In the midst of the chaos and uncertainty that is the Coronavirus pandemic, there has emerged some good. Teachers are working hard to send out virtual lessons. Online subscription services are waiving fees. Establishments that have been forced to close are providing digital resources for free instead. What has it shown us? That humanity is great. Even during this unprecedented time, everyone is rallying together in an effort to help others stay busy (and sane!). Here are some of the resources we’ve been using during our free time.
*This post will be updated frequently; be sure to check back!
Entertainment
- Here is a list of 33 virtual National Park tours you can take.
- PlayBill has a list of 15 Broadway plays and musicals you can watch from the comfort of your own home and 11 Musical TV shows to binge while self-quarantined.
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is offering virtual classroom lessons on their Facebook page.
- Take a tour of the Louvre.
- Hallmark Channel announced a Christmas movie marathon starting on Friday, March 20th.
- Here is a list of upcoming web concerts and live-streams.
- HBO is making a long list of their series and movies available to stream for free. Check out the list here.
Exercise
- Yoga with Adriene offers free yoga classes.
- Fitness Blender offers free workouts, recipes, and articles.
- Fellow Cleveland-based business, Inner Bliss is offering Facebook Live classes.
- Dancing Alone Together has live-streamed dance classes, dance-making prompts, and footage of dance performances to inspire you.
Food
- Michael Symon is conducting live cooking demos each night on the Food Network Kitchen Facebook page.
- Don’t forget about your local small businesses. Many Cleveland-based restaurants are still open for takeout and/or delivery. See a comprehensive list here and here.
- The West Side Market is now offering call-ahead ordering and curbside pickup.
Kids
- Kids can learn to draw, practice origami, paint, and more with Art for Kids Hub lessons.
- Here is a list of virtual field trips.
- The Cleveland Children’s Museum is offering virtual programs including story time for kids.
- Search #OperationStorytime on social media to watch famous people, authors, and illustrators reading children’s books. See a roundup here.
- Scholastic’s Learn at Home site offers resources for teaching remotely by grade level.
- Mo Willems is hosting a livestream lunch doodle each weekday.
- The WonderLab Museum is offering virtual programming on their Facebook page.
- Storyline Online streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books.
- Cosmic Kids Yoga offers yoga classes and mindfulness exercises designed for kids.
- Disney+ released Frozen 2 early.
- NBCUniversal is releasing new movies for rent early, including Trolls World Tour, which will be available for rent on the same day that it is released for theaters.
- Slooh is live-streaming astronomy lessons.
- Here is a list of even more authors doing online read alouds and other activities.
- Shaker Lakes Nature Center has junior naturalist activities for print/download.
- Mystery Science gathered up their most popular science lessons and are offering them for free.
- History articles, worksheets, and quizzes are available on History for Kids.
And, just to put a smile on your face, here are some adorable videos of penguins exploring Shedd Aquarium while it’s closed.
