The internet is massive; there’s so much to do, see, and learn! This blog will take you through just a fraction of the many fun, interesting, and free websites that make the internet an exciting tool in our lives.
Education
There are many creative learning tools that exist on the internet. From virtual museum tours to unique games, try out some of these interesting links.
NASA Space Place:, opens a new window This website provides games, videos, activity ideas, and lots of exciting reading material about the universe.
Stellarium:, opens a new window Get a gorgeous view of the night sky with this digital planetarium.
Metaflora & Metazooa:, opens a new window This guessing game doubles for learning about plant and animal families! Can you find the answer before you run out of guesses?
Ocearch Shark Tracker:, opens a new window Track sharks with the scientists of the Ocearch team and learn how this important research contributes to conservation and a better understanding of our underwater neighbors.
Google Arts and Culture:, opens a new window This vast online collection from Google hosts virtual tours of museums, historic sites, and historic buildings. Additionally, discover unique games and coloring books, along with images and videos spanning art, history, and science. And that’s just the start!
Poetry Foundation:, opens a new window Discovery endless poetry, poets, and essays on this page. You can even sign up to get the poem of the day in your email inbox.
Gale Interactive Science:, opens a new window One of many resources available in our digital library, this database allows you to manipulate and examine 3D models of the things that make up our world and even offers some 3D print designs! Learn something new and then visit the Makerspace.
National Geographic Kids:, opens a new window Yet another resource available with your library card, this database is great for kids who love to learn about the world around them. Full of books, videos, pictures, and more, this is one of my favorite Frisco Public Library resources.
National Park Service – Junior Ranger Online:, opens a new window Planning to head out to the trails? Learn about being a junior ranger with videos, music, and virtual park tours! Plus, learn about ways you can help nature starting at home.
Scratch:, opens a new window Get into coding with this fun and creativity-driven website for kids and educators. You can interact with other people’s projects and make your own.
Internet Archive:, opens a new window One of my absolute favorite places online, this website is a love letter to the internet over the ages. Find old games, movies, music, books, and more on the Wayback Machine.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History:, opens a new window Have you visited a virtual museum tour before? Over the next few links, explore this cool medium of museum learning, starting with the ever-fascinating collections at the Smithsonian!
The Alamo:, opens a new window If you haven’t traveled down to San Antonio before, or even if you just want to take a stroll without the crowds, take a glimpse inside this piece of Texas history with this virtual tour.
Metkids:, opens a new window Explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art with this fun digital tour designed for kids! Click around the museum to see all kinds of neat artworks with descriptions about what they are and where they’re from.
The Louvre:, opens a new window Learning French? You could visit Mango Languages or visit this virtual tour of the Louvre. Stroll through these iconic exhibits and maybe even plan out a future trip. Make sure to stop by the Mona Lisa virtual reality experience.
Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum:, opens a new window Learn about United States aerospace history with a tour of the machines, inventors, and aviators involved! From early flight to space travel, this is a great way to get a closer look at these massive machines.
Fun & Games
Whether you need a new creative tool or a fun and relaxing internet stop, these links will take you lots of fun places.
The Deep Sea:, opens a new window You might not take a submarine to the Mariana Trench in your lifetime, but you can get a sense of the scale and depth of the ocean with this scrollable display. Meet ocean life along the way and learn about where humans have visited.
Cursor Camp:, opens a new window Our cursors work so hard every day, clicking on links and refreshing pages and saving documents. Give your cursor a break at its very own summer camp.
Highlights Kids:, opens a new window Highlights doesn’t just have magazines. Check out their online platform for kids featuring craft ideas, games, jokes, and more.
Draw a horse and watch it run:, opens a new window Easy, right? This activity is a silly way to pass a few minutes, and see horses drawn by other participants.
Cookie Clicker:, opens a new window It's all in the name.
Tate Kids:, opens a new window Explore this UK-based website. A self-described playground, Tate Kids is a fun place for young artists to spend some time. Learn, create, and play in fun and innovative ways on this page.
Clipart Studio:, opens a new window Create digital collages with pre-uploaded magazines and images! Make them unique by uploading some of your own material.
Photopea:, opens a new window This website is a fantastic free alternative to editing programs like Photoshop. If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at some photo editing and digital art, give this website a glance.
Google Earth:, opens a new window Explore the globe with this tool from Google. Get close to beautiful landscapes with 3D view and use street view to walk down roads on the other side of the globe. Hey, is that the Grand Canyon?
Landsat:, opens a new window NASA again, this time with fun visuals: type in your name and then see satellite images spell it out.
Puzzles
Word puzzles? Numbers? More games? Try some of these popular and lesser-known puzzles.
Wordle:, opens a new window This well-enjoyed NYT game is a fun daily challenge! See if you can guess the word in six tries.
Connections: Another NYT favorite. Can you figure out the word relations between four groups of four?
Globle:, opens a new window Test your geography knowledge by guessing the mystery country every day.
Worldle:, opens a new window More geography fun! Guess the country based on its shape, and then keep guessing to find neighboring countries, capitals, and more.
Colorfle:, opens a new window Can you figure out what colors to mix that match up with the color of the day?
Synonuity:, opens a new window Starting with a new word every day, try to connect as many synonyms as possible. Can you reach 40?
Sudoku:, opens a new window Did you know that Sudoku has been around since 1979? Choose your level—ranging from easy to extreme—and see if you can solve this classic numbers puzzle.
2048:, opens a new window Time travel back to 2014 with this popular numbers game. Try matching the tiles all the way up to the number 2048.
Spotle:, opens a new window Calling all music lovers! Try to find the artist of the day in 10 guesses.
Sporcle:, opens a new window This website is chock-full of puzzles and games. There's a little something for everyone here.
Jigsaw Explorer:, opens a new window A simple puzzle website, stop here for some calm clicking and enjoyable scenery.
And More!
Bouncing DVD logo:, opens a new window Maybe you need a quick brain break after all of this. If so, pull up a bouncing DVD logo and wait to see if it will hit the corner—a tried and true fun way to pass some time.
Whether you’re looking for something to learn, a little fun, a challenge, some collaborative creativity, or a bit of unexplainable silliness, someone out there has created a resource for billions of internet users to enjoy! Do you have a favorite digital place to visit?
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