27 March, 2020

Mega List of Social Isolation Activities to do Online while COVID-19 Rages


I've been trying to sort and format this list to make it easier to find stuff, but there's too much lol.

I'm posting it as is for now in order to allow people to use it immediately, because we're all in need of diversity in our isolated day to deal with COVID-19.

Some lists were scavenged from other sites, and I have credited them. There are likely duplicates, because, well, too much good stuff.

ENJOY!

AUDIO BOOKS:

David Walliams Is Releasing 30 Free Audio Books For Children

Neil Gaiman offers tons of cool stuff for free for you to kill your time with
For the adults, his main website NeilGaiman.com has a ton of cool stuff to download, read and listen to
For kids, head over to MouseCircus.com, The "Official Neil Gaiman Website For Young Readers", where you can listen to the author read the entirety of his best-selling The Graveyard Book on video

The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read-Alouds & Activities




Mel’s  Home with kids suggestions
A Mighty Girl: 50 Ways to Keep Kids Engaged at Home During the Coronavirus Shutdown

Bestselling Children’s Author Mo Willems Is Teaching Kids Drawing On YouTube

https://youtu.be/bhyCxVPb1qU - drawing for kids (also posting on twitter under #DrawWithRob)

https://www.skypeascientist.com/ also on Twitter/Instagram

Animal House.   Zoo livestream


MIT Free Courses




VIRTUAL TOURS
Take a virtual tour of the Paris catacombs while you wait out the pandemic

Virtual Field Trips

virtual marine biology camp to entertain and inform kid

Tour 2,500 World-Famous Museums

Museums from around the world - Virtual, online tours
Future Learn - Explore the architecture and history of Rome, walking around a 3D digital model of the ancient city, with this free online course.
Virtual Tours  - Virtual online tours - including zoos, landmarks in foreign countries, etc.
Aquarium – Georgia aquarium allowing you to tour under the sea
Virtual farm trips - American dairy association
Virtual field trips - Created for children, but they look great for adults too! 


8 Museums You Can Virtually Tour Right Now
1 The National Portrait Gallery, London, England
Given that the National Portrait Gallery in London was set to close later this year for renovations until at least spring of 2023, a virtual tour of the famed museum really is the best route to take. Upon its opening in 1856, the National Portrait Gallery became the very first portrait gallery in the world. Expect to see portraits (who would’ve guessed) of prominent people from throughout history, including the Brontë sisters — Charlotte, Emily, and Anne — in a painting done by their brother, Patrick Branwell Brontë, and the famous Chandos portrait, which is believed to depict William Shakespeare.
2 The Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
If you’re into European paintings from the 1800s, and Renaissance and Baroque bronze sculptures and paintings, then the Frick Art Museum is right up your alley. Their collection includes works by artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Apollonio Di Giovanni, Jan van Os, Carle Van Loo, Maurice Quentin de la Tour, Arthur Devis, Jean-Louis de Marne, and Jan Steen. You can also tour other Pittsburgh sites, like the Clayton Mansion.
3 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Located at the Getty Center, the J. Paul Getty Museum is home to a variety of works, including European decorative arts, paintings, illuminated manuscripts, drawings, and sculptures. The renowned museum also features Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art, ranging from the Neolithic era to Late Antiquity, as well as international photography from the 20th and 21st centuries.
4 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
As the biggest museum of art in the United States, the Met receives millions of visitors every year, making it one of the most visited art museums in the world. From the comfort of your own home, you can enjoy virtual tours of the Great Hall, the Temple of Dendur, the Charles Engelhard Court, and the Arms and Armor Galleries, as well as the Met Cloisters and the Met Breuer. The best part of these kinds of tours? No crowds!
5 The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Since 1973, the Van Gogh Museum has displayed the most substantial collection of Vincent Van Gogh creations in the world, which includes 700 letters, 400 drawings, and 200 paintings. This historic museum, located in Amsterdam, received the most visitors of any museum in the Netherlands in 2017, and that same year, the Van Gogh Museum ranked at number 23 on the list of most visited art museums worldwide. Some of the most famous Vincent van Gogh paintings on display here are Self-portrait (1888), Sunflowers (1889), and Almond Blossoms (1890).
6 Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
The Uffizi Gallery is located inside a Mannerist-style building designed by famed painter, architect, and historian Giorgio Vasari (he was the first to write about the Renaissance). The building took two decades to complete, between 1560 to 1580. On this virtual tour, you will see ancient artworks beginning with the Middle Ages, all the way through the Modern period. Works from iconic artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Raphael are on view here. The Medici family has provided the gallery with ancient statues and busts that are Roman duplicates of Greek sculptures that were never found.
7 The São Paulo Museum of Art, São Paulo, Brazil
No matter what you call it — the São Paulo Museum of Art, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, or MASP — this landmark museum, designed by Linda Bo Bardi, has plenty to see, whether you do so online or in real life. Although it is most well known for its European art collection, the São Paulo Museum of Art also offers an impressive array of Brazilian, African, and Asian art, totaling over 8,000 items, and an art library that is one of the biggest in Brazil.
8 Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
The Musée d'Orsay is situated inside a Beaux Arts-style building that was once a railroad station known as Gare d'Orsay, and later, a hotel. The structure was built between 1898 and 1900, and the museum itself boasts a wide range of magnificent French art, including furniture, paintings, photographs, and sculptures. Paintings by greats like Renoir, Monet, Degas, Manet, and van Gogh are on display throughout the museum.


