151+ Things To Do While You’re At Home and Practicing Social Distancing
I am sure no one expected March to be the month of Social Distancing, but as a team, we’re working from home and holding our team meetings online. We even had our first “socially distanced” closing this week so we’re doing what we can to keep business as usual.
Whether you’re working from home or have turned your living room into a virtual home-school, we’re still here to support YOU and local businesses. We’ve put together a list of resources for entertainment, education, and satisfying your hunger cravings…
If there’s anything you think we should add to this list, please let us know in the comments below, or by sending us an email!
Virtual Museum Tours
Many museums have closed their doors but they are open for business online. Here’s a list of museums that have put their collections online for you to enjoy.
- British Museum in London
- Guggenheim Museum, New York
- National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
- Musée d’Orsay, Paris
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
- Pergamon Museum, Berlin
- Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
- J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
- Uffizi Gallery, Italy
- Museu de Arte, São Paulo
- National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
- The Louvre, Paris
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Online Concerts and Shows
The music and cultural scenes are doing their best to keep going. You can stream nightly concerts and Broadway shows from the comfort of your living room… or perhaps you’d prefer to relax in a bubble bath with an iPad.
- 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home
- Stream the Met Opera nightly for free
- Check out STAGEIT for access to “Shut in and Sing” events and online concerts
- NPR is keeping a live list of Virtual Concerts which is updated daily.
Learn Something New
Learning something new doesn’t need to cost money. You can keep your brain active and learn a new language in just five minutes a day. Perhaps you would prefer to learn how to draw or code?
- Learn a new language in as little as five minutes every day. DuoLingo will even let you set up a “classroom” so you can have accounts for kids to study. Drops is another app that makes learning a new language fun.
- Yale University is offering a free course online — The Science of Well-Being — that teaches you how to be happier.
- Take a University Art Class – Artsy.net has a list of 10 classes you can take for free online.
- Coursera offers free online courses from many of the world’s top universities in a wide variety of subjects
- Become an Artist with Art ala Carte on YouTube.
- Code Academy offers a free online coding course.
Learn How To Cook Something New
It’s time to unleash your inner Julia Child. You don’t need to be a Food Network Star to cook up a healthy and delicious meal for you and yours. Here are some resources for learning how to cook at home. We’ve divided the list into free cooking resources and some others that might require a fee.
Free online cooking resources:
- Top Chef University
- The Kitchn’s Cooking School
- Basic food techniques from the BBC
- Online cooking school from The New York Times
- Healthy Cooking Classes from Texas A&M
- Kitchen Chemistry online course from MIT
- Delia Online Cookery School
- How to Cook from Better Homes and Gardens
- Binging with Babish has weekly recipes, and a series of “Basics”.
- Learn how to make Sourdough
Additional cooking resources that require a fee:
- Gordon Ramsay Masterclass
- Wolfgang Puck Masterclass
- Cooking classes with a variety of topics from Udemy
- Cake Decorating tutorials with Cakeflix
- Gluten-Free Baking Academy
- Online Cooking School from America’s Test Kitchen
- How-to videos from Allrecipes
- Cake Decorating and Cooking classes from Craftsy
- Rouxbe Cooking School
- Foodist Kitchen Cooking Boot Camp
- Healthy Baking Bootcamp
- Food Network Kitchen
Working Out and Physical Wellness
Don’t fall victim to the COVID-19 and gain all that weight you’ve been keeping off. Your gym might be closed but that doesn’t mean your physical wellness needs to take a hit. Here are some resources to inspire you to keep moving!
- Karma Tribe Yoga is a Kansas City donation-based yoga studio and they have moved all of their classes online. See their schedule on their website or on Facebook.
- Take an online YMCA Class with more than 60 to choose from. Free sign up!
- The Peloton App free trial has been extended to 90 days, and no, you don’t need the bike!
- CrossFit has a number of free beginner workouts on their website.
- Planet Fitness is doing a daily live stream on Facebook at 6 PM Central. These are also available on demand on their YouTube channel.
- If you have a back yard or porch, get some fresh air!
Take a Virtual Field Trip
Field trips might be cancelled but just like the virtual museum tours we suggested, here are some ideas for creating an at-home field trip. If you’ve ever wanted to visit a national park or explore the surface of mars from the comfort of your home, there’s never been a better time.
