by 50Plus-Today staff writer
Hunkered down for now with lots of anxiety about how the coronavirus pandemic will play out, I try to stay optimistic. With a whole lot less rushing around, I tell myself I have time for some of the things I try to make time for regularly, but don’t.
So, since I started to “social distance” myself, I organized a particularly messy closet, caught up with numerous out-of-town friends by phone and took a few long walks with my spotify song list for company. I also played about 20 games of backgammon with my husband on our old set from college, which was more fun than I remember. One friend told me she continues her yoga practice from the gym by herself at the park, or at home in her hallway when the weather is bad. Another shared she cooks and freezes healthy meals. One of my writer friends said she spends time composing long letters on paper, not on the computer, to send through USPS to friends; what a wonderful gift those letters will be for the recipients!
Here are some additional ideas about how to continue to pass the time moving forward (updated regularly):
Theater
Broadway fans around the world can now stream the works of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber on YouTube. The series, called “The Shows Must Go On” will stream weekly to help ease cabin fever during quarantine. The shows will be available to watch for 48 hours after the premier. 18 Must Watch Documentaries for Broadway Musical Fans
These essential documentaries capture some of the most fascinating and legendary entertainers, writers, and musicals in Broadway history Read more
Games
Play a variety of fun Mah Jongg games virtually! No need to crowd around a small table.
If you no longer have your old set from college, no worries. You can play online for free!
Create a room online and invite your friends! Read more
Fun and a good way to keep your mind sharp
Enjoy this classic sudoko with 3 levels of difficulty.
Every day a new themed puzzle to enjoy and help keep your brain sharp!
MIND GAMES
Brain, math, puzzle and word games, sudokus and memory games
GAMES FOR THE BRAIN
Neveverending quiz, memory & brain games to train your thinking.
Explore the beauty of Dallas through these new virtual puzzles! All your favorite spots – Deep Ellum, Dallas Farmers Market, Uptown, White Rock Lake and more! Simple and fun for all skill levels – play on your phone or desktop.
TRAVEL RELATED
Spring is here and still beautiful…take a virtual walk through these seven Southern gardens Read more Experience the beauty of Japan from the comfort of your own home! Read more Visit the plantation of George and Martha Washington online! The estate is situated on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia. Read more 13 Books to Transport You to Sun, Surf and Sea Read more You can take virtual tours of some of the most famous works of art around the world. Stay healthy in the comfort of your own home while experiencing masterpieces housed in twelve wonderful museums located all over the world. Google has partnered with venues such as the Guggenheim, the British Musuem , the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art,the Musee d’Orsay, the Van Gogh Museum and others for your low risk enjoyment! Read more
MORE VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS
Farm Tours – Learn about agriculture through these virtual tours of farms in Canada. Houston Zoo – Watch animals in several of their exhibits via live webcam. Mars – Explore the surface of Mars in a 360-degree view while learning about the planet and space exploration. Guggenheim From Home-.Visitors can explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece through an online gallery, and a podcast on its design and history. M+ Collections – Browse more than 5,000 objects of visual culture from its Hong Kong collection. This vast online inventory can be searched by theme or artist. Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s renowned cultural district of contemporary art galleries, non-profit organizations and homegrown businesses, created a digital alternative with 360° exhibition views and interviews with gallerists called Alserkal Online – created in response to our “new normal”.
Find your favorite games from the past, get some popcorn and enjoy! Read more The story of Baseball is the story of America. It is a saga spanning the quest for racial justice, the clash of labor and management, the transformation of popular culture, and the unfolding of the national pastime.
THEN & NOW WITH BRAD SHAM
The iconic voice of America’s Team comes to VOKAL MEDIA with a show that goes beyond the usual Xs and Os and gets to the heart of the people who make sports a passion for all of us. “The purpose of the podcast series is to showcase the diverse interests of those I interview and break stereotypes. I want listeners to get past the public persona and get to know the person”, says Brad.
