Live Streams for Kids

from GoodHousekeeping.com

Animal Adventures

• Atlanta Zoo: The “Panda Cam” live-stream is always running on this Georgia zoo’s website.
• Cincinnati Zoo: Each day in around 3 p.m. local time, the Zoo holds a Home Safari on Facebook Live.
• Explore.org: The site hosts dozens of livecams of animals in the wild, along with streams of puppies and kittens.
• FB Live Sessions with Guy and Jessica! Renowned marine artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey shares his expeditions, insights of the sea, on Dr. Harvey’s Facebook Live. You can see it on Saturdays and Tuesdays at 11 a.m. ET.
• Georgia Aquarium: The aquarium’s live cam gives you a peek at its beluga whales.
• Houston Zoo: There are seven zoo live cams running here, so you can check in on a different animal each day, including elephants, rhinos, and giraffes.
• San Diego Zoo: There are 11 live cam options here, so if the baboons are being boring, you can switch over to the koalas.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: There are 10 different live cams running, but you’re going to want to go straight to the sharks (doo doo doo doo doodoo).

Drawing and Reading

• Candace Cameron Bure: Good Housekeeping‘s most recent cover star will read her children’s books — and do a Q&A — on Instagram Live on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m. ET.
• Dav Pilkey at Home: Pilkey, creator of the characters Captain Underpants and Dog Man, teaches kids how to draw his characters through Friday videos on his website. He also offers at-home activities themed to his books.
• #DrawTogether With Wendy Macnaughton: Every weekday at 1 p.m. ET, this illustrator leads a 30-minute art lesson for kids on Instagram. You can see past lessons on YouTube.
• Draw With Drew and Rosie: Adobe and TIME for Kids host free illustration lessons every Thursday at 1 pm ET on the Time site. Kids can then submit their work to become “Art Director of the Week,” or be featured in a special issue of Time for Kids.
• Goodnight With Dolly: Every Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, Dolly Parton will read a bedtime story to kids on her YouTube channel. It’s done in partnership with the singer’s Imagination Library, which since 1995 has gifted more than 135 million books to children.
• Harry Potter at Home: Celebs including Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, David Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Claudia Kim, Noma Dumezweni, and Eddie Redmayne, among others, will read all of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, one chapter at a time. More celebrity readers are to be announced, and kids can submit their artwork to be featured in future official videos. Recorded readings can be found at the Wizarding World and on Spotify.
• LeVar Burton Reads: The one-time Reading Rainbow host will do three Twitter live-stream readings per week. He’ll read kids’ books on Mondays at 12 p.m. ET, YA books on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. ET, and adult books on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.
• Mo Lunch Doodles: Mo Willems, author/illustrator of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, offers a lunchtime lesson in illustration every weekday. You can find them on the website of The Kennedy Center, where he’s an artist-in-residence.
• Mondays With Michelle Obama: Former First Lady Michelle Obama, in conjunction with Penguin Random House’s “Read Together, Be Together” literary initiative, will read a story to kids every Monday at noon ET from April 20 to May 11. Books include There’s a Dragon in Your Book and Miss Maple’s Seeds, among others, and they’ll livestream on PBS Kids’ Facebook page and Youtube Channel.
• Oliver Jeffers: The author of Here We Are does a live reading every day at 2 p.m. ET on his Instagram.
• #OperationStorytime: Children’s book authors host live-readings of their stories. Follow #OperationStorytime on Twitter for the schedule.
• Pajama Program Reading Series: The Pajama Program’s virtual reading parties take place each day at 11 am ET and 7 pm ET on the Pajama Program’s social channels. Past readers have included Melissa Joan Hart, Kel Mitchell, Amy Davison, and Bethany Joy Lenz.
• Penguin Kids Storytime: At 11 a.m. ET every weekday, kids can listen to a story and participate in a “kid challenge” on Instagram Live.
• Pete the Cat Club: On Fridays at 12 p.m. ET, the official Pete the Cat Instagram hosts the Pete the Cat Club, where kids can get creative and make something.
• Read Together, Be Together: Penguin Random House teamed up with Parents to get authors and celebrities to read their favorite books. Readings take place at 3 p.m. EST.
• Story Time With Dana Perino: Fox News anchor Dana Perino reads a story every day at 3 p.m. ET. You can also visit the site and revisit her past readings.
• Story Time With Josh Gad: Gad, who does the voice of Olaf in the Frozen movies, livestreams story readings on Twitter. Follow his account for the schedule.

