Staying Busy While Staying Safe at Home
Updated April 13, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly changing the daily routines of millions of Americans as many settle into their new stay-at-home realities. As the Coronavirus is responsible for clearing our calendars, how are you finding ways to pass the time? Have you exhausted all these suggestions of things to do at home yet?
- Watch TV, movies (please limit the amount of news you watch. Too much Coronavirus media coverage is not good for your mental health)
- Read a book – the Gateway Library is still open, normal hours and the “Lebanon County 2020 Reads” selections have just been announced (in the April Neighborhood News)
- Call and connect with family, friends and neighbors. This is helpful for you to stay connected as well as help others do the same. Keeping up your normal daily routine (well, as normal as it can get for right now) is beneficial for your well being.
- Send a card to a loved one – consider sending a card to one of Cornwall Manor’s personal care or health center residents
- Spring cleaning – organize drawers, closets (save donations for the Treasure Trove. They will greatly appreciate receiving your items to restock once our thrift store opens)
- Get outside and take a walk – but make sure you’re adhering to social distancing. Fresh air and sunshine does good for our bodies.
- Look for something positive in each day. Even if you have to look a little harder right now, there is always something to be grateful for.
- Take a deep breath. We will get through this together.
There are a variety of companies, musicians and others are lending their services and talents for free in an effort to help all of us make it through these social distancing times with a bit more ease.
Quilting Class via the America Quilter’s Society
- The America Quilter’s Society is offering anyone one free virtual class through their professional-quality online quilting tutorials on their website com.
- To redeem your free class, simply check out the course options here, select your class, and enter the promotion code IQUILTFREE at checkout. This code is valid through June 30, 2020.
- Nikon is streaming online photography classes (10 total) free during April
Nature & Animals Live Cams
- Explore.org is nature’s network that features (free) live cams of all kinds of nature and animals. Choose from African Wildlife, Birder’s Paradise, Kittens, Puppies and Rescue Animals, oceans, bears, zen cams (the perfect antidote to stress. Sunsets, nature time lapses, underwater, forests, sweeping vistas and rolling pastures and star gazing at Northern Lights offer pure escapism from clutter and noise of modern day society)
Museums & Galleries
- Google’s Art & Culture is an online platform through which the public can access high-resolution images of artworks housed in over 500 museums throughout the world.
- Must have a Google account (Gmail) to view on desktop computer. For smart phones and tablets, you can download the app for Android or Apple
- Trending: virtual journey of breathtaking museums all over the world including
Education
- A variety of free Ivy League classes are now available from Class Central
Botanical Garden Tours
- Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
- S. Botanic Garden
- Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
- Denver Botanic Garden
Wellness
- April 13-26: Two weeks of Olympic Games highlights
- If you have Comcast, you can go to On-Demand, Life section and you’ll find exercise programs/videos like yoga, walking/cardio and some strengthening.
Theatre
- Selection of National Theatre Live Productions will be available to stream for free (via Playbill)
- Free full-length Plays every Thursday
Music
- Andrea Bocelli’s Easter Sunday “Music for Hope” performance from Duomo Chapel
- Jazz Concerts at the Lincoln Center, New York City
- YouTube offers videos for every a wide variety of classical music, symphonies and opera
- New York Philharmonic
- Wigmore Hall, London
- Metropolitan Opera
- Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website, with each performance available for a period of 23 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 6:30 p.m. the following day. The schedule will include outstanding complete performances from the past 14 years of cinema transmissions, starring all of opera’s greatest singer
Others
Monterey Bay Aquarium – Enjoy a variety of live cams including Aviary, Coral Reef, Jellyfish, Open Sea, Kelp Forest, Monterey Bay, Penguins, Sea Otters and Sharks
Smithsonian National Zoo – Panda Cam
National Arboretum Bald Eagle Nest Cam
360 Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel