The ongoing school holidays are different from other holidays as families are staying indoors due to the circuit breaker measures. With home based learning also out of the picture for the month of May, it is a challenge for parents to keep children productively engaged at home.
The latest digital offerings from NLB (National Library Board) and National Gallery Singapore are here to do just that and keep the creative juices flowing.
Digital Offerings from National Library Board During COVID-19 Circuit Breaker:
NLB has added a wide choice of popular children’s books including Geronimo Stilton & Captain Underpants to its range of e-books during the circuit breaker period. Not only that, it is offering enhanced home-based learning materials specially curated by senior librarians for children of all ages.
Kids! Skip The Line!
A whole set of specially selected titles are available under this collection for
instant gratification of little bookworms. Children can borrow these e-books
immediately for a period of 7 days or reserve a title if not available. Patrons
can borrow only one “Kids! Skip the Line!” book at any one time.
These are on a first-come-first-serve basis and are non-renewable. The collection is updated regularly. [Visit : https://libbyapp.com/library/nlb/curated-1070540/page-1 for more info]
S.U.R.E. programmes
The acronym SURE stands for Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate to reinforce the
importance of assessing the reliability and factual accuracy of news. Under this programme, primary school children can access online resources and activities such as:
The News Gallery – an exhibition that showcases the rich collection of Singapore
newspapers in the National Library and reiterates the importance of information
literacy. Beginning with the activity SUREvivors , children can learn how to discerning
between real and false information here. [Visit: https://sure.nlb.gov.sg/tng/surevivors-activity/]
Ace Your Project Work – is a helpful resource for primary school students to improve on
their project work skills by incorporating the S.U.R.E. steps. [Visit: https://sure.nlb.gov.sg/blog/home-based-learning/dd00003]
Digital Resources for All Ages at NLB
National Library also has specially curated digital resources and activities for secondary school children, college students and adults including seniors. These range from guidance to online academic research, S.T.E.A.M and DIY activities to free access to local newspapers and foreign current affairs magazines, such as The Economist and New Yorker.
To guide parents and facilitate bonding with young children, NLB has streamlined bite-sized activities and reading resources that parents and caregivers can explore together with children. This includes weekly digital storytelling sessions, conversation starters, useful tips for parents as well as DIY activities for children to “get curious, learn and tinker together.” [Visit: http://www.nlb.gov.sg/discovereads/]
Gallery Kids! Keeping Children Artistically Engaged During Circuit Breaker Period:
National Gallery Singapore’s Gallery Kids! website has been updated with interactive games, artist masterclasses and many multimedia activities to keep children artistically engaged during the school holiday period. The programmes and activities also provide quality bonding time between parents and children. Some of the exciting activities include:
Painting Lotuses
With the help of an activity sheet, children can learn the impressionist technique of Georgette Chen by using unmixed colours to paint lotuses.
Great Women Artists
In line with the theme of Mother’s Day this month, the activity sheet encourages children to explore artworks created by women artists in DBS Singapore Gallery 2!
Audio Tours on the Gallery Explorer app (iOS | Android):
Interesting characters such as Cheeky Gibbon and Sheera the Tiger pique children’s interest and take them around art exploratory trails in the audio tour apps available on iOS and Android. Children can discover about the rich history and culture of Southeast Asian art with the help of these specially curated tours.
While Cheeky Gibbon guides you around Siapa Nama Kamu with the help of friends like artist Georgette Chen and Mr Curator; Sheera the Tiger of Finding Sherman escapes a forest fire and beckons your help to look for her partner Sherman while the journey takes one along artworks from different countries.
Gallery Kids! will be updated regularly to include more exciting programmes such as the Ink-Credible Adventure Interactive Game for children to explore ink in a playful manner through an online game! [Discover more at: https://www.nationalgallery.sg/gallerykids#explore]