DMPL closed Sunday, March 31

All locations of the Des Moines Public Library will be closed Sunday, March 31 for the Easter holiday.

Learning Links

Learning Links

A useful list of resources for remote learning as well as activities that will keep kids both entertained and engaged in learning.

At-Home Learning Resources

  • Khan Academy - Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of trusted, standards-aligned practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. It’s all free for learners and teachers.
  • We Are Teachers - Free learning resources by grade and ideas/links for at-home learning curated by teachers.
  • ISU Extension Office At-Home Learning Resources - An amazing variety of resources for at-home learning.  Everything from cooking to clothing design to math and engineering.
  • Ready to Read - A great guide for parents on choosing readers that are appropriate for their child.
  • Read Brightly – Great book recommendations and printable activities for a wide range of ages
  • Polk County Conservation At-Home Learning Resources - A good list of interactive nature videos and guides that explore our local area and gives information on other local programs.
  • Buggy and Buddy - A teacher developed this site to share crafts, STEM, STEAM and literacy activities for all ages of children.

Boredom Busters

  • Storyline Online - Storyline Online streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Kristen Bell, Rita Moreno, Viola Davis, Jaime Camil, Kevin Costner, Lily Tomlin, Sarah Silverman, Betty White, Wanda Sykes, and dozens more. 
  • National Geographic Kids – A fun website for children to explore and learn from.  They can read magazines and books, watch educational videos, and play learning games on all kinds of interesting National Geographic related topics.  
  • Go Noodle - Movement and Mindfulness Videos.
  • Goldie – Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs - This is part of the Department of Cultural Affairs historical museum website. There are a lot of online resources and activities for kids about the history of Iowa.
  • National Wildlife Federation Virtual Classroom - Offers meaningful content for various ages and grade levels
  • Pinterest – Seriously! A vast array of information and activities can be found here.

Fun and Games

  • Kids' Engineering Games - A great guide that contains dozens of games and activities for the budding engineer in your home — a suggestion from Evan, a young DMPL user.
  • Craft and Activity eBooks - Borrow one of these family-friendly digital activity books and enjoy hours of crafts, experiments and more! Find everything from slime to Star Wars to origami activities.
  • Breakout EDU Home Games: Kids Edition - Breakout EDU Home Games are played with digital locks and printable clues. Print the clues linked below each game image, and then click on the game image to open the digital locks. Work together to figure out the clues, open the digital locks and break out! 
  • LEGO Let's Build Together - For families at home, this site havs entertainment and learning content, including daily build challenges and fun LEGO lessons.
  • Red Ted Art - Very useful craft site for kids of all ages. Many of the library’s BAM (Books, Art, Music) programs came from here.
  • Hello, Wonderful - A comprehensive site full of crafts, food, and activities for kids.
  • CuriOdyssey - Offers a variety of science classes and exciting activities. Engage in a science class, attend a live event, do science experiments at home.
  • Elementari - Read, write, code, share, and remix interactive stories for K-12 using professional illustrations and sound.
  • Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds - Playful learning for toddlers and preschoolers.