Music, Dance, and Movement

• Berkner Breaks: Children’s music legend Laurie Berkner hosts a music break most weekdays at 10 a.m. on Facebook Live.
• BroadwayHD: For older kids, the BroadwayHD streaming service has a library of 300 musical theater performances, and you can get a seven-day trial for free.
• Broadway Podcast Network: The Broadway Podcast Network and Playbill are keeping a running calendar of Broadway-related livestreams. These include workshops with creatives behind The Lion King, dance classes, discussions, and performances. Visit Playbill for the weekly schedule.
• Cosmic Kids Yoga: Though not technically live, this YouTube channel has yoga videos for kids, including routines inspired by Frozen and Moana.
• Lincoln Center at Home: The storied New York City institution livestreams its #ConcertsforKids program, which includes everything from tap troupes to folk music from Asia. The concerts are broadcast on its own website as well as Facebook and YouTube at different times; check LincolnCenter.org for the schedule.
• Loog Fest: The company that makes three-string learning guitar offers music and other learning activities on its Instagram every Saturday at 5:30 pm ET and every Sunday at 4:00 pm ET. Upcoming concerts include Caspar Babypants’ Chris Ballew, Lucky Diaz, Melissa Salguero, and Jake Johnson.
• Mark Kanemura Dance Parties: Kanemura, a backup dancer for Lady Gaga and a former contestant on So You Think You Can Dance, hosts dance parties on his Instagram. Follow his account for the schedule.
• Mr. Jon and Friends: Mr. Jon hosts music and puppets at a daily 10:30 a.m. ET performance on Facebook Live.
• No-Nap Happy Hour: During weekends, musicians take to Facebook Live to livestream family-friendly music performances.
• P.E. With Joe: Fitness Coach Joe Wicks has decided to become “the nation’s P.E. teacher,” with 30-minute workouts for students posted every weekday at 9 a.m. ET on YouTube.
•  Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions: Linton Chamber Music usually does these preschool-themed classical sessions in person, but now you can find them at 10 a.m. ET on Facebook.

Coloring and Activity Pages

There isn’t really a live component to these coloring and activity pages, but they are helpful if you need a creative distraction in a pinch. You can find free, printable coloring pages at these websites.

• Adobe Acrobat
• Baby Bum
• Carson Dellosa
• Crayola
• Disney Learning
• Faber-Castell
• HP
• Kayak
• Lilly Pulitzer
• Nickelodeon
• Olsson
• Sesame Workshop
• Seussville
• Shelter Point

Miscellaneous Fun

• Bennett Live: Chicago’s Bennett Day School has launched free, virtual hour-long classes via Facebook Live that are open to everybody in topics like Creative Play. Classes are at 11 a.m. CT and 2 p.m. CT, and then are posted to the school’s YouTube channel.
• Craft With GH: Every Wednesday and Friday on Facebook Live, Good Housekeeping hosts its own craft demos. They’re not all specifically for kids, but they might be able to participate depending on the project.
• Crayola Crafts: On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET, Crayola hosts a live demo with crafter Lynn Lilly on Facebook Live.
• Delish’s Cooking Together With Kids: Check out Instagram Live every weekday at 1 p.m. ET for a mini-cooking lesson. The Instagram also lets you know what you’ll need ahead of time, so be sure to follow.
• “Elmo’s Playdate”: Sesame Street will air a half-hour special, “Elmo’s Playdate,” that’s meant to look like a livestream conference call. In it, Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and all of the Sesame friends — plus celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Tracee Ellis Ross — will near new ways to play together during social distancing and thank everyday heroes who are helping during this current health crisis. It’ll air for the first time on April 14 at 7 p.m. ET on HBO, HBO Latino, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, truTV, and PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and streaming platforms. It’ll also re-air throughout the month.
• Laurel’s Princess Parties: On Facebook Live, this team hosts three princess-themed parties per day. The theme and activities changes every day, so be sure to check the weekly schedule.
• Michaels’ Community Classroom: Learn new crafting skills with your favorite influencers at Michaels online. Classes are free but do require an RSVP.
• Nightly News: Kids’ Edition: NBC News Anchor gives a news broadcast geared for kids every Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. You can find it on NBCNews.com, NBC News’ YouTube channel, and streaming service Peacock.