Things to do while eating up all your quarantine snacks.
Did you know that Shakespeare wrote King Lear while he was in quarantine during the Black Plague? My goals during the quarantine are not as lofty. I’ve decided to catch up on many of the basics of a well-rounded education that I neglected like reading the classics I missed and watching the movies that have made the Turner Classics channel an enormous success. Here are some alternatives for you:
For Music lovers:
The Rotterdam Philharmonic plays the finale of Beethoven’s 9th symphony with the musicians playing their parts by video from their homes. It’s very touching.
As is this video:
Have a hankie nearby.
Many musicians are performing songs from their homes and ‘dropping’ them for us to enjoy for free on the internet while in quarantine. See Chris Martin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Yo Yo Ma, Pink, John Legend, Keith Urban and more.
At Home Together performances from home.
See Live From Home performances on YouTube.
For Art & Culture lovers:
My daughter sent me this link to 2,500 museums you can now visit virtually. That ought to fill a day or two.
The Smithsonian Magazine has an article featuring 68 cultural, historical and scientific collections that can be explored virtually. Explore ancient Rome, read Rosa Parks’ personal papers, read the New York Public Library’s interactive Insta Novel versions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and many others. For science, read Isaac Newton’s papers or Charles Darwin’s manuscripts.
For Kids:
The Kennedy Center’s Education Artist-in-Residence, Mo Willems, is airing Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems every day at 1 p.m. EST. It launched March 16th, and all past episodes can be found here, and you can tune in today at 1 p.m. It is free and new episodes are posted every weekday.
National Geographic posted several resources for keeping children at home interested and occupied.
The Learn at Home collection divides the activities by grade.
The Kid Focused Activities help kids stay active and educated while home bound during the coronavirus.
The Homeschooling Tips will help parents teach from home.
Check out the Nat Geo Kids section of their website for other activities.
The Princess Awesome & Boy Wonder blog has the Giant List of Ideas For Being Home With Kids and it is AMAZING!!
For anyone interested in learning:
YouTube has many videos that will teach you anything you want to know. There are, however, huge differences in the quality of those videos. YouTube decided to create its own learning center featuring YouTube Learning Originals ranging from chemistry to illustration. Subscribing is free.
Documentaries we recommend:
O.J.: Made in America was a fascinating and engrossing documentary. It was released in 2016. It is available on Hulu and Amazon Prime.
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates (2019) is a Netflix documentary about Bill Gates that is fascinating. It is a journey through Gates’ life up to his marriage to Melinda and the major efforts of their charitable foundation. Along the way, it is also a deep dig into his brain and how it works.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019) is an HBO documentary about the rise and fall of Theranos, the health-care company founded by Elizabeth Holmes. It is an amazing story and scam. Shocking how many very smart people were totally taken in by a pretty blond.
Echo in the Canyon (2018) examines the roots of the music scene in LA’s Laurel Canyon featuring the music of The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & Papas, Buffalo Springfield and others. It is available on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Produced by Jakob Dylan.
Check out ASE article on recent documentaries.
For people who find laughter in adverse times is helpful:
“What I am NOT, God, is a math teacher!” This video by Brandalyn Shropshire, a Tennessee comedian, is hilarious and SO true!
And
Woman Working from Home where she is giving an interview on BBC and is constantly interrupted. Very funny!
Parenting the Teenagers is wonderful fun and being under quarantine puts it on steroids!
I laughed out loud.
Please pass this article on to all your quarantined friends who might not be ASE subscribers!
Don’t miss out on our other Quarantine articles;
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and one, more for now.
