Bank Street School for Children continues to provide students and families with thoughtful and thorough learning opportunities. Below you will find resources that have been developed by our faculty, administration, and students.
Resources for Families
We hope you and your families are finding creative ways to enjoy time together during this period at home. Below is a set of resources that may be helpful as we continue to navigate these uncertain times. This page will be updated regularly with new additions, so be sure to check back for more.
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Our Work
8th Grade Community Action Projects
Inspired by recent acts of selflessness around the world, the 8th graders have created the 8th Grade Community Action Projects. Each project seeks to entertain, educate, and spread messages of hope and kindness through community support.
Weekly Art Activities with Art Teacher Maria Richa
- Book Making with Maria (All Ages)
- Making A Board Game with Maria (All Ages)
- Paper Marbling with Maria (All Ages)
- Stamping With Found Objects with Maria (All Ages)
- Making Sculptures with Found Objects with Maria (All Ages)
- Making Paper Pulp Sculptures with Maria (All Ages)
- Painting With Spice with Maria (All Ages)
- Making Mobiles with Maria (All Ages)
Bank Street Connects: Our Virtual Gathering Place
Bank Street Connects provides a weekly space where the Bank Street community can participate in activities and engage in a social atmosphere in real-time without being physically located together.
Below are recordings of past Bank Street Connects.
- Managing Stress and Building Resilience During COVID-19 (May)
- Using Affective Questions to Repair Harm and Restore Relationships With Family Members (May)
- Being the Grownup Love, Limits, and the Natural Authority of Parenthood While Sheltering in Place (May)
- Healthy Living During A Pandemic (May)
- Nurturing Mental Health Within Our Homes (April)
- Home Health Care: What to Do When You’re Coming and Going? (April)
- Parenting During a Pandemic: What is Good Enough? (April)
Jed’s Monday Memo Podcast
If you haven’t heard it yet, be sure to check out the weekly podcast featuring Jed Lippard, our Head of School, as he discusses how each week has evolved since launching BankStreet@Home.
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Recreational Activities
The following list of recreational activities—brought to you by the Bank Street After School program and Bank Street Summer Camp—includes a variety of interests such as cooking, drama, reading, virtual field trips, and more.
Please note that Bank Street’s progressive philosophy of education is not necessarily represented in all of these activities. We share this content in the spirit of joyful possibilities and in support of overstretched parenting.
Activities
- BioBus Explore! At Home (All Ages)
- NEW Book Creator (All Ages)
- Activities from the Boston Children’s Museum (Various Ages)
- Activities from the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (All Ages)
- GoNoodle (Various Ages)
- Harlem Yoga (Various Ages)
- Hudson River Park STEM Activity of the Week (Grades 2 – 4)
- Indoor Activities (All Ages)
- Living History @ Home – New York Historical Society (All Ages)
- MAZEMASTER And The Path To Communication, a Dynamo Clubhouse teamwork & problem-solving activity (Grades 2 – 8)
- Mohr’s Explorers: Activity Idea #4 (Kindergarten and up)
- Mohr’s Explorers: Activity Idea #6 (Kindergarten and up)
- Mohr’s Explorers Activity #8 (Kindergarten and up)
- Mohr’s Explorers: The Explorer Plan and 1st Activities (Kindergarten and up)
- NEW Mohr’s Explorers: Activities #11-13 (Kindergarten and up)
- More activities from the Children’s Museum of Manhattan
- NEW NASA Kids’ Club (Grades K – 4)
- New York Hall of Science at Home Activities
- Little New-Yorkers @ Home – New York Historical Society (Nursery – Kindergarten)
- Penguin Holiday – Lesson of the Week by the Children’s Museum of the Arts (Kindergarten – Grade 8)
- StoryJumper (Kindergarten and up)
- What Do I Do With My Pre-K Kid All Day?!!! by Dynamo Girl (Pre-K)
- Yoga for Kids (K – Grade 6)
- Zumba Videos for Kids (All Ages)
Books & Read Alouds
- Animated Book (silent with visual text only): Not A Box (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Animated Read Aloud (sin texto): Pequeño Azul y Pequeño Amarillo (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Astronauts Reading Stories from Space (Pre-K – Grade 4)
- Books, Lessons, Animations, Songs from We Do Listen (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- The Colour Monster – Read by Sherry (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Stories (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Epic Library (All ages) – includes videos and books in Spanish. Free for teachers and students. Free 30 day trial for parents
