Every Friday, Bike Walk Savannah will release a new virtual bike ride route for you to check out, ranging from 3-20 miles. Try to fit that week’s ride into your schedule.

The new bike ride route info will be posted each Friday on Bike Walk Savannah’s Facebook page here. 

If you go on the ride, share your pictures on social media and tag Bike Walk Savannah and #BikeWalkSAV. Your pictures may appear on Bike Walk Savannah’s Web site and be reposted on their social media.

While riding, you are encouraged to follow safe cycling best-practices. That means wearing a helmet, using your hand signals, and stopping at stop signs and traffic signals.

Find more information on Safe Cycling during COVID-19 tips here.

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Telfair Museums in Savannah will remain closed due to COVID-19.

But museum staff created a new special hub where you can explore Telfair Museums’ collection, watch videos, enjoy kids’ activities and more: TELFAIR TODAY.

The site will be updated weekly. Follow Telfair Museums on social media for additional content!

Visit TELFAIR TODAY.

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Common Sense launched of a new site – Wide Open School – which includes the top education & tech sites/programs to support families and educators who are transitioning to remote learning as a result of the pandemic.

Wide Open School is a a free online resource.

Find it here.

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

When COVID-19 is over, let’s all converge on as many National Parks as possible to celebrate being out of our homes.

But for now, kids can do these National Park programs for kids at home.

Virtual Junior Ranger

Earn National Park junior ranger badges online from home. Check out these special interest Junior Ranger books here that kids of all ages can download and do at home. Topics include night skies, paleontologists, caves, outer space, fishing, archeology, underwater exploration)

(For when social distancing is over: Many National Parks have junior ranger programs that kids can do at home. Find out what junior ranger programs each park has to offer here. )

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Virtual Field Trips to some National Parks

Kids can take online tours or check out views via webcams of National Parks (including watching Yellowstone’s Old Faithful erupt live throughout the day) here. 

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Distance learning with Zion National Park

On Monday April 6 & Wednesday April 8, Zion National Park will host free Distance Learning programs on Zoom for students to join from their homes
* K-2nd grade program at noon EST
* a 4th & 5th grade geology program at 2PM EST
* an ages 8 & older program at 4PM EST.

Space for these programs is extremely limited, and registration will close at the end of the day on Thurs. April 2. To secure a spot for your class and learn more about the equipment needed, please email zion_education@nps.gov with your name, the program you are interested in, and grade level.

Find a more detailed description of the programs here

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Join The National Center for Civil and Human Rights this Thursday, April 2 at 10:30AM for a virtual story time in partnership with the Alliance Theatre.

The book that will be read is Andrea Pinkney’s Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement.

The Alliance Theatre will lead children in song, and provide an opportunity to connect the performing arts to this wonderful story.

This virtual story time is recommended for children 10 and younger. FREE & open to all.

Learn more & register for this special kids’ webinar here.

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More Virtual Storytimes

Online reading of “The Crossover” by author Kwame Alexander, 10:30AM daily on Instagram Live @kwamealexander .

Online free storytime with Oliver Jeffers,  illustrator of many books including The Day the Crayons Quit, on Instagram Live at 1PM @oliverjeffers

Online free storytimes with Olaf, aka Josh Gad on Twitter and Instagram Live @joshgad 

Online free storytimes with children’s book author Dan Santat  “Santat survival school for the pandemic” on Instagram @dsantat 

In partnership with Save the Children and No Kid Hungry, Save with Stories – featuring celebrities reading children’s books – is offered on Instagram and Facebook.

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Telfair Museums in Savannah will now offer #MuseumFromHome activities to bring the Jepson Center’s drop-in studio into your home.

First activity: Kids can create their very own Impressionist Pop-up Book with Telfair Museums’ step by step guide.

Click here to access the free printable activity sheet. Don’t forget to share your books on Telfair Museums social media.

Telfair Museums’ Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, Telfair Academy and the Jepson Center, along with all public programs, will remain closed until further notice.

Telfair Museums is SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Online things for kids to do at home 

Live streaming events

FREE virtual kids’ programs with UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Is., Savannah. Details & registration link here. 

Virtual Art Start for preK kids & their parents hosted by Telfair Museums in Savannah, Thurs. May 21. Details here. 

PBS Kids Read-Along with Michelle Obama, noon on Mondays. Online. Details here. 

Daily online lessons from Georgia Sea Turtle Center, 1PM. Details here.