Kinderling Fact Detectives Podcast
Two curious kids on a mission to find out all the cool facts about EVERYTHING

Story Time From Space | T2 Science & Math Education Consultants
We send children’s books to the International Space Station. While in space, astronauts are videotaping themselves reading these books to the children of Earth. These videos are being edited and placed on this Story Time From Space website- look under the heading ” Story Time Videos”.

Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico – basically learn about life in the deep sea

10 University Art Classes You Can Take for Free Online

The Wind in the Willows West End production is available to stream online for free
The show stars Rufus Hound, Simon Lipkin and more





Online learning
University of Alabama - Free online archaeology and Egyptology Uni courses (create an account to log on)
Open Learn - Free, online courses, Open university 
BBC languages - Learn languages online free
FrenchTeacher.Net - Free French study packs
Sociology courses - Free online study
Creative courses - Free online study
Cambridge University Press - ALL 700 textbooks are currently available FREE in HTML format 
Cambridge university - Higher education resources
Royal institute - Christmas lectures. A series of lectures presenting scientific subjects to a general audience in an entertaining manner.
Learn 10 useful things to say in...
Periodic videos - Science-related YouTube videos 
Infobase databases and video streaming collections - Username: JCS_Distance and Password: learning to access:
 Geography and nature
Tutorful - Top Geography websites, YouTube videos, and resources 
Project Noah – Global site where you can view and share wildlife
Seterra - Free world geography, online quizzes 
Online film festival - Resistance in the Rainforest



MUSIC 
*Check the location/time zones of live-streamed concerts to calculate the UK start time. Time Zone calculator
Concerts online - Various concerts held without audiences to stream online for people having to stay at home - list of live streaming concerts
Free Opera  - Dates confirmed until the end of March. Check the website via the link for future dates to be added
Free classical orchestras - Live streaming performances
Free Chamber music - Live streaming
Berlin Philharmonic orchestra - Live streams and performance archive
Announcements/lists - of worldwide performances being streamed
Livestream concerts list - artists and bands
Bands and artists - streaming performances 
Full-length concerts - watch online free
Celebrities performing on social media
Facebook Virtual Choir - Duet with a choir online



Arts and culture
J P Brewer - View classic paintings online
Walter's Museum - houses the highest artistic achievements from nearly every corner of the world. View some of the past, present, and future exhibitions
Rob Biddulph an artist posting draw-along videos via Twitter here
Google Arts and culture - Learn something new every day! 
British Museum - Free videos
BBC Radio 4 - The History of the world - podcasts
Marquee TV - streaming arts and culture


