As we practice social distancing to help combat the coronavirus, many of us are staying home right now. Fortunately, there are numerous free resources circling our communities to help keep our routine or even virtually explore more than we usually do. Here are a few ideas for free and fun things to do online and offline:

Explore

Travel the World – Virtually

If you’re missing your travel adventures, Conde Nast Traveler shared this list of “101 Ways to Travel Without Leaving Your House.”

You can also visit US National Parks on Google Earth.

Walking tours of countless places from Kyoto, Japan to Disneyland at Christmas are available on YouTube.

For a truly far-flung trip, go to Mars.

Take a Virtual Arts and Culture Tour

The British Museum, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Guggenheim are but a few of the museums offering free virtual tours in partnership with Google’s Arts & Culture. You can also tour the Taj Mahal, go backstage at the Paris Opera, and learn how to make Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Find everything online at https://artsandculture.google.com/ or download their app for IOS or Android.

Enjoy a Concert or Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is posting free HD broadcasts daily. Each is available from 4:30 pm PDT on the day they are posted until 12:30 pm PDT the following day. You can view them online or through their free app. https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/

From Led Zeppelin and John Legend to Steve Carrell and Audrey Hepburn, artists of all genres are featured on the free Digital Stage at the Kennedy Center. https://www.kennedy-center.org/digitalstage/

The Seattle Symphony Orchestra is streaming free live performances. Their schedule is available here: https://seattlesymphony.org/live

NPR also has a list of virtual concerts that is updated regularly: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/17/816504058/a-list-of-live-virtual-concerts…

Relive Your Favorite Sports Moments

Watch Free NFL, NBA, or NHL Games The NFL is offering its streaming Game Pass for free until the end of May.

The NBA League Pass is also available for free until April 22nd and includes both current season and classic games.

The NHL is offering a variety of full-length games and behind-the-scenes footage on its YouTube page and through its NHL Live TV. More information on all of its content is here.

Move

Planet Fitness is streaming free online workouts every day at 4:00 pm PDT.

Gold’s Gym is providing free access to its app until the end of May.

Core Power Yoga has free on demand classes.

Kids will love Go Noodle, a great way to get the wiggles out.

Learn

Take an Ivy League Class

Dhawal Shah, founder of Class Central, compiled a list of 450 free online Ivy League classes. Subjects include science, engineering, history, art, literature, business, and mathematics.

Help Kids Learn

Children from pre-K through 9th grade can find free learning activities at Scholastic. Videos, colorful online books, and educational games are all available.

National Geographic Kids also provides a treasure trove of resources about science, history, and culture.

Explore the Smithsonian Libraries

The Smithsonian Libraries are open virtually. There is a myriad of ways to connect with the libraries’ online resources. You can visit the virtual exhibitions here.

You can also explore the Smithsonian Libraries’ electronic books and journals.

Create

For ideas that don’t require a screen, check out the Cleveland Clinic’s list of “12 Healthier Alternatives to Screen Time.” Crafting, fort-building, and puzzles are just some of the possibilities.

Doodle with Mo Willems

Creator of the Elephant and Piggie books as well as an animator for Sesame Street, Mo Willems is currently the artist-in-residence at the Kennedy Center. Every day he posts a free “lunch doodles” video.

Meditate with the Chopra Center

When you’re ready to create some calm, try the Chopra Center’s free meditations.

 

There are many more resources available, and new ones pop up every day. If you find particular favorites, feel free to share them with your Dowling & Yahnke advisor; we’d love to hear how you and your family are getting creative to stay healthy and connected.

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