Live penguin, barrier reef, sea lion, piranha, beluga whale, puffins & jellies webcams @ Georgia Aquarium. Details here.

Online distance learning program with Zion National Park. Details here.

20 Best Live Nature Webcams here. 

Online National Geographic Explorer free classroom offered weekdays for kids. Details here.

Online kids’ free program hosted by Friends of Oatland, FOOVENTURES @ 11AM weekdays. Connect online w/ the animals of Oatland Island Wildlife Center while the wildlife center is closed during COVID-19 pandemic. Details here. 

Online free workshops, museum tours, puppet shows @ Center for Puppetry Arts. Details here.

Online live free zoo learning kids’ program hosted by Riverbanks Zoo, 10AM weekdays. Details here. 

Online live free learning kids’ program hosted by Children’s Museum of Atlanta, 11AM weekdays. Details here. 

Online Kindermusik Savannah classes here. 

Online live video of wild osprey pair via The Landings bird cam  here.

Online live video of butterfly garden via San Diego Zoo buttefly cam here. 

Online free Lunch Doodles with author & artist Mo Willems, 1PM weekdays. Details here. 

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Virtual Field Trips

Live Virtual Field Trip Friday with Georgia Aquarium. Details here.

Virtual visits to several National Parks (including watching Yellowstone’s Old Faithful erupt) here. 

Online virtual field trips to important Georgia events & locations here. 

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company Education Department is making their 2019-2020 touring available FOR FREE online through May 22. Details here. 

Online virtual tour of Telfair Museums’ Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters in Savannah here. 

Online tours of 12 world-famous museums. See them here. 

Online virtual tour with GPB Education of Georgia Tech’s Flowers Invention Studio to get an inside look at the world’s largest student-run makerspace here 

Online programs at Fernbank Museum in Atlanta here.

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Educational

At-Home Activity: Build-A-Story with Savannah Cultural Arts Center. Fun and imaginative, this introduction to improv is appropriate for all ages. Use the icons provided or make your own. Find links to instructions & icon sheet here. 

Hamilton launches free online EduHam for kids. Details here. 

Georgia Historical Society Resources to Support At-Home Learning. Details here. 

Georgia Aquarium’s new At-Home Learning Page. Details here.

Online classes & activities for kids & teens @ Museum of Design in Atlanta here. 

Online Wide Open School hosted by Common Sense, a new, free online resource to support families & educators transitioning to remote learning. Details here. 

Online daily recorded lessons by Horizons Savannah teachers for all Savannah-Chatham County students (K-Middle School) here. 

Online National Park Junior Ranger programs on special interests like caves, night skies, fishing, dinosaurs & more. Details here. 

Ocean School: Three weeks of daily online educational videos followed by a student activity to capture learning for each weekday. Details here.

New online site – Telfair Today –  kids’ home learning educational activities. Details here. 

Online Educational Resources from Common Sense Media here. 

Amazing Educational Resources is a big spreadsheet of tools/programs/services that usually cost money but are being offered for free (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) with info on subject and grade level. Find it here. 

Stream or download eLibrary digital resources for free with your Live Oak Public library card. E-books, e-audiobooks, e-magazines, newspapers, movies, and TV are available anytime from any device at liveoakpl.org/elibrary.

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Art

Online classes & activities for kids & teens @ Museum of Design in Atlanta here. 

Musical Explorers at Home hosted by Savannah Music Festival offers a multi-pronged approach to working with students & families during school closure. Details here. 

Online Savannah Music Festival SMF at Noon30, 12:30PM. At-home & in-studio video performances by 2020 festival artists on the SMF YouTube channel here.

Telfair Museums in Savannah #MuseumFromHome activities. First project: Kids can create their very own Impressionist Pop-up Book. Details here.

Telfair Museums’ tips on sketchbooking for kids. Details here. 

Ben Clanton, author/illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly book series is offering online art classes every Monday on Instagram.

Jarrett Krosoczka, an author/illustrator, is presenting the YouTube video series Draw Every Day with JJK, which can also be found on his website.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company Education Department is making their 2019-2020 touring available FOR FREE online through May 22. Details here. 

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Get moving

Virtual Group Bike Rides with Bike Walk Savannah. Details here.

Word Workout with YMCA of Coastal Georgia. Details here. 

Teddy bear hunt on Islands. Find locations on FB group page here. 

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Virtual Storytimes 

J.K. Rowling releases first non-Harry Potter children’s book in free, online installments. Details here. 

