University to Offer Virtual Kids Activities and Resources

Annually, The University of Scranton partners with a myriad of community organizations and school districts. In an effort to maintain a connection with area K-12 school students, several campus offices and faculty members worked with The University of Scranton students to create educational and fun videos to help inspire creativity and to continue engaging The University of Scranton students with area K-12 students during the pandemic.

The University of Scranton’s Office of Community Relations is working to compile and share virtual kids' activities and resources created by The University of Scranton students during the pandemic. This effort builds up The University of Scranton’s aim to continue serving as a community resource during this time of physical distancing. Due to the State ordered mandate to close educational institutions, many of the University’s in-person partnership events were no longer feasible during the spring semester, however, the desire of The University of Scranton students to connect with younger students in the Scranton area remained. The University of Scranton student videos can be accessed by a parent or guardian at  scranton.edu/virtualkidsactivities.

Scranton Story Time

Virtual kids activities include a “Scranton Story Time” created by University students in conjunction with the Center for Service and Social Justice. The story time videos feature classic and current children’s books read by University students. Students additionally offer worksheets and art activities connected to the stories.  Kids can even dress up as their favorite characters to join in the story time fun!

Integrated Art Lessons for 3^rd – 5^th Grade

Other faculty members have seized the opportunity to help University of Scranton students studying educational to adapt their lessons to a virtual format. Dr. Catherine Cullen’s Education 339 course created integrated art lessons for 3^rd – 5^th graders. These lessons allow grade school student to learn more about major art movements, artistic techniques, and even geometry. By infusing creativity into the subject-matter these future educators bring a fun new way for children to engage with both the arts and mathematics. 

Parents and guardians can access the videos by visiting scranton.edu/virtualkidsactivities

The resources will be available for the duration of remote instruction due to the pandemic.