By Brandy Rollins, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Spring break is the perfect time to explore, visit loved ones and make memories with your family. It’s also a time that can be punctuated with the dreaded phrases “I’m bored!” or “How much longer?” The spirit of adventure can quickly be lost, leaving misery in its place. If you’ve traveled with kids once, or one hundred times, you know that a little bit of thoughtful preparation can go a long way. No matter how exciting the destination may be, families can always benefit from some well-planned entertainment to make the journey itself more pleasant.
Fortunately, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s digital resources are the perfect companions for your upcoming travel plans. There are a variety of resources that can help you pass the time and, before you know it, you can answer “Are we there yet?” with a resounding “YES!” The best part? Due dates and returning materials are not on the itinerary. Browse, checkout and return the following materials right from your computer or mobile device.
Here are some of our favorite suggestions for taking the Library on your next family trip.
E-books are a wonderful way to pass the time as you travel – An extensive number of children’s e-books are available through Overdrive and Hoopla. You can find some of our most popular titles for kids, including old classics and new favorites from every genre. Don’t know where to start? Check out these lists, highlighting the New York Times best sellers for 2020 with great picture book options and chapter book titles for readers of all ages.
Check out Freegal Music and queue up one of our featured playlists, or get creative and cultivate the perfect car karaoke playlist with your family’s favorite songs. With over 10 million songs to choose from, there’s something for everyone in the catalog. You can download five songs for free each month or stream unlimited content from the Freegal app.
Pack some popcorn and everyone’s favorite candy and check out a kid friendly movie, available on Hoopla or Kanopy. Streaming video is a game changer for traveling with kids. Hoopla’s kid safe content will allow your young passengers to choose their videos, and change their minds, easily. Kanopy has a more extensive collection, and optional parental controls, so your little copilots can safely navigate a variety of options.
One simple way to fill hours of travel time is listening to audiobooks. When beautifully written literature meets oral storytelling, the results can be magical. This list of downloadable audiobooks has options to get your family laughing, crying, and having great conversations. This collection includes great reads for younger elementary students, all the way through teenagers, and all of the titles are engaging and entertaining for adults as well.
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