Watch Daniel Radcliffe read 1st chapter of Harry Potter series. Details here.

PBS Kids Read-Along with Michelle Obama, noon on Mondays. Online. Details here. 

Harry Potter at Home, Wizarding World, created by JK Rowling. Details here. 

Online free Dolly Parton storytime: Goodnight With Dolly 7PM Thursdays (starting April 2) with new episodes being broadcast weekly for 10 weeks. On YouTube here.

Online free storytime with Oliver Jeffers,  illustrator of many books including The Day the Crayons Quit, on Instagram Live at 1PM @oliverjeffers

Online free storytimes with Olaf, aka Josh Gad on Twitter and Instagram Live @joshgad 

Online free storytimes with children’s book author Dan Santat  “Santat survival school for the pandemic” on Instagram @dsantat 

In partnership with Save the Children and No Kid Hungry, Save with Stories – featuring celebrities reading children’s books – is offered on Instagram and Facebook.

(We will be adding more online kids’ happenings to SouthernMamas.com)

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GPB’s Georgia Home Classroom site has an array of virtual field trips to important Georgia events & locations including to Indian Mounds @ Ocmulgee National Monument, Kolomoki Mounds State Park, and Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site.

Each field trip includes:

Interviews
360-degree panoramic photography
Interactive elements
Videos
User guide

The virtual field trips align with the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) for social studies as well as the content from GPB’s Georgia Studies digital textbook and Georgia Race Through Time game.

Find the free online field trips here.

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Horizons Savannah teachers are providing daily recorded online lessons that correspond with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System district’s choice board activities. These resources are available to not only Horizons families, but also to the entire Savannah community.

Lessons are tailored to kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third-fifth grades and middle school and can be viewed anytime from any device online here

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

FREE online Ocean School for kids who are stuck at home during COVID-19 & looking for ways to learn beyond their assigned school work

Weeks of daily online educational videos followed by a student activity to capture learning for each weekday.

See it here.

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company Education Department is making their 2019-2020 touring available FOR FREE online through May 22, 2020.

To receive post-performance quiz assignments and answer keys that can be conveniently formatted in Google Classroom, please email katigrace@shakespearetavern.com.

View the performances here. 

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta is now offering free online workshops, museum tours & puppet shows — all FREE from your own home.

Center for Puppetry Arts expanded their Digital Learning platform to include live streaming, and it’s all for FREE. So now you can enjoy curriculum-based workshops and Digital Learning interactive puppet shows online. Just jump onto to Center for Puppetry Arts Facebook page here to see streaming live.

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Every weekday, National Geographic will offer online Explorer Classroom connecting students live with National Geographic Explorers.

Events are free and open to the public. Register for a chance at one of six on-camera spots to ask explorers your questions face to face.

Details & full line-up schedule here. 

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Find more things for Savannah-area kids to do at home here. 

Running out of at-home ideas during this COVID-19 social distancing?

Telfair Museums’ Education Studio Programs Manager, Kip Bradley, shares a few tips and tricks for introducing your children to sketchbooking while they’re at home here.

Feel free to share your kids’ sketches on Telfair Museums Facebook page here.

Telfair Museums is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Amazing Educational Resources is a big spreadsheet of tools/programs/services that usually cost money but are being offered for free (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) with info on subject and grade level.

Find it here. 

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Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

Your kids can participate in a free online childrens’ bookfest via Scholastic Home Base on 3-5PM Thurs. April 2, 2020.

During that time, several authors will engage online during specific time slots.

Find author schedule here. 

Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

You might be isolated during this COVID-19 crisis, but you’re not alone.

Author & artist Mo Willems invites YOU into his studio every day for his LUNCH DOODLE. Willems is author & artist of such favorites as Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny, and all the adventures of Elephant and Piggie.

Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Mo to explore ways of writing and making together. If you post your art to social media, be sure to hashtag it with #MoLunchDoodles!

New episodes will be posted each weekday here at 1PM and then remain online to be streamed afterwards. Check back each weekday here for new LUNCH DOODLES.

Questions? Send them to Willems via email: LUNCHDOODLES@kennedy-center.org

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Online storytimes with illustrators, celebrities

*Oliver Jeffers,  illustrator of many books including The Day the Crayons Quit,  reads his works on Instagram Live at 2PM @oliverjeffers

*Josh Gad—a.k.a Olaf—reads books aloud on Twitter and Instagram Live @joshgad 

*Dan Santat has an online “Santat survival school for the pandemic” on Instagram @dsantat 

Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

Add this to your list of online learning for kids during the COVID-19 school closures: FOOVENTURES – which connects kids online with the animals of Oatland Island Wildlife Center via Facebook Live!