YOGA
YOME – YOUR HOME FOR YOGA
Click over to the YOME website instead of searching through YouTube for free online yoga tutorials! This site catalogs hundreds of YouTube yoga videos. You can sort by level, style, or topic (“detox,” “knee pain”). It’s easy to build your own library of routines as Yome allows users to save videos to a list of favorites. Great for people who want to try a new routine every day.
GENTLE YOGA FOR TERRIBLE TIMES
Chronic stress takes a devastating toll on mental and physical well-being. Human beings are not meant to be in fight or flight mode all the time! If you are exhausted, stressed out, burnt out, or simply want to relax and nourish your mind, body, and spirit, this class is for you. The goal of the class is to help you find a bit of peace and relaxation during a stressful time in our lives. Register in advance for simple and accessible breathing exercises, stretches and guided meditation. NO EXPERIENCE necessary.
Adrienne hosts the YouTube channel, Yoga with Adriene, an online community of over 6 million subscribers. She publishes free Yoga Videos and has a library of over 500 free videos and growing. YOGA FOR CHRONIC PAIN with Adriene
Join this 25 min practice that you can do on a mat or seated in a chair! Chronic pain can play a large role in the mind-body relationship. Regular at-home yoga is a great tool to help with the daily functions of those suffering from chronic pain. Find What Feels Good.
Try Kassandra’s free 30 days of yoga! She also offers a series that includes 7 full length yin yoga classes suitable for all experience levels.
FITNESS
HASfit HOME
Free, full length workout videos for all fitness levelsHASfit stands for Heart And Soul fitness because this organization feels strongly that everyone deserves to be fit. Free, full length workout videos for all fitness levels.
FITNESS BLENDER
Many turn to Fitness Blender for its great no-frills workouts. The channel has approximately 600 workouts from which to choose of varying degrees of difficulty. Many do not require any equipment and are free.
Home Work-Ins for anyone and everyone. Stay active with their personal trainers and even some surprise celebrity guests.
Choose a total body, HIIT, kickboxing, pilates or core workout! Compiled by FitnessBlender.com
All levels welcome. Twenty-three exercise videos include pilates, barre, core, body toning, back pain relief and more.
Soca Tworkout Fitness is a dance workout program that uses dance as a way to help TONE and SCULPT your body while burning calories for free! Get ready to SWEAT!
ARTS
VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS
You can take virtual tours of some of the most famous works of art around the world. Stay healthy in the comfort of your own home while experiencing masterpieces housed in twelve wonderful museums located all over the world. Google has partnered with venues such as the Guggenheim, the British Musuem , the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art,the Musee d’Orsay, the Van Gogh Museum and others for your low risk enjoyment! Read more SOCIAL DISTANCING FESTIVAL
This site celebrates art from all over the world, showcasing amazing talent, coming together as a community at a time when we need it more than ever. Read more If you’ve never folded anything before and want to learn how, this site has an excellent guide for beginners and a giant database of free diagrams and video instructions too. While you’re there, take a look at some of the amazing work from a variety of very talented artists. Read more Start and feed a daily art practice. Classes by Ria Sharon from Practice Makes Better
Join a class from the “Drawing Together” program from Artists Network. This class focuses on teaching you to draw a real live tree.
Learn 3 Key brushstroke techniques with Paul Jackson from Artists network!
Free live art classes, suitable for all ages and skill levels. Classes are taught using watercolor paints and modified for colored pencils, markers and crayons. New class every Monday in May at noon at Plano Art & Events on Facebook and rebroadcast on IGTV on Instagram. Classes include: Hot Air Balloons, Prickly Pear Cactus. Lemons, and Bluebonnets and more
Learn to draw under the guidance and demonstration of professional instructors through the free online art videos at Jerry’s Artarama! Includes techniques in pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, technical pens with colored inks, and more. Landscape, architecture, figure and portrait drawing, and even cartooning—follow along to create your own piece of art.
