Beltway Bambinos

Though some of the country is slowly re-opening from months of shelter-at-home regulations, many school districts across the US have resorted to online learning for the rest of the year. PJ Library, an organization that sends free books to more than 225,000 children across North America each month, continues to offer quarantined families a rich and varied menu of on and offline activities – from hours of scheduled virtual events like “Read Aloud” and “Craft Along” sessions, virtual field trips and much more. 

From awesome activities to pandemic parenting, PJ Library’s “Resources for Quarantined Families” hub continues to offer a plethora of engaging suggestions for together time. 

PJ Library Listen is the hub for all things audio, including read-alouds, dance party music, and must-hear podcasts featuring PJ Library’s Parents’ Choice award-winning “Have I Got a Story for You!,” storytelling games to play with kids, printable games, recipes, and ideas for unplugged time. 

Another valuable resource for families seeking additional enrichment outside of online classes is the PJ Library Facebook page, which offers a daily schedule of live community story time readings, craft demonstrations and sing-a-longs, virtual field trips, and more. Recent highlights included a “visit” and Q&A with New Zealand author Elissa Brent Weissman to talk about her novel The Length of a String; author Eric Kimmel reading an entire chapter from his book Scarlett and Sam: Escape from Egypt; virtual trips to Chicago’s Field Museum, the New England Aquarium and the Pacific Coast Trail; a live challah baking class with author and filmmaker Tiffany Shlain; and instructions about how to make a shadow puppet theater at home. 

For parents and caregivers, PJ Library offers support to help navigate delicate situations that may arise because of the pandemic, including the webinar “Talking with Children about Death and Loss in the Age of the Coronavirus,” hosted by the Director of PJ Library in New York, Rabbi Melanie Levav and PJ Library’s Director of Organizational Partnerships, Sarah Ruderman Wilensky (now available on PJ Library’s YouTube channel) and the posts “How to Talk to Kids About Scary Situations” and “How to Talk to Your Kids About Cancelled Summer Plans,” and “How to Stop Losing It with Your Kids.”