale princesses or popular TV characters, like Franklin the Turtle or Arthur? Take a look at the Beloved Characters section.
Want to read a fun book? Read along with the dozens of books in the Storytime section, which includes books by Mo Willems, classic fables and fairy tales, and more. These read along books are actually short film versions of these classic books, with animated pictures to provide a movie-like experience. Follow along with your own copy of the book at home, or turn on the closed captions and read them aloud as the characters say them.
Is it time for your kids to learn something? Head over to the History, Science, and Languages section, where they can get a history lesson from Liberty’s Kids, learn languages with help from Muzzy, and explore different science topics by watching SciGirls and Ready Jet Go!
We'll get you started with seven suggestions below, but we encourage you to check out Kanopy Kids as a family and find something everyone will love!
Seven Things to Watch on Kanopy Kids
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Daniel Tiger was supposed to be visiting our library branches during this time. Though you won't be able to see him in person, you can always have him visit your home! There are ten different episodes of this classic children's show, a spinoff of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Join Daniel and his friends O the Owl, Prince Wednesday, Katerina Kittycat, and Miss Elaina in their adventures!
Deep below snowy, cobblestone streets, tucked away in networks of winding subterranean tunnels, lives a civilization of hardworking mice, terrified of the bears who live above ground. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer - and when she nearly ends up as breakfast for ursine troubadour Ernest, the two form an unlikely bond. But it isn't long before their friendship is put on trial by their respective bear-fearing and mice-eating communities.
This French animated film was a critical darling when it was released in 2012 and was eventually nominated for an Academy Award. The American version stars the voices of Mackenzie Foy as the mouse, Celestine, and Forest Whitaker as the bear, Ernest.
Science Series for Grades K-3
Educational company Visual Learning Systems has 14 series of videos covering different science topics, including earth science, physics, weather, and more. These videos are great supplements to science education you may be doing at home and are meant for grades K-3.
I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote
2020 is the 100th anniversary of the suffrage movement. This short film is the true story of Esther Morris, who started out life believing she could do anything, and then proved it, by building her own business, raising a family in the Wild West, working to get women the vote for the first time, AND becoming the first female judge and the first woman in the US to hold a political office!
Zoboomafoo is the first wildlife series created especially for pre-schoolers. A lively mix of animation, guessing games and songs create an energetic learning environment that will engage both parent and child alike.
Two teenage reporters cover the events of the Revolutionary War for Ben Franklin's newspaper, The Philadelphia Gazette. James, an American colonist, brings the rebels' point of view to life while Sarah, a young Englishwoman stranded by fate in America, gives us the British viewpoint in her letters to her mother back in London.
Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa
Told in the voice of a cool cat named Scat, this dramatic story tells how Ella got her sound on the way to a most remarkable and inspiring career.
Last Modified April 23, 2024
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