Free calligraphy tutorials for beginners. A place where people can learn calligraphy who have never touched a calligraphy pen.
This four-module program from Michigan State guides brand-new photographers through the ins and outs of digital photography, and arms them with a fundamental set of skills.
The Met hopes to brighten the lives of our audience members by offering a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series every day. Nikon is offering their online classes throughout April for free. Choose from a variety of topics such as PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN AND PETS, EXPLORING DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITURE and more!
Subscribe for free and stream on YouTube. Broadcasts will be held Saturday nights until May 9th from 8 – 9:30 pm.
ONLINE COURSES (FREE)
Wide variety of unique and interesting self-paced courses to choose from Read more
Take advantage of these free classes!
TRANSFORM YOUR SPACE WITH JOY
How to bring joy into your home with Feng Shui inspired design…take advantage of this free course for more peaceful surroundings.
SENIOR PLANET
Senior Planet offers a variety of interesting classes free to anyone age 60+. Fitness, nutrition, communication, technology and more!
For centuries, we’ve known that the health of the brain and the body are connected. But now, science is able to provide insights into how to make lifestyle choices that may help you keep your brain and body healthy as you age. Take this free course to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement, and use hands-on tools to help you incorporate these recommendations into a plan for healthy aging.
A group of creative, passionate Harry Potter fans got together and built an online, fully-functioning Hogwarts where thousands of fans can come together, participate in online courses, earn House Points and so much more. It’s Real for Us – and it’ll feel real to you,too.Try some of the most popular courses like Defense Against the Dark Arts or Potions. HISTORY
“Did you know…” You’ll love these fresh and fun perspectives on various topics: music, sports, politics, Hollywood and more. Read more BOOKS
Whether you are at home or cautiously peeking out into the world, you need books for ESCAPISM from the news. Summer brings longer days,warm weather and outdoor fun Or, indoor relaxing. From GREAT THOUGHTS GREAT READERS founder, Andrea Peskind Katz, this list contains thrillers, contemporary and historical fiction, romances and fantasy picks…something for everyone.
Find thousands of free audiobooks online Read more 13 Books to Transport You to Sun, Surf and Sea Read more This incredible collection of stories, in 6 different languages, are free to stream on your laptop, desktop, phone or tablet as long as schools are closed.
BINGE TV
Stuck at home? Here’s a list of good shows to take your mind off the coronavirus. Depending on what you like, this list provides programming sure to help pass some time. Read more Stuck at home? Here’s a list of good shows to take your mind off the coronavirus. Depending on what you like, this list provides programming sure to help pass some time. Read more
If you are self-isolating and have a thing for bonnets and a love story, these period dramas will keep you entertained for hours. Read more COOKING
“I was 32 when I started cooking. Up until then, I just ate.” Witty and entertaining, Julia took the world by storm with her cooking shows
Joe the Baker (his last name is actually Baker!), a Coppell Chef who started a free Facebook Live series with his 6 year old son, Blais. Each video includes kid-friendly recipes that are also useful for families struggling to find ingredients in high demand right now. Fun for all ages! Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3pm.
With grilling season fast approaching and many of us spending more time at home than usual, Traeger Grills recently launched a weekly video series called Traeger Kitchen Live. Go live each week with a professional chef or pitmaster to walk through one of their favorite grilling recipes and their best tips and tricks. Videos stream Thursdays at 6pm EDT, and previous week’s videos are available 24/7.
MEDITATION
Relax and unwind with Dr. Barach: Entire library is available at no charge! Includes basic, heart, open awareness and reflections meditations.
Join the Art of Living Boston Chapter for an hour long session that includes a 20 min guided meditation, some breathwork and yogic wisdom. All are welcome- No experience in meditation is necessary. Every Wednesday at 5pm and Saturday at 11am
What are you doing to keep yourself entertained? We would love to hear from you!
image source: donterase from pixaby
Originally published April 12, 2020. Revised July 3, 2020
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Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome!
Thanks for sharing!