This FREE online kids’ nature virtual program will be live at 11AM on weekdays via the Friends of Oatland Island Facebook page here. 

FREE & open to kids of all ages.

Oatland Island Wildlife Center is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oatland Island Wildlife Center is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

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Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

Children’s Museum of Atlanta started a new FREE virtual program called #CMAatHome.

Each weekday at 11AM, the Museum will provide an interactive activity, vocabulary list, song list or book recommendation to help parents and kids stay engaged with education. Additional programming is expected to launch in the coming days, including live singing and story time with the Imaginators, Q&A sessions with Professor Labcoat and more.

Children’s Museum of Atlanta is temporarily closed but will continue to serve as a beacon of learning through the power of play, with activities continuing on digital platforms until the Museum is able to resume its regular onsite programming schedule.

Find the free virtual program online at childrensmuseumatlanta.org/blog or by following #CMAatHome on Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter

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Riverbanks Zoo & Garden will offer weekday free e-learning for kids starting Thurs. March 19 2020.

Riverbanks is temporarily closed to guests, but kids can still experience new adventures at the Zoo and Garden through Z-Learning–the wilder side of E-Learning.

Each weekday at 10AM beginning Thurs. March 19, Riverbanks will bring the Zoo and Garden right to you through Facebook features including live interactions, behind-the-scenes peeks, fun too-cute-to-handle, plus an activity you can do right at home.

Z-Learning offers children, families and our community a new way to explore the Zoo and Garden while creating connections and inspiring action that will have a lasting impact on conservation.

Click here to join Riverbanks on Facebook and discover Z-Learning at Riverbanks each weekday at 10AM.

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Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

Moss & Marsh in Savannah will offer FREE DIY fun activities for the kids online to help during self-quarantine.

Two FREE live workshops on Moss & Marsh Facebook page.

Batik Painting Tues. March 24 2020 at 11AM
Felt Bowl Thurs. March 26 2020 at 11AM

Materials needed for Batik Painting Thurs. March 24, 11 AM & Felt Bowl Thurs. March 26, 11AM

BATIK PAINTING 3/24 11AM

Learn to create a resist-dyed painting with glue!

Materials needed:
• 2 colors of fabric paints, acrylic paint or RIT dye. Find a recipe to make your own fabric paint here.
• Cotton or rayon item (must be pre-washed) – tea towel, fabric, dress, tote bag, endless options!
• Paintbrush
• Stencil
• Glue stick and/or liquid glue

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FELT BOWL 3/26 11AM

Using wool roving, create your own felted bowl!

Materials needed:

• Wool roving (Available at Hobby Lobby or Amazon)
• An Orange
• Pantyhose
• Ziploc bag
• Soap
• Scissors

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Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

Telfair Museums’ Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, Telfair Academy and the Jepson Center are closed through March 31 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But kids can take a virtual tour of the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters in Savannah

Take the tour here. 

Telfair Museums is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

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Find the Travel & Leisure list world-famous museums that offer virtual museum tours you can take from your couch here.

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Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

Online viewing of the bird nest cam at The Landings can provide live entertainment for those self-quarantined & looking to escape Disney Plus.

These cameras follow ospreys nesting beside the Palmetto golf course at The Landings on Skidaway Island in Savannah.

This year, the ospreys are using a nest built by cam operators and volunteers in fall 2019, after the old nest tree, which died, had to be cut down.

The female laid an egg on March 8 2020 and another March 11 2020. Update: As of April 21, all three eggs have hatched.

Watch here.

Or you can watch here via the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Web site.

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Find more of our new free online things to do at home here. 

SouthernMamas.com is always telling you to get off the screens and get out there and do things with your kids in Savannah and the Lowcountry.

Except now during this COVID-19 pandemic, we’re not. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. Social distancing is key , as in staying home as much as possible and avoiding crowds. That means avoiding playdates, sleepovers, bars, restaurants, parties, or houses of worship. Learn more here.

Georgia Department of Public Health provides a COVID-19 Daily Status report, listing all confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia county by county, updated daily at noon. See it here. 

The State of Georgia has a COVID-19 hotline. Georgians with questions or concerns about COVID-19 (coronavirus) may call this hotline. Hotline Number: 1-844-442-2681

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Things to do at home for kids

Online National Geographic Explorer free classroom offered weekdays for kids. Details here.

