kids & family
by Kathleen Donner
Hirshhorn Kids at Home
Are you home with kids? Keep kids engaged with unique projects inspired by your favorite Hirshhorn artworks. New projects are released every week. For instance, make a Scrap Life. Use scrap fabric, papers, and other objects to create a collage still life in 40 to 60 minutes. Find out how at hirshhorn.si.edu/explore/scrap-life. Try your hand at recreating favorite artworks. Photo: Courtesy of the Hirshhorn
National Zoo Animal Cams
Watch the black-footed ferrets, cheetah cubs, naked mole rats, lions, giant pandas and elephants live, on camera, at the National Zoo. All Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, continue to be closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. The animal webcams remain online, but volunteers will not be operating them, so animals may not be visible at all times. nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams. Animal Cam Educational Activities--Welcome to the wild side of learning. This packet is designed to engage students (grades K to fifth) in looking closely and thinking deeply about animal behavior and habitats. Download Animal Cam Educational Activities at nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams. Take a look at what these animals do when they think no one is watching. Photo: Jen Zoon, Smithsonian’s National Zoo
NGAkids Art Zone for iPad
The NGAkids Art Zone app contains eight interactive activities inspired by works in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, plus a sketchbook for freehand drawing and a personal exhibition space where users can save and display art created with the program. The child-friendly interface, easy-to-use tools, and the overarch-
ing emphasis on discovery, careful looking, and artistic self-expression make the NGAkids app educational and fun. Each activity offers various levels of complexity. The app is suitable for all age groups. It is optimized for ages nine through eleven, but younger children, as well as teens and adults, will find the program enjoyable and artistically motivating. E ast
of the
R iver M agazine
J uly 2020
37