Literature online
Gutenburg - Download free books, e.g. Shakespear, Edgar Allen Poe, Frankenstein, etc. 
Solomon Kingsnorth - Books in PDF, Word and audiobook format - Alice in Wonderland / Wind in the Willows / The Railway Children / The Jungle Book / Peter Pan / Black Beauty
Read great literature online - Free Ebooks, poetry, classic literature
Read Free Literature - also includes study guides
50,000 free ebooks - arranged by genre
Audible stories - Free during this period 
Entertainment
Expeditions App- Free virtual Reality Augmentation app for all ages, to take virtual trips around the world to hundreds of destinations.
Podcasts - Free to download
Board Game arena - Play board games online free
Miscellaneous 
UK parliament  - Politics, history, citizenship, etc. Written for children and young people, but lots of very interesting information, including how laws are made. 
Historical association - Learn about 20th Century history
National Trust sites  - Free access to their sites - please check their website first for updates
James Dyson foundation - Challenge cards - how many can you complete?
Latest free stuff - UK site (if you are outside of the UK, google 'latest free stuff' and add your location)
Anxiety/Mental health


The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections
PORTALS
Archaeological Analytics: Archaeological Open Access Collections
ArtUK: Art collections from 3,200 UK organizations
Arte.tv: Cultural documentaries, films, and more.
BioExplora: Natural science open collections portal (3D images, bio diversity)
China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration: Virtual portal of 100 institutions
Creative Commons: Aggregates all CC-licensed content and collections globally
Digital Agnes: Canadian portal for curatorial research and online exhibitions
DPLA: Digital Public Library of America
Europeana: 50,000,000 European works of art, books, music, and more
English Heritage: Variety of mediums of British content (Podcasts, videos, etc.)
Global Museum: Portal for museum news, jobs, and resources
Google Arts & Culture: +2,000 museum partners from +80 countries
Heritage on the Edge: A project of Google Arts & Culture
Memorica: Open access Mexican culture content portal
Mexican Ministry of Culture: Short films, books, radio, paintings, from cultural orgs
MIMO: Musical Instrument Museums Online (64,000+ instruments)
Museum Crush: Select objects from a variety of museums
NASA Image & Video Library: All NASA content is in the public domain
NISE (National Informal Science Education): Digital library of STEM DIY resources
Open Culture Coloring Pages: 113 museum coloring books
OpenGLAM: Aggregates 88 unique open collections
Paris Museums: Over 300,000 works
Project Gutenberg: 60,000 free ebooks
Science Museum Group: 325,000+ objects from 5 UK science museums
SHOW ME: Games, collections, videos, stories from museums and galleries
Smithsonian Open Access: Search 2.8 million images and 3D Models
V21ArtSpace: Over 100 exhibit virtual tours
Wikidata: “The Sum of all Paintings” metadata initiative via Wikimedia
Wikimedia Commons: Over 20,000,000 open images
York Museums Trust: Collections from various museums in Yorkshire, UK
VIRTUAL TOURS / ONLINE EXHIBITS
Art and Culture Museums
Arizona State Museum: Virtual Tour
Cranbrook Art Museum, Michigan: Exhibit Virtual Tours
Dalí Theatre-Museum, Catalonia: Virtual Tour
Finnish Art Gallery: Virtual Tour
The Frick, Pittsburgh: Virtual tours, online collections, activities
Hallwyl Museum, Stockholm: VR Tour
The Hermitage, Russia: Virtual Tour (YouTube)
The Kremer Museum: VR Tour (Requires download)
The Louvre, Paris: Virtual Tour
Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford: Virtual Tour
Vatican Museums: Virtual Tours
History Museums
Cliffe Castle Museum: Virtual Tour
Diefenbunker, Canada: Virtual Tours, Coloring Pages
Florence as it Was: 3D models of Florentine buildings, artworks, and squares
George Washington’s Mount Vernon: Virtual Tours, timelines, etc.
Museum of Flight: Virtual Tour
National Archaeological Museum, Spain: Virtual Museum
Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate: California, US Virtual Tour
The Palace Museum: The Forbidden City, China, 360-degree Virtual Tour
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania: 360-degree Equipment Tour
Westminster Abbey, London: Virtual Tour
Natural Science Museums
National Museum of Computing, UK: Virtual Tour
Oxford University Museum of Natural History: Virtual Tour with audio commentary
Science Museum, London: Shipping Galleries Virtual Tour
National Parks
American Battlefield Trust: 360-degree Battlefield Tours
Valley Forge National Park, US: Virtual Tour
Yellowstone National Park, US: Virtual Tours
Yosemite National Park, US: Virtual Tour
Online Exhibits
Canadian Museum of History: Online Exhibitions
Canadian Museum for Human Rights: Online Exhibits, Stories
Getty Research Institute: Online Exhibit, “Bauhaus: Building the New Artist”
Girl Museum: Online Exhibits
History Colorado: Online Exhibits
JFK Library: “Moonshot” App and Online Interactive
