No Need To Be Stir Crazy
It’s Spring. There is Plenty To Do.
The world as most of us know it has radically changed, practically overnight. Most of us are at home in self-isolation, doing our part to flatten the curve and stem the spread of the coronavirus. Many of us have also already gotten pink slips, with future paychecks unknown. Hopefully it’s temporary. In the meantime, here are a few ideas for keeping your brain and body active and healthy, and at a six-foot distance in the time of COVID-19.
1. Fill Out The 2020 Census
my2020census.gov
2. Do Your Taxes
irs.gov
3. Spring Clean, Inside And Out
howtocleancanything.com
4. Move, Move, Move
Many gyms and personal trainers are providing virtual classes and training tips for people who are stuck at home. YouTube searches result in all types of classes for interests and fitness levels. If you don’t feel like exercising to a computer, head outside and take a walk, a bike ride, do some yoga in the back yard or work in the garden. The important thing is to move.
5. Sew Face Masks
tinyurl.com/SewFaceMasks
6. Make Homemade Hand Sanitizer
tinyurl.com/MakeDIYHandSanitizer
7. Count your rolls of stockpiled toilet paper. (Sorry, bad joke.)
Virtual Art, Music, Monuments
Music From All Over The World
Go to Radiooooo.com and you will see a map of the world. Click on any country on the map, and select a decade beginning with 1900. It will start playing music from that country and decade. It is very cool. (hat tip to BoingBoing)
Download free coloring books
Libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions around the world are sharing free coloring sheets and books based on materials in their collections. Download, print, and share your favorites. #ColorOurCollections
tinyurl.com/FreeColoringBooks
Doodle With Mo Willems
Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence at Home Mo Willems opens his virtual studio every day to learners worldwide, with new ways to draw, doodle and write. Grab some paper and pencils, pens, or crayons and join Willems to explore ways of writing and making together. If you post your art to social media, be sure to hashtag it with #MoLunchDoodles
kennedy-center.org/mowillems
Take Free Virtual Museum Tours
Google Arts and Tours has teamed up with more than 2500 museums and galleries around the world to provide free virtual tours and tours and online exhibits. The tours include some of the most famous museums in the world – from the Guggenheim in New York City to the British Museum in London.
tinyurl.com/FreeVirtualMuseumTour
Paris Musées, a collection of 14 museums in Paris, has made high-resolution digital copies of 100,000 artworks freely available to the public on their collections website. Artists with works in the archive include Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, Cézanne, and thousands of others.
tinyurl.com/ParisArtwork
Tour A Whole Bunch Of National Parks (from the comfort of your couch)
In this virtual tour you can check out the beautiful landscapes and rugged terrain of national parks, including Arches in Utah, Badlands in South Dakota, Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado, Denali in Alaska, Yellowstone in Wyoming/Montana/Idaho, and more. Powered by Google Earth.
tinyurl.com/TourNationalParks
Dial In For A Story
The Denver Public Library is providing stories, songs and rhymes in English, Spanish, Amharic and Vietnamese. Accessible 24/7; just call 720-865-8500 and follow the prompts.
tinyurl.com/DialInForAStory
Quarantunes
In mid-March, actors Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson announced they were both diagnosed with the coronavirus. CNN reported that in the days after, Wilson decided to “try to brighten everyone’s lives just a little bit.” Thus, the playlist “Quarantunes” was born, and is updated weekly on Spotify. Other playlists have followed, including many of the same songs shown below. What’s on your playlist?
• Warren Zevon: Don’t Let Us Get Sick
• Tiffany: I Think We’re Alone Now
• MC Hammer: U Can’t Touch This
• Police: Don’t Stand So Close To Me
• Thompson Twins: Doctor! Doctor!
• R.E.M.: It’s The End Of The World
• Billy Idol: Dancing With Myself
• Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive
• Queen: Keep Yourself Alive
• Britney Spears: Toxic
• Future: Mask Off
• Bee Gees: Stayin’ Alive
• Ramones: You Sound Like You’re Sick
• Earl Sweatshirt: Nowhere2go
• boy pablo: Sick Feeling
• Young The Giant: Cough Syrup
• Minutemen: Corona
• Donna Summers: Hot Stuff
• Chompers: Wash Your Hands
• Van Halen: Somebody Get Me A Doctor