The COVID-19 pandemic has forced attractions like museums and many other nonprofits that offer many free activities for area children to come up with a new way to operate.
Newswatch 16’s Ryan Leckey spotlighted some of the free or low-cost fun available in our area on Thursday.
Ryan visited Mona Pande who is with the Indian American Association of NEPA, a nonprofit based in Luzerne County.
Virtual art classes with the Indian American Association of NEPA
The nonprofit is offering free virtual art classes including one today, Thursday, June 4, at 1 p.m. The goal is to teach people about Indian art and how to create it. You can learn more and sign up here.
Activities offered by Everhart Museum in Scranton's Nay Aug Park
The Everhart has a host of virtual activities you can access here and low cost summer camps at this link.
Here's what the Bloomsburg Children's Museum is offering:
When the pandemic forced the museum to close its doors March, Dr. Ginny Weibel and the rest of the staff had to think outside the box.
”So our Facebook live, we will take you through an exhibit and kind of show you what we're doing," Dr. Weibel said.
And Facebook isn’t the only tool the Children’s Museum is using to reach kids these days.
"We're giving out STEM kits, so it's a take it home, you just grab and go with the STEM kit, and they range anywhere from balloon-powered cars to DIY binoculars where you learn about bird watching.”
Every Friday, the museum announces on its Facebook page where to find the free STEM kits. Learn more at this link.
The free educational science kits will be distributed in Columbia and Montour Counties.
The Bloomsburg Children's Museum is also celebrating its 35th anniversary and using the celebration as a time to raise much-needed funds for the museum.
"Thirty-five dollars for 35 years. So we're asking people to give us a dollar a year for as long as we've been here" Weibel said.
You can learn how to donate here.