Koshland Science Museum: Interactive Virtual Exhibits
M Woods, Beijing, China: Experimental Online Exhibition
Mercer Museum, Pennsylvania: Online Exhibits
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Animal Live Cams
Museum of the American Indian: “How American Indians Shaped US Identity”
Museum of London: Online Exhibits
Museum of Ontario Archaeology: “History of Ste. Marie II” Online Exhibit
Reina Sofía Museum Radio: Audiovisual resources; an acoustic museum experience
Remembering Lincoln, Ford’s Theatre: Interactive online exhibit
Second Canvas Apps: 30 Museum Apps (Google Sheet)
Virtual Migration Museum: Interactive Online Experience / App
Virtual Museum of Canada: Virtual Exhibits and Cultural Content
E-LEARNING
Age of Revolution: Interactive Timeline
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum: Activities, Coloring Pages
Better World Museum: Draw Together in VR, Bob Ross-style videos
Bronx Zoo: Field Sight
Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University: videos, activities, online exhibits
Contemporary Jewish Museum: Learn about Jewish history, art, and culture
Denver Art Museum: Artist videos
Discover XR: The Future of Social Media & Online Learning (YouTube)
The Field Museum: The Brain Scoop (YouTube)
Les Fruits de Mer: Activities, books, films about Caribbean wildlife
The Hammer: Contemporary Art programs, (YouTube)
KaiXR: Free Museum VR Field Trips (no VR gear needed)
HistoryView.org: Virtual Reality Tours
Mount Vernon: Online Learning Resources
Museum of Early Trade and Crafts: Recipes, Games, Coloring Pages, etc.
Museum Strathroy-Cardoc: Sydenham River Discovery online exhibit (Flash)
North Carolina Museum of Art: Learn, (collections, videos, curriculum)
The Ringling: Lesson Plans and Read-Alongs
Royal Albert Memorial Museum: Exeter Time Trail (Interactive timeline)
Sketchfab: 3D Models (link goes to cultural-specific search)
Speed Art Museum: At-home art-making videos
Virginia Museum of History & Culture: Lecture series videos
Created for Kids
American Museum of Natural History: Ology science website for kids
The Andy Warhol Museum: Online Lessons
Canadian Museum of Nature: Coloring Pages, Arctic, Garden, Dinosaurs
Exploratorium: Science Experiment “Snacks”
Frist Kids: Art activities and videos
Glazer Children’s Museum: Online Activities
iCivics: Virtual games (free beginning with Covid-19)
The Kennedy Center: ArtsEdge, art education resources
Long Island Children’s Museum: Play Outside Ideas
MCA Chicago: “Art Like Me” Culturally-Relevant Art Workbook for Kids
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Games, Activities, Coloring Pages
National Museum of Australia: “Fun at Home” DIY activities
Norton Simon Museum: Art Projects for Kids (scroll to section)
Pittsburgh Children’s Museum: The MAKESHOP Show (Makerspace Blog)
Rhino Palast: Games and Information (German only)
Roald Dahl Museum: Make Stories Like Roald Dahl
Shedd Aquarium: Sea Curious- Kid Questions, Animal Answers (YouTube)
Smarthistory: Source of history content for Khan Academy
Speed Art Museum: Art Projects for Kids
Suzhou Museum: Online Mini-Games
Tate: Tate Kids (Games and quizzes, videos, kids’ art, etc.)
ONLINE COLLECTIONS
Art and Cultural Collections
Albright-Knox, New York
The Barnes Collection, Philadelphia
The Belvedere, Vienna, Austria
Birmingham Museums Trust, Birmingham, UK (art and history)
Cooper Hewitt, New York (historical and contemporary design)
Corning Museum of Glass, New York: Lectures, demos, glass blowing magic.
Crocker Art Museum, California
Davison Art Center, Wesleyan University
Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
The Guggenheim, New York
The Hammer, LA (contemporary art)
The Khalili Collections: 35,000 works of art
Kröller-Müller Museum, The Netherlands
Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland
M+ Collections: 5,000+ Cultural Objects
Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway (art by Edvard Munch)
National Museum of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Rainbow Museum: Art and Photography
Rijksstudio: Remix collections from Rijksmuseum
Sarmaya, Mumbai
SMK Open: National Gallery of Denmark Collections
Xul Solar Museum, Argentina
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (visual, performing, media arts)
The Walters, Baltimore
Science Collections
History of Science Museum, Oxford University
Naturalis, Netherlands: 40,000,000 natural science collections objects
History Collections
Brooklands Museum, Surrey, UK (cars, motorcycles, aircraft)
The Henry Ford, Michigan
New York Archaeological Repository: Nearly 1,000,000 objects
DIGITAL ARCHIVES & LIBRARIES
Arctos Database: Access to 3 million specimens and observations in 210 collections
Endangered Archives, British Library
Internet Archive: The Wayback Machine, digitized film, books, music, etc.
JSTOR: Open content search of research journals
Louisiana Digital Library: 400,000+ digital items from archives, libraries, museums
Trove: National Library of Australia images, books, newspapers, maps, etc.
New York Public Library: 880,000+ digitized prints, manuscripts, videos, etc.


