At-home learning #16

Shop (yes!) locally
You can still do a lot of everyday tasks and shopping while stores are closed. And get something yummy when you're bored with your own cooking. Here's a list of Bangor businesses that are doing curbside pickup and/or delivery:
https://downtownbangor.com/curbside-take-out-and-delivery-options/

Go to a concert
Numerous orchestras and other music organizations in Europe and the U.S. are offering streaming concerts free. We've posted some of these before, but list is really comprehensive. It's updated frequently. Note that many of the concerts are streamed live, so you'll want to tune in at the right time.
https://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newsstory.cfm?storyid=44766&categoryid=1&archived=0

Visit a museum
We've talked about this before, but more and more museums are making their collections available online. Here's another list:
https://toomeyco.com/12-virtual-museum-exhibits/

At-home learning #15

Help us help our members!
It looks like we'll be home for another month. Please help us all keep active and happy by sending us suggestions for stay-at-home learning and activities. Use "Email us" form at the side of this page.

Meanwhile, stay Covid-aware:
Much of what we hear is conflicting and confusing. A good source of information is the New York Times, and they've made much of their Covid-19 coverage available for free:
https://www.nytimes.com/news-event/coronavirus?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_NN_p_20200330&instance_id=17179&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=69785018&section=topNews&segment_id=23277&te=1&user_id=a36a676a73b375d8813b3a15abd8d024

At-home learning #14

We've hit a milestone: two weeks of at-home learning suggestions. Scroll down (and keep scrolling!) to find over 50 ideas and links for continuing to stretch your brain while hunkering down at home. And more to come!

Find a new place to walk
Tired of the neighborhood? How many places can you think of to take a walk after a short drive, say, within 10 miles of your house? Or even 20 miles? Trails are still muddy, but there are possibilities. Even a different neighborhood in your own town could be fun.

Have a cleaning contest
Challenge your family or friends to see who can come up with the cleanest closet, most empty drawers, most bags for the Salvation Army, or whatever challenge you can think of. We're currently closing in on an embarrassing goal: the most-expired canned good/spices. Current champ: a 2014 bottle of sesame seeds.

Watch the northern lights
The website https://explore.org/livecams/zen-den/northern-lights-cam lets you watch the aurora borealis from your armchair. Scroll down, but on the way you'll notice lots of other wildlife webcams. Why not check them all out?

See the Japanese cherry blossoms:
https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/watch-now-these-360-degree-cherry-blossom-vr-videos-are-incredibly-soothing-031920?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&cid=~worldwide~natsoc~facebook~echobox#Echobox=1584703068

And don't forget the virtual museum tours
There are so many!
https://www.timeout.com/travel/virtual-museum-tours

At-home learning #13

Have a party:
So you live alone, or with only one or two others? You can still have a great party. Have a theme: international, Hawaiian, costume, English tea, whatever your imagination conjures up. Make some special food. Set a special table. this works best if you can share with others via FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, or just sending photos back and forth. That way you'll be motivated.

Try an art lesson:
OK, you're not Rembrandt. Maybe you can't even draw a straight line. But what better time to fool around with art than now, no one, not even the instructor, can see you? The UMaine Museum of Art is offering free online lessons right now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxe9lyN-fuU&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3x7gbq-8tSlNJaE3sSsBJuKGbCccj8pyp-njWxXzgWUcBPJji45t1iGP4

Throwback TV fun
Remember "What's My Line?" Every surviving episode (1950-70) is available on YouTube.

Selected other oldie TV is available at http://www.classic-tv.com/watch. Ignore the ads saying "Watch Now" and just click on the one you want. The playback is built into the site.

Be an armchair archivist:
It seems research libraries are looking for volunteers to help them with a variety of chores that can be done at home. If you love books and obscure texts, this may be for you!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/archives-to-browse-from-home?utm_medium=atlas-page&utm_source=facebook.com

Still more ideas:
A lovely, almost-endless list of things to do, categorized by the mood you might be in (creative? cleaning? social?) is at https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/fun-things-to-do-at-home-35003444

At-home learning #12

Watch or listen to a Shakespeare play:
The Folger Shakespeare Library at Harvard has made a full-length video of Macbeth available for free. There are lots of extra articles and videos about the play and the production.
https://www.folger.edu/video-macbeth-folger-theatre?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AudioVideoReleaseAnnouncement&utm_content=version_A&promo=

For audio recordings of seven major plays:
https://shakespeare.folger.edu/listen/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AudioVideoReleaseAnnouncement&utm_content=version_A&promo=

Change up a room:
There's no getting around it: we're going to get tired of looking at the same old walls. So:

• Change up the throw pillows. If you sew, you could maybe make them some new covers. 
• Swap out the pictures on a wall for others you may have stashed. One clever crafter dug out some empty picture frames and found new fillers for them: other photos, cut-up gift bags or magazine pages.
• Check out DIY wall decor: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/g30445806/diy-wall-decor-ideas/?slide=15

Plan a trip

We can dream, can't we? No need to schedule anything, but what better time to plot out a dream road trip, European junket, or cross-country expedition? Find fun places to stay, figure out the must-see attractions, look at pictures. Go low-tech and dig out the atlas; follow a blue highway. You might even send away for a tour book--New Brunswick has a beauty, for free. 

At-home learning #11

We're continuing our very long list of ways to keep learning and stay sane:

Follow your bliss
You didn't get to learn something new from one of our wonderful PVSC instructors. So? Teach yourself more about something you already love. One member spent a happy morning going down Google rabbit holes and digging out books, pursuing her love of opera. (Okay, it was me, trying to fit the major composers onto a mental timeline, which turned into a written timeline.)  It may not exactly be structured learning, the kind you'd get in a classroom, but it IS learning. We do what we can!

Keep your spirits up
As this thing goes on, find cheer wherever you can. Plant some seeds in pots. Buy flowers. Sing. Listen to music. Watch comedies. Most important: keep talking to friends and family by phone, Skype, FaceTime.

Revisit an old hobby or start a new one
Admittedly, this might be easier said than done. You might need supplies that aren't readily available. But if you have a half-knitted sweater or a bunch of soap- or candle-making stuff hiding in your house, this would be a great time to revisit them.

One of the easiest old or new hobby to work on right now is collage. Unless you're extravagantly organized, you have magazines and newspapers that can be cut up, their parts assembled in new ways. As your inclinations take you, you can go beyond the bulletin-board type inspirational collage, with cut-out words, and move more toward artistic expression. Maybe even go beyond paper and use 3D objects. The good news: there's no wrong way to make a collage!

At-home learning #10

Learn about weather
A meteorologist is giving a half-hour lesson each day on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7dq2q9b0pQ


An evening "out"
I met a neighbor out walking--wearing a cocktail dress and jewelry under her parka. After the walk, she was having a fancy dinner at home. They had cooked a special meal and were dressing for dinner. Very cheering and fun.

If you happen to have a guitar or ukelele you can't play:
Fender is offering free lessons to the first 100,000 people to sign up.
https://www.fender.com/play?clickref=1100l7TDvGjk&aff_id=305950

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Well, why not: this series is intended for kids, but what fun! Mo Willems, creator of hilarious children's books featuring the pigeon, Knuffle Bunny, and others, gives an online drawing lesson each day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmzjCPQv3y8

And speaking of drawing . . .:
As someone said, this is like Pictionary with a robot. Check out Google's quick-draw challenge (it only works on a device you can draw on--phone or tablet).
https://quickdraw.withgoogle.com/