With the library closed, where do you go to get free children’s books? Here’s our round up the free book portals we’ve found online. If you know of anything we’ve missed, let us know.
We’ll add more resources as we find them.
Falkirk LIbraries free ebook and audiobook service
Our RB Digital offers quick access to books, audiobooks and magazines for adults and kids. Check out the titles by clicking the links below.
RB Digital is easily accessed in the app, available for Apple, Android and Kindle Fire. It keeps your ebooks, audiobooks and magazines in the one place.
How to register using the app: ⦁ Visit your app store and install RB Digital ⦁ When you open the app you’ll be given the choice to log in or register ⦁ Choose ‘Register now’ ⦁ Pick your country and find ‘Falkirk Community Trust Ltd’ in the list ⦁ Enter your library card number and create an account as prompted on the screen ⦁ You’ll log in from now on with your username and password.
If you’re not already a member of Falkirk LIbraries, you can get a temporary online membership by filling in this web form.
Falkirk Learning Resource Service ebooks and eAudiobooks
If you go to school in the Falkirk area that means you’ll have a school Glow account. That means you can use the Schools’ Learning Resource Service Borrowbox app! They have ebooks and audiobooks.
Amazon Audible have given free access to a range of kids audiobooks during lockdown.
Storyline Online has story videos for children from nursery, through primary age. Take a look at the age recommendations, keeping in mind they are in American grade school format. For primary age you’re looking at grades 1-6.
Oxford Owl have range of their reading tree and phonics books for various ages
Amazon Kindle offers a range of free downloads for children ebooks:
Booktrust has storybooks to read online for younger readers
Help for children with dyslexia
Barrington Stoke produce super-readable fiction designed to support young readers with dyslexia.
The web is poor substitue for getting out and seeing nature in person, but there are some incredible resources online that let you get up close, without the risk of losing your arm to some sharp teeth!
Nature cams
Explore.org is a one-stop shop for live nature cams. There’s pretty much any animal you can think of – and maybe a few you haven’t heard of before!
Close to home
Wildlife Trusts’ wildlife cams have footage from nature reserves around the UK. Rabbits, osprey, badgers, owls, puffin. Now that spring has sprung, there’s bound to be some great action. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/webcams
Chester Zoo have been recording virtual zoo visits and sharing to You Tube. We love red pandas.
Highland Wildlife Park Home to snow leopards, lynx and the Scottish wildcat. Check out the snow monkey feed at 11.30am.
Further afield
Vienna Zoo (Tiergarten Schönbrunn) is consdiered to be the best in Europe. Their You Tube cams are worth checking out, especially for the polar bear cub and elephant calf. Do bear in mind the narration is in Austrian!
San Diego Zoo Pandas, elephants, all the big favourites are here. Remember the time difference!
Monterey Bay AquariumThe sea otter cam is our favourite! Remember the time difference!
Yosemite National Park has cams for their main visitor spots. It’s also worth following their instagram for the Park Ranger Q&As. Remember the time difference – we tried to view Bridal Veil Falls in the dark!
Rosie from Larbert Library has been scouring the web for simple projects. She’s looking forward to trying some of these arty ideas, most of which use things you probably already have around the house.