10 Awesome Animal Livestreams
1) BELUGAS AND OTTERS AND PENGUINS, OH MY!: The Georgia Aquarium has a number of live video streams which allow internet users to enjoy the daily goings-on of the facility’s resident African penguins, beluga whales, sea otters, and barrier reef-dwellers.
2) JELLY CAM: The Monterey Bay Aquarium website has a similar line of marine livestreams, although their website also boasts a jellyfish livestream—and it’s surprisingly enchanting.
3) GIANT PANDA CAM: What better way to while away your time at home than keeping an eye on giant pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian National Zoo in DC?
4) BALD EAGLE NEST CAM: This livestream—which is also filmed in Washington DC—captures the daily nesting activity of two bald eagles named Mr. President and First Lady.
5) GIRAFFES GALORE: In Texas, the Houston Zoo webcam allows you to check up on the resident giraffes—and you can even control the angle of the webcam from your computer.
6) HUMMINGBIRD WATCHING: An anonymous California homeowner set up an online livestream for Bella—a hummingbird that has been returning to the same tree since 2005.
7) MAN’S BEST VIRTUAL FRIEND: This livestream from the Warrior Canine Connection allows users to admire puppies that are training to be service dogs for veterans.
8) ADMIRE THE ANIMALS OF AFRICA: As a means of raising awareness on the problems of poaching, the Tembe Live Wildlife webcam monitors a popular watering hole that is often visited by elephants, giraffes, and buffalo in the bushlands of Africa.
9) SENIOR DOG STREAM: If you’re not already hip to the awesome activities at the Old Friends Senior Dogs Home, this livestream allows you to get a sneak-peek inside the retirement home for elderly pups.
10) CRITTERS FROM DOWN UNDER: The Melbourne Zoo recently kicked off their #AnimalsAtHome livestream initiative by installing active webcams in their lion, snow leopard, giraffe, and penguin enclosures.



Many lists on here available on:


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Wow Ginckgo, this list is amazing and will be kept long after we are back to school and work. Awesome job. Yvonne and Family

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