Jollification

jol·li·fi·ca·tion | \ ˌjä-li-fə-ˈkā-shən – noun
festivity; fun; merrymaking

For Parents and Guardians: How to Use this Page

Jollification is designed to provide your child with enriching and educational activities he or she can read, watch, listen to, or interact with when you want to keep them engaged while you need a break! Your child can explore other areas of our Parnassus curriculum while you work, make dinner, or take some time for yourself.

Disclaimer: You know your child. While we can make recommendations, it is up to you to determine if third-party content is a fit for your family.

Quick Links:

Core Knowledge Recommended Books
Language, Arts, & Culture
Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics
Character Pillars & Virtues
Great Stories

Core Knowledge Recommended Books

The Core Knowledge Foundation has put together a list of recommended trade books for each school level, based on age-appropriate skills and the content covered at each stage of the Core Knowledge sequence.

Click HERE for the full list.

Language, Arts, & Culture

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Latin

Official NLE Practice App – Online practice for the National Latin Exam.
NJCL Study – Contains resources for the National Latin and Greek exams.

Greek

National Greek Exam – Beginning Attic Greek Quia online practice.
Quizlet – National Greek Exam flashcards.

Classics & Mythology

National Mythology Exam Practice – This Quia quiz helps students practice for the National Mythology Exam. Or, if you prefer, play a Jeopardy-style game or review this Quizlet set.
National Geographic – Zeus the Mighty game– Help Zeus Climb Mount Olympus by scaling obstacles and answering questions about ancient Greece.
National Geographic – Mythical Monsters from Ancient Greece – Learn more about beasts and monsters from Greek mythology.
Ancient Egyptian Mythology – History for Kids and NatGeoKids UK have great resources to learn more about the myths of Ancient Egypt.
Norse Mythology – Visit Mr. Donn’s Vikings: Gods and Myths or Time Nomad’s Norse Mythology page to learn more about Norse mythology and access fun activities and book recommendations.
Southern Connecticut State University Classical Mythology Guide – More suited for older students in the Schools of Logic & Rhetoric, this site has a comprehensive index of mythology resources.

Geography

NatGeoKids Resources:

World Geography Games

History & Culture

Smithsonian History Explorer – Browse American history artifacts and activities.
National Geographic History Hubs – These collections from NatGeoKids explore different topics in history:
African American Heroes
Women Heroes
Native Americans
U.S. Presidents
National Parks
Visit Early American Heritage Sites – History buffs are invited to “visit” Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown, which have both expanded their virtual tours and offer online archaeology and scavenger hunt activities for scholars wanting to learn more about early American history.
Smithsonian History Explorer – The Smithsonian Institute’s History Explorer connects students with exhibits and artifacts from the National Museum of American History and invites them to engage with topics from the past and present.
The British Museum – You can browse the collection or take a virtual tour through the British Museum’s remarkable collection, which includes the Rosetta Stone, friezes from the Parthenon, and much more!
Acropolis Museum – The Acropolis Museum in Greece focuses on the archaeological findings from the original dig site at the Acropolis of Athens. Their website hosts Family Trails for self-guided “visits” to the museum’s online collection and interactive activities.

Visual Art

#MetKids – The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s whimsical site introduces children to the wide world of art.
Tate Kids – London’s Tate Gallery offers activities and explorations of their collections specifically tailored to younger children.
The Center for Public Art History – smARThistory provides guided learning that instructs familes on how to be critical viewers of works of art.
NatGeoKidsUK – Explore the Lives of Popular Artists – Learn about Pablo Picasso or Leonardo da Vinci
Le Gallerie degli Uffizi – Florence’s Gallerie degli Uffizi’s HyperVisions provides the opportunity to explore their collection, which includes famous works such as Michelangelo’s David, through English-language multimedia.
Musée d’Orsay – Visit Paris’ Musée d’Orsay’s virtual collection, which includes legendary works by impressionist and expressionist painters, including Van Gogh, Manet, Gaugin, and more.
National Gallery of Art – The National Gallery has more than 42,000 works in its collection. You can also explore their app for children, which contains interactive activities inspired by works from the museum, along with the ability to create original art.
Read-Alouds and Stories:
Klimt and His Cat (Youtube)
The Magical Garden of Claude Monet (Youtube)
Matisse: The King of Color (Youtube)
Luke’s Way of Looking (YouTube)
Katie and the Starry Night: A Magical Journey Through Van Gogh (YouTube)

