Help us encourage our healthcare workers!

COVID numbers in the area are rising, and our healthcare workers are more pressed to provide the care to the people most affected by the virus in addition to continue caring for patients with ailments not pertaining to COVID.

This work is stressful and difficult. They need our appreciation and our encouragement to keep going in the midst of a national pandemic.

Jonesboro Radio Group is on a mission to make sure our area’s healthcare workers get a little extra love during the holiday season, and we need you to help!

Learn how you can help -->

Kids Activity Ideas

Outdoor Activity Ideas

Bird Watching - While out on hikes, the family can keep an eye for birds and identify them with the help of the Wings Over Arkansas Program. Download the Arkansas Bird Checklist here

Geocaching - Take your kids on the world's largest treasure hunt. Little geocaches are hidden everywhere for you to find. In fact, there are 106 geocaches hidden in Jonesboro alone. All you need is a writing utencil, a few small trinkets to share, and your phone. Download the app and go on an adventure!

Fishing - Take the family out for a lazy afternoon near on the water with a few fishing poles and enjoy the sun. Not sure where to start? Download the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Beginners Fishing Guide here.

PlantSnap - Go for a hike and help the little ones identify plants and flowers with the click of a button on your phone.

Virtual Nature Center - Check ou the Arkansas Game and Fish Virtual Nature Center. This website offers education on new outdoorskills, craft projects, recipes, creautre features, and more

Walking - The Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature Center and Craighead Forest Park both have trails for you to walk on with the family. Download a map of the Habitat Trail hereDownload the Craighhead Forest Trailhead Map here.


----

Indoor Activity Ideas

Family Game Night - Bust out the board games or the card and let the kids taste sweet victory or feel the sting of defeat.  Don't have board games at home? You can easily download apps that the whole family can use or play games online on websites like Pogo.com.

Forts - If you remember collecting every chair and blanket in the house and creating the world's best fort when you were a child, you know how awesome it can be! Treat your kids to the same fun and then read and tell stories inside of it.

Theme Dinners - This one is for the not-so-picky eaters. Have a family theme night with traditional meals from other countries like Germany, Italy, Mexico, and others.

Kitchen Experiments - Give each participant an ingredient and assign them a dish to make for dinner - entre, side, dessert. Let them get as creative as they want with the main ingredient and any other items available in the pantry.  Spice it up (pun intended) with a prize for the best dish of the evening. Prize ideas: Double allowance for the week, extra screen time, freedom from chores for a day, and etc.


----

Free Online Education

Below, you'll find several FREE ideas for you to try to keep the kids entertained, out of trouble, and keep the sibling rivalry to a minimum. Check out this list:

  • Fluency and Fitness is offering three free weeks for parents to use their program at home. This program provides K-2 reading and math topics while providing movement breaks.
  • Mental Floss has 12 world-class museums you can visit online to help build your child’s interest in art and history
  • Switcheroo Zoo lets your children watch, listen, and play games to learn all about animals
  • Fun Brain has games to help kids practice their math and reading skills
  • PBS Kids lets you hang out with your favorite characters and play games all while learning
  • Into the Book takes you “Into the Book” to play games and practice reading skills
  • Star Fall gives kids the chance to practice phonics skills with read along stories
  • Suessville lets you read and play games with Dr. Seuss and all of his fun characters
  • ABC YA hones math and reading skills through fun games
  • ABCs to ACTs: Learning through play, creativity, and exploration
  • Scholastic: Find interactive games, science projects, and more with all of your favorite characters from the best books like Magic School Bus, Home Base, Harry Potter, Cat Kid’s Comic Club, and more!
  • Cool Math: Explore the world of Math though games, trivia, logic problems, and more!
  • National Gallery of Art: Get an informative introduction to art and art history in addition to creative projects and activities for kids of all ages
  • Mission US: Provides an interactive way to learn history
  • Khan Academy: Build a deep, rock-solid understanding in math, grammar, science, history, SAT®, AP®, and more.
  • CELLS alive! provides students with a learning resource for cell biology, microbiology, immunology, and microscopy
  • Kids Reads: Find reviews, author information, and more on children’s books
  • Youngzine: Get age-appropriate news for your kiddos on a variety of topics from World news, to technology, and more.
  • Fuel the Brain: High quality educational games connected to core standards in elementary education
  • Exploratorium: Lets students explore science, art, and human perception
  • Turtle Diary: Introduce kids to new, exciting ways of learning with the help of fun online games, videos, experiments, puzzles, coloring sheets, and more!
  • Sesame Street: Offers preschool games, videos, and coloring pages all while making your child grow smarter, stronger, and kinder
  • Fun Fonix: Build up reading skills all while making phonics fun for everyone!
  • Tvokids: Watch educational videos and play games that help you learn while also staying entertained
  • NASA Kids’ Club: Explore outer space and all the awesome science that comes along with it!
  • Cryptoclub:org is a website where students can learn and apply cryptography. It includes many tools for encrypting and decrypting, messages to crack, games to enjoy, comics to read, and more.
  • Earthquakes for Kids: Learn the science of earthquakes, come up with science fair projects, and learn history with USGS
  • Grid Club: This is a fun and interactive learning website for 5-12 year olds.
  • Magic Tree House: Go on incredible missions with Jack and Annie as they travel around the world and through time
  • DOGO News: DOGO News has fun articles for kids on current events, science, sports, and more! There are also lots of stories, pictures, videos, games and the DOGO news map for kids!
  • Science Bob: Stuck at home? It’s experiment time. Let’s do this.