Telfair Museums’ tips on sketchbooking for kids. Details here. 

Online kids’ free program hosted by Friends of Oatland, FOOVENTURES @ 11AM weekdays. Connect online w/ the animals of Oatland Island Wildlife Center while the wildlife center is closed during COVID-19 pandemic. Details here. 

Online live free zoo learning kids’ program hosted by Riverbanks Zoo, 10AM weekdays. Details here. 

Online live free learning kids’ program hosted by Children’s Museum of Atlanta, 11AM weekdays. Details here. 

Online Kindermusik Savannah classes here. 

Online virtual tour of Telfair Museums’ Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters in Savannah here. 

Online live free DIY kids’ art workshops, 11AM Tues. March 24 & 11AM Thurs. March 26. Details & materials needed here. 

Online free children’s bookfest, 3-5PM Fri. March 27. Details here. 

Online live video of wild osprey pair via The Landings bird cam  here.

E-books via Live Oak Public Libraries here. 

Travel & Leisure magazine lists 12 world-famous museums that offer virtual tours you can take from your couch. See them here. 

Online free Lunch Doodles with author & artist Mo Willems, 1PM weekdays. Details here. 

Online free storytime with Oliver Jeffers,  illustrator of many books including The Day the Crayons Quit, on Instagram Live at 1PM @oliverjeffers

Online free storytimes with Olaf, aka Josh Gad on Twitter and Instagram Live @joshgad 

Online free storytimes with children’s book author Dan Santat  “Santat survival school for the pandemic” on Instagram @dsantat 

Amazing Educational Resources is a big spreadsheet of tools/programs/services that usually cost money but are being offered for free (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) with info on subject and grade level. Find it here. 

In partnership with Save the Children and No Kid Hungry, Save with Stories – featuring celebrities reading children’s books – is offered on Instagram and Facebook to provide fun and education to kids and parents stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

(We will be adding more online kids’ happenings to SouthernMamas.com)

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Now that Savannah-Chatham public schools & local private schools are closed for March 2020, here’s a homeschool schedule from Kristen Howerton, author of Rage Against the Minivan

UPDATE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED

Bring your kids to a special FREE Bee Day @ Savannah Cultural Arts Center  9:30AM-12:30PM on Thurs. March 19

Felt bees and ceramic hives workshops with the cultural arts staff and an instructional show-and-tell and discussion by the Coastal Empire Bee Keeping Association. Stick around for the FREE screening of “Bee Movie” at 11AM.

9:30-11AM: Felt Bees & Ceramic Hives Workshops
Instructional Show-and-Tell and discussion by Coastal Empire Bee Keeping Association

11AM-12:30PM
Film Screening of “Bee Movie”

FREE | Open to the Community | All ages welcome

Savannah Cultural Arts Center
201 Montgomery St.
Savannah, GA 31401

Register online here. 

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Savannah Cultural Arts Center offers these free or affordable Spring 2020 kid-friendly classes & workshops.

To view the latest updates to events and programming, be sure to visit www.savannahga.gov/arts or call 912-651-6783.

Little Artists Creative Drop-in Play Space
Saturdays, March 21 & 28 • 9AM-Noon
Ages 6 & younger
$5 per child per class

Drop in any time between 9AM-Noon to take part in a creative learning environment that focuses on stimulating the basics of imagination, movement, and fun.

Register online here. 

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Music and Movement
Saturdays, April 4 – 25 • 9:30-10:30AM
4-week class
15 months – 3 years with caregiver
Cost $20

Sign up for this educational experience with Instructor Joanna Walchuk as she takes you through the building blocks of learning songs and dance in a fun, uplifting environment.

Register online here. 

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Home-school Art Program
Thursday, April 9, May 7 10AM-Noon
Ages 6-15
$10 per child

Come join our new Home-school Art Program to learn create and have fun! Each session will offer a different creative and educational activity that will help foster artistic expression. Students will learn a variety of skills across different media while learning about famous artist and art movements. Parents are encouraged to join in own the fun for free.

Register online here. 

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Drop-in Ceramics
Thursday’s (Bi-Weekly) April 2-May 28 10AM-Noon
All ages welcome (ages 10 & younger are not permitted on the wheel)
FREE

Drop in our studio and engage in fun clay based activities with the guidance of our skilled instructor.

Register online here.