As we head into the weekend, below are the latest additions to “Stuck at Home Doesn’t Have to Mean Bored at Home.”
But first, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms celebrating Mother’s Day in quarantine! (See below for some ideas.)
The purpose of the original post and these updates is to provide ideas for maintaining some quality of life while on lock down. Note that the original post is updated regularly to contain all of the suggestions, including the updates; these separate (now weekly) update posts are intended to provide an easy way to know what’s new. (I know that these posts are entirely unrelated to the general subject matter of the blog. But, given the circumstances and that I have received a surprising number of appreciative comments about it, I plan to continue for the foreseeable future.)
If you have found things not on my list that others may benefit from, please send them to me, and I will include them in the next update.
In the meantime, enjoy! . . .
Home Not Alone (with Kids)
A blog called kidadl has “loads of free activities for the whole family to get involved in, from STEM experiments and kid-friendly workouts to boredom-busting garden games and epic craft projects and everything in between.”
And, if you want a scavenger hunt where you compete with others – not just those who happen to be stuck in the house with you – The Big Smoke’s “The Stuck at Home Scavenger Hunt!” is available for download and winners are announced every Sunday.
Aquariums, Zoos, Museums & More
The New England Aquarium is now live-streaming both its “Giant Ocean Tank” and “African penguin colony.”
Games (without the Board or Boredom)
Escape rooms are fun in person. And, it turns out that they’re just as much fun virtually. Here are the “9 Best Virtual Escape Rooms For Taking A Rad Adventure While At Home” according to elite daily.
A company called Jackbox has tons of virtual games, including QuipLash, which can be fun for the whole family or just for adults.
Wired has a list of “6 Board Games You Can Play Over Zoom.”
Want to live stream virtual trivia? There are a bunch out there, including Virtual Pub Quiz, which live streams every Thursday at 6:15 EDT, though live streaming starts 25 minutes in advance.
Or, if you prefer to run your own pub-style trivia night, Esquire explains “How To Host A Genuinely Good Virtual Pub Quiz On Zoom Or HouseParty.”
Education
For ages 3 through 18, Outschool offers live online classes over live video chat in a ton of different subject matters.
Music
Vulture suggests that you “Watch These Livestreamed Concerts During Your Social Distancing.”
Whereas, What HiFi? says these these are “22 of the best live music streams and virtual concerts to watch online.”
Pubs and Dining Out (Virtually)
The Irish Post notes that “THE WORLD’S very first virtual Irish pub has opened its doors to the public.” The pub itself is ThePub.ie. Enjoy!
Photography and Video
If you want to see a curated group of people’s recreations of great works of art, Bored Panda says, “People Are Recreating Paintings In This Dutch Instagram Account And Here Are 30 Of The Best Ones.”
Want to make a movie? Start with the trailer. Here’s a how-to: Shelter Inn project 5 @DemonMotors.
Podcasts
Making Sense with Sam Harris. Neuroscientist, philosopher, and author, Sam Harris, covers the human mind, society, and current events.
For a long list of options, Glamour has posted, “It’s your isolation podcast playlist: our round-up of the hottest listens right now.”
Travel (Virtually)
Wish you could hike the Pacific Crest Trail? Well, “This Guy Hiked From Mexico To Canada And Filmed One Second Each Day. Here’s What He Saw In 3 Minutes.” And, if you’re looking for all three of the Triple Crown of Hiking, here is “The Continental Divide Trail in Four Minutes” and “The Appalachian Trail in 5 Minutes.”
Coping with the New (Ab)Normal
While people have been turning to video conferencing as a way to maintain social connections, it certainly pales in comparison to being there. So, Wired has some suggestions options in “ Zoom Not Cutting It for You? Try Exploring a Virtual World.”
In addition to the psychological and economic implications of COVID-19, the extended work-from-home requirements can cause physical discomfort as well. The Washington Post has some good advice in “You’ve been working from the couch or the dining table and now you’re in pain. Try these tips.
Random / Other Lists
The BBC created a page, “Culture in Quarantine: TV, radio and digital schedule,” “to keep public access to art and culture as great as ever.”
If you’re “stuck” home with your significant other, how about “Date night during quarantine: Best date night ideas during lockdown”?
If you need even more, Thrillist has identifies “50 Fun Things You Can Do at Home Right Now in Quarantine.”
And, Glamour offers ideas for “Another Bank Holiday in lockdown! Here are 52 really fun things you can do at home during isolation this weekend.”
And, don’t forget that Sunday, May 10, is Mother’s Day! BestLife has a list of “13 Quarantine Mother’s Day Ideas That Are So Creative” and the New York Post has other suggestions in, “Mother’s Day 2020 activities: Things to do during quarantine.”