April 2021 update: I had no idea, when I first posted this, how long we would “cocoon”! Now that the weather is turning beautiful again, and the pandemic is receding in many places, you may not need so many virtual activities. It’s been wonderful to hear from some visitors that they found these resources helpful!
Go outside when you can–keeping your six-foot distance from others and your masks on. Enjoy sunshine if you have it. Dig in the dirt a little. Rescue an earthworm. Make chalk art on your sidewalk or driveway. Some neighborhoods are creating scavenger hunts by putting various images in their windows (shamrocks, flowers) to be “found” by children passing by.
READ
The Sun Magazine https://thesunmagazine.org/ (now available without a paywall but you should subscribe anyway…)
Also: an excellent time to catch up on your unread books pile. You know you have one! Please support independent bookstores by making your purchases through www.bookshop.org Your local bookstore will benefit–and you still get about a ten percent discount on your books!
VIRTUAL TOURS
- Art Institute of Chicago https://www.artic.edu/collection
- Louvre Museum, Paris https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
- National Gallery of Art, Washington DC https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-of-art-washington-dc?hl=en
- Metropolitan Museum of Art https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/van-gogh-museum?hl=en
- Uffizi Gallery, Florence Italy https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/uffizi-gallery?hl=en
- Smithsonian Open Access https://www.si.edu/openaccess
- Much more available at www.openculture.com including movies, MOOCs, audio and e-books, and more
LEARN
http://www.openculture.com/free_k-12_educational_resources a listing of video lessons, apps, books (audio, e and text), test prep and more
Scholastic’s Learn at Home–200 free online resources https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
Mo Willems’ Democracy Doodle https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/
Free self-paced online cooking videos https://www.177milkstreet.com/school/classes/online-classes
A compilation of cooking classes led by restaurant chefs, many offered via Instagram: https://www.eater.com/pop-culture/2020/3/26/21195591/restaurant-chefs-virtual-cooking-classes-instagram-live-tiktok-coronavirus-impact-covid-19
Oceans Initiative Free virtual marine biology camp (archived videos) https://oceansinitiative.org/virtual-marine-biology-camp-videos-more/
Science experiments to do at home with kids: https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/
VIEW
Chloe and Logan recommend this virtual car trip through the USA and fun geography games:
https://www.partsgeek.com/mmparts/a_virtual_car_trip_through_the_usa.html
National Theatre Live. A new play each week, some free, some for donations. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDq1XzCY0NIOYVJvEMQjqw
Zoo webcams
- San Diego Zoo https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo webcams and downloadable activities https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams
- Reid Park Zoo Lion Cam in Tucson, AZ http://reidparkzoo.org/cameras/lion-cam/
- Ouwehand Park Polar Bear Cubs in Rhenen, Netherlands https://explore.org/livecams/polar-bears/polar-bear-ouwehand-twin-cubs-cam-2
Aquarium webcams
- Monterey Bay Aquarium https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-exhibits/live-web-cams
- Georgia Aquarium https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/
- National Aquarium Virtual Tour http://samuraivirtualtours.com/example/nadc/index.html
- Virtual Tour of the Seattle Aquarium
Wild animal viewing https://explore.org/livecams
Lots more links to animals and conservation at: https://www.highrises.com/animal-conservation-the-san-diego-zoo.php (thanks to Justine and Marie!). Please note that although the overall site is related to condominiums, the content on this page is excellent.
Cartoon interview series (thanks, Helen and Kate!) https://www.youtube.com/user/blankonblank
Exquisite Corps. 42 choreographers doing one dance; hypnotic and you will want to incorporate dance into your own daily life! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3pFxsYPLgU
Daily Ray of Hope. A beautiful photo emailed to you each day from the Sierra Club https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra-club-email/daily-ray-of-hope
LISTEN
Audible has hundreds of free audiobooks for kids while schools are closed: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
NPR’s list of live virtual concerts https://www.npr.org/2020/03/17/816504058/a-list-of-live-virtual-concerts-to-watch-during-the-coronavirus-shutdown
Free literacy program where actors read to children https://www.storylineonline.net/
Calendar of online concerts https://www.stayathomefest.com/
Many of your favorite musicians continue to offer donation-based concerts from their homes via Youtube, Patreon, Zoom, or Facebook Live. Search them out and enjoy the show.
CREATE
A google doc listing lots of art contests, art games, digital art, and prompts for you to create: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EVMQiHHKugF4RQ071DzimkSKn1AuiBNOJ-i6xs1mBts/preview
Writing prompts for young writers from 916 Ink: https://www.916ink.org/prompts
MOVE
Get outside as much as you can, keeping that important six foot distance!
Dance Church virtual get-togethers on Sunday mornings, offered on a sliding scale. https://go.dancechurch.com/
Full length yoga classes from the Yoga Seed: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ139QuBv0YDVGrypmAOqzg?view_as=subscriber
One-hour yoga class led by Jim Murphy https://drive.google.com/open?id=1J7jVugifgLcZbgyiC_jKOPK-NrGVulZH
Learn dances (Irish step and more) for preK-5th grade https://sites.google.com/sfusd.edu/shonamitchell
SUPPORT
In the Rooms, free online recovery tool https://www.intherooms.com/home/
Online AA meetings http://aa-intergroup.org/directory.php
Have suggestions for additions to this page? Send them to me via the Contact page. And thanks for reading!