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Outdoor Resources

Getting to see so much of what our local communities have to offer is one of the best ways to strengthen our homeschool sparks. To help you gather those resources, we've gathered up some metaphorical firewood for your bonfire with this list of parks, nature centers, and other recreational opportunities available.

*Each title takes you directly to the relevant section.

  • Missouri Parks in the Kansas City Metro Area

    • Kansas City, MO Parks​

    • Independence Parks

    • Lee's Summit Parks

    • Blue Springs Parks

    • Grandview Parks

    • Raytown Parks

    • North Kansas City Parks

    • Gladstone Parks

    • Liberty Parks

    • Platte Woods Parks

    • Parksville Parks

    • Belton Parks

  • Kansas Parks in the Kansas City Metro Area​

    • Kansas City, KS Parks​

    • Overland Park Parks

    • Shawnee Parks

    • Lenexa Parks

    • Mission Parks

    • Olathe Parks

  • Nature Centers​

    • Lakeside Nature Center​

    • Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center

    • Burr Oak Woods Nature Center

    • James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area

    • George Owens Nature Park

    • Kansas City Community Gardens

    • Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary

    • Powell Gardens

    • Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead

    • Ernie Miller Park & Nature Center

    • Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Garden

    • Prairie Oak Nature Center

    • Clement Waters​

Missouri Parks in the KC Metro Area

Kansas City Public Library Resources

  • Branches in Kansas City (MO), Independence, and Sugar Creek: There are many branches of the Kansas City Public Library system. Each offers a diverse range of services, but we have gathered the ones most pertinent to homeschooling families.

  • Free Library Card and No Fines on Late Materials: A library card is free and offers access to a wide range of physical and online resources. The Kansas City Public Library system has no fines for late materials.

  • Summer Reading Program: Every year the Kansas City Public Library system offers a summer reading program with prizes.

  • Individual Branches

    • Digital Branch: Offers digital materials to borrow, including eBooks, audiobooks, streaming resources, and online learning

    • Bluford Branch: Offers a large selection of materials, including an outstanding selection of African American literature, as well as a Health and Wellness Center and Family Storytime events

    • Central Branch: Offers a wide variety of events for children and adults as well as the main administrative branch. This is the location of the iconic parking garage with book spines, so you will want to grab a selfie while there.

    • Missouri Valley Special Collections in the Central Branch: Offers an enormous selection of non-circulating materials for local Kansas City history and genealogical research. There is also a huge collection of digital resources, including photographs, oral histories, and more. This also houses the Black Archives of Mid-America Oral History Project.

    • North-East Branch: Offers a large selection of Spanish-language materials for children and adults as well as materials in other languages. This is the home for Refugee and Immigrant Services and Empowerment, including citizenship educational resources. 

    • Plaza Branch: Offers a huge selection of children's books and special children's area. There is also the famous "Good as Gold" book sculpture and a coffee shop as well as community meeting rooms.

    • Ruiz Branch: Offers a large selection of Spanish-language materials as well as bilingual librarians. There is also a seed library and passport services available at this branch.

    • Southeast Branch: Offers a huge selection of African American literature as well as children's folklore materials. There is also a free Kids' Café, which provides meals for all children ages 1 - 18 from 3:30 - 4:30. This is also the home branch for the KC Digital Media Lab, which offers hands-on tech tools for children 10 - 18.

    • Sugar Creek Branch: Offers a small storefront library branch that also includes passport services.

    • Trails West Branch: Offers a good selection of materials as well as a large community meeting room. Passport services are also available at this branch.

    • Waldo Branch: Offers a community meeting space with study spots for children and adults. They also offer a free Kids' Café with meals for children ages 1 - 18.

    • Westport Branch: Offers a large selection of children's books as well as meeting space. 

  • Services for Educators: These are special services that help educators, including homeschooling families, to receive extra help in finding resources and planning field trips to certain library branches.​

Kansas Parks in the KC Metro Area

Mid-Continent Public Library Resources

  • Branches throughout the greater metro area, including the suburbs: Another large library system that serves the needs of people in the Kansas City Metro is the Mid-Continent Public Library system.

  • Summer Reading Program: Each summer, there is a themed summer reading program that offers book prizes for reading. Their selection of prize books is particularly good.

  • Adult Winter Reading Program: There is an adult winter reading program that has a changing theme with a prize mug for reading five books in two months.

  • Free Library Card: There are free library cards available that allow users to borrow physical and digital resources. Their eBook and audiobook collections on the Libby app are extensive.

  • Individual Branches

Nature Centers
in the KC Metro Area

Johnson County Public Library Resources

  • Branches in Kansas City (MO), Independence, and Sugar Creek: There are many branches of the Kansas City Public Library system. Each offers a diverse range of services, but we have gathered the ones most pertinent to homeschooling families.

  • Free Library Card and No Fines on Late Materials: A library card is free and offers access to a wide range of physical and online resources. The Kansas City Public Library system has no fines for late materials.

  • Branches

    • Digital Branch: Offers digital materials to borrow, including eBooks, audiobooks, streaming resources, and online learning

    • Bluford Branch: Offers a large selection of materials, including an outstanding selection of African American literature, as well as a Health and Wellness Center and Family Storytime events

    • Central Branch: Offers a wide variety of events for children and adults as well as the main administrative branch. This is the location of the iconic parking garage with book spines, so you will want to grab a selfie while there.

    • Missouri Valley Special Collections in the Central Branch: Offers an enormous selection of non-circulating materials for local Kansas City history and genealogical research. There is also a huge collection of digital resources, including photographs, oral histories, and more. This also houses the Black Archives of Mid-America Oral History Project.

    • North-East Branch: Offers a large selection of Spanish-language materials for children and adults as well as materials in other languages. This is the home for Refugee and Immigrant Services and Empowerment, including citizenship educational resources. 

    • Plaza Branch: Offers a huge selection of children's books and special children's area. There is also the famous "Good as Gold" book sculpture and a coffee shop as well as community meeting rooms.

    • Ruiz Branch: Offers a large selection of Spanish-language materials as well as bilingual librarians. There is also a seed library and passport services available at this branch.

    • Southeast Branch: Offers a huge selection of African American literature as well as children's folklore materials. There is also a free Kids' Café, which provides meals for all children ages 1 - 18 from 3:30 - 4:30. This is also the home branch for the KC Digital Media Lab, which offers hands-on tech tools for children 10 - 18.

    • Sugar Creek Branch: Offers a small storefront library branch that also includes passport services.

    • Trails West Branch: Offers a good selection of materials as well as a large community meeting room. Passport services are also available at this branch.

    • Waldo Branch: Offers a community meeting space with study spots for children and adults. They also offer a free Kids' Café with meals for children ages 1 - 18.

    • Westport Branch: Offers a large selection of children's books as well as meeting space. 

  • Services for Educators: These are special services that help educators, including homeschooling families, to receive extra help in finding resources and planning field trips to certain library branches.​

Recreational + Community Centers in the KC Metro Area

Kansas City Public Library Resources

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