Performing Arts

The Kennedy Center
Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center offers a variety of fine arts resources for students:
Great Composers
Instrument Spotter’s Guide
Kid’s Classical Countdown
Inspiration!
Soundtrack to the Seasons
Beethoven Rocks
Your Brain on Music

Royal Albert Hall
Performers from Royal Albert Hall explain Opera for Kids and Classical Music for Kids on their YouTube channel.

The Metropolitan Opera
New York’s Metropolitan opera has made full-length operas available to PBSLearningMedia.

Ballet
Scholars will enjoy these familiar stories interpreted through music and dance:

Peter Pan (Alabama Dance Theatre) – Youtube
Swan Lake (The Kirov Ballet) – Youtube
Sleeping Beauty (Paris’ Opera Bastille) – Youtube
The Nutcracker (New York City Ballet) – Youtube

Learn more about the world of ballet:
Wall Street Journal – Being a Kid in Balanchine’s Nutcracker (Youtube)
A Child’s Introduction to New York City Ballet (Youtube)

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Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math

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Energy Kids – The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s site for children includes a variety of online activities, puzzles, and games that help you learn about using and saving energy.

Smithsonian Science Education Center – The Smithsonian Science Education center is a fun resource for interactive activities relating to various areas of science, including:

Tami’s Tower: Let’s Think About Engineering (Prima – 2G Engineering Design)
Home on the Range (1G-3G Animal Habitats)
Weather Lab (4G – SOL Meteorology)

NASAatHome – In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 13th mission, NASA has expanded their NASAatHome platform to include a wide range of interactive material related to the mission.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – Fun for kids and adults of all ages, the National Museum of Natural History offers a variety of virtual tours.

The American Museum of Natural History – A variety of activities, from virtual tours to fossil digs, is available at the American Museum of Natural History’s website.

The Field Museum – Chicago’s Field Museum’s Mission to the Mesozoic will send you on a quest to find plants and animals across the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods and is just one of the many online activities they offer.

The Franklin Institute – Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute is sharing a variety of videos, interactive online exhibits, and instructions for science demonstrations that can be done at home.

The Exploratorium – The Exploratorium, a science museum and public learning laboratory in San Francisco, has an Explore page where you can play and learn.

Math Fact Practice

Fact Monster – Math fact practice flashcards that are customize-able for your child’s age and math level. Click here to start playing!

Hooda Math – Logic and reasoning, math fact practice and more make up the free educational games at Hooda Math.

Nature and Wildlife

Zoo and Aquarium Livestreams – Numerous zoos and aquaria around the world are hosting daily livestreams where you can watch the animals and learn more about how these institutions care for their special creatures! The San Diego Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Smithsonian National Zoo, and more are all sharing their activities online.

National Park Service – The National Park Service provides online opportunities to “tour” the parks and learn more about their history. You can take a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon , visit Yellowstone National Park, or check out their “Watching Wildlife” webcams.

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Pillars of Character & Virtues

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Good Manners

Good Manners for Kids with Myka Meier – Myka Meier is the founder of Beaumont Etiquette and offers etiquette lessons at the Plaza Hotel. She has YouTube channel for kids called Manners with Myka where children can learn and practice good manners.

George Washington’s Rules of Civility
When he was 14 years old, George Washington wrote out a copy of 110 Rules of Civility in an exercise book. You can explore each rule on the Mount Vernon Website.

The Goops
This classic book from 1900 – part of which is taught in the Parnassus curriculum – teaches us what NOT to do. The Goops have bad manners, so don’t be a Goop! The full illustrated text is available here on Project Gutenberg.