- Hablemos @ Casa (All Ages)
- Headsprout (All Ages)
- Khalifa and Amal Go To Space (Read in Arabic) (Pre-K – Grade 4)
- Learn at Home from Scholastic (All Ages)
- LeVar-Burton reading Goodnight Moon (Pre-K – Grade 4)
- Read Aloud: Little Blue and Little Yellow (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Read Aloud: The Dot (Pre-K – Grade 4)
- Read Aloud: Where Do Balloons Go? (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Stories in Spanish (Pre-K – Grade 4)
- Storyline Online: Stories by SAG-Actors (Pre-K – Grade 4)
Cooking
- Chili Con Carne (All Ages)
- DIY Quick and Easy Recipes: Fun Food | Cooking (All Ages)
- Cooking Club which is FREE (All Ages)
Dance
- Broadway Dance Center Online (All Ages)
- Harlem School of the Arts: HSA@Home (All Ages)
- Tap Dance with Emma 2 (All Ages)
- Tap Dance with Emma (All Ages)
Drama
- Family Fairy Tales or Storybooks (All Ages)
Games
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Games (Pre-K – Grade 1)
Performances
- Broadway HD: Stream Your Favorite Broadway Hits! – 7 day free trial
- Broadway Plays and Musicals – fee for streaming
Multimedia
- Books, Lessons, Animations, Songs from We Do Listen (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Claymation with Music and Text of Leo Lionni’s Little Blue and Little Yellow (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Videos (Pre-K – Grade 1)
- Learn at Home from Scholastic (All Ages)
- NASA Media Library (Grades 2 – 8)
- Sesame Street (Grades Pre-K – 1)
- Starfall Education (Grades Pre-K – 3)
Virtual Field Trips
- 20 Virtual Field Trips to Take With Your Kids + suggested activities (All Ages)
- Artist Kate Shepherd Exhibition Walkthrough (Grade 5- 8) (Parents/Guardians)
- Bored at Home? Here’s a Massive List of Museums, Zoos, and Theme Parks Offering Virtual Tours (All Ages)
- Penguins openly explore aquarium closed due to coronavirus (All Ages)
- Over 30 Virtual Field Trips with Links (All Ages)
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Parenting During A Pandemic
Our lives have changed dramatically since the pandemic and we’re all learning to adapt to a new reality. To help parents address the coronavirus with children, we are sharing resources that offer advice for talking about COVID-19, managing structure at home, and other useful information.
Please note that Bank Street’s progressive philosophy of education is not necessarily represented in all of these activities. We share this content in the spirit of joyful possibilities and in support of overstretched parenting.
Talking About COVID-19 with Kids
- 101 Conversation Starters
- Coronavirus video and activities – BrainPOP (Grades 2 – 4)
- Difficult Times and Tough Talks – Sesame Street in Communities
- Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19 – National Association of School Psychologists
- How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus – New York Times
- How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus – PBS
- Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus – NPR (Grades 5 – 8)
- NEW Coronavirus: A Book for Children – a free information book explaining the coronavirus to children (K – Grade 4)
- Parenting In the Time of Corona: Elementary School Children
- Parenting In the Time of Corona: Preschool and Kindergarten Ages
- Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus – Child Mind Institute
Staying Structured and Organized at Home
- Quarantine Parenting: Structure and Limits – Dynamo Girl
- Quarantine Parenting: Supporting My Child With Learning Differences – Dynamo Girl
Social Distancing
- The Dos and Don’ts of ‘Social Distancing’ – The Atlantic
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Wellness
Taking the time to care for both our mental and physical health can help support our overall well-being during these difficult times. Below, you can find tools to help nurture children’s healthy development at home.
Please note that Bank Street’s progressive philosophy of education is not necessarily represented in all of these activities. We share this content in the spirit of joyful possibilities and in support of overstretched parenting.
Mental Health
- Creating An Effective Family Routine When Homebound for Coronavirus
- Grab Your Feelings Chart!
- Positive Thinking
Exercise
- Cosmic Kids Yoga
- Desk Exercises & Stretches for Computer Users
- Dynamo Dice Roll
- Introducing Dynamo Clubhouse
Body & Mind
- Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds – Sesame Street in Communities