- San Diego Zoo
- Yellowstone National Park
- Explore the Surface of Mars
- Live Animal Cams at the San Diego Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, Houston Zoo, Georgia Aquarium, Smithsonian National Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Ouwehand Zoo
- Live farm cams from Farm Food 360
- The Great Wall of China
- Boston Children’s Museum
- Pompei
- Colonial Williamsburg
- Ellis Island
Get Lost in a Book
Is there anything quite like a good book? I love getting lost in the pages of a book with a glass of wine in my hand. With libraries closed, you might want to turn to audiobooks or ebooks to scratch that literary itch.
- Kansas City Public Library has Free Online Resources for Adults and Kids
- Audible.com have a large selection of free children’s books available for streaming
- Start a Virtual Book Club with friends and meet using FaceTime or WhatsApp Video
- National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) usually takes place in November of every year but they’ve put together Camp NaNoWriMo to keep young writers occupied if they are out of school. Learn more on Facebook.
- How about building a photobook from that trip you went on?
- Just The Right Book! is a service that sends you customized book recommendations and supports local bookshops at the same time.
- You don’t need a Kindle to read eBooks. Visit the Kindle Cloud Reader or download the App to read books on your phone.
Create Your Own Community
Social distancing doesn’t have to mean complete isolation. If you have a group of friends you usually brunch with, keep the schedule and go online! This could also be a great time to catch up with friends or family who live far away. You can have free video or voice calls using Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Facetime — so there’s no need to worry about expensive international costs if you have a loved one far away.
- Have an online cocktail party with friend or family using Facebook Live or Google Hangouts
- Join Kansas City Secrets and connect with locals on Facebook
- KC Food Runners is a group of locals you can hire to pick up food or essentials if you’re unable to leave the house.
Get into a new Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to listen, learn, and connect with fans. I’ll bet for each of the popular podcasts listed here, there’s going to be a Facebook group of fans discussing the latest episodes.
Local to Kansas City
- Open Belly KC food scene
- A People’s Guide of Kansas City from KCUR, everyday KC heroes
Food
Entrepreneurship
- How I Built This stories behind the world’s best-known companies
- 99% Invisible design and architecture
True Crime and Scandals
- Disgraceland musicians behaving badly and getting away with murder
- Generation Why
- My Favorite Murder
- Small Town Murders
- To Live and Die in LA podcast of the year winner associated press
- Slow Burn season 1 Watergate, season 2 Bill Clinton impeachment, season 3 Tupac
Entertainment & Lifestyle
- Armchair Expert the messiness of being human
- Reply all how the internet shapes us
- How Did This Get Made?
- LeVar Burton Reads – The Best Short Fiction, Handpicked by the Best Voice in Podcasting
- Overheard at National Geographic
- Mobituaries Mo Rocca shares an irreverent but deeply researched appreciation of the people (and things) of the past who have long intrigued him.
- Tannis is a fascinating horror mystery podcast series.
- Song Exploder behind the scenes how a song is made
- Hearing the Pulitzers is a piece-by-piece, episode-by-episode exploration of the winners of the Pulitzer Prize in Music
Storytelling
- Risk– A podcast where people tell true stories they never thought they’d dare to share in public.
- This American Life – Journalistic storytelling with a new themed episode every week.
- The Moth Radio Hour – One of storytelling’s most loved Podcasts, often recorded live around the country.
- Snap Judgement – Snap Judgement, like This American Life and The Moth, shares dynamic short stories with the addition of a great musical score.
Comedy
Binge Watch Something New
If you have the feeling that you’ve watched everything there is to see on Netflix, here are some other platforms you can download to your phone, tablet, or smart TV for a variety of shows and movies.
- PlutoTV is always free and has 250+ of free channels to choose from. This has an App for Android or Apple devices, as well as working on your smart TV.
- XUMO is a free (ad-supported) service with 200 channels of movies, TV shows and kids’ entertainment.
- Sundance Now has a 30-day free trial with the code SUNDANCENOW30. This service offers thrillers, True Crime, and Dramas.
- Shudder has a 30-day free trial with the code SHUTIN. Shudder specializes in horror movies and thrillers.
- UMC has a 30-day free trial with the code UMCFREE30. UMC has the best in Black film and TV.
- Acorn TV has a a 30-day free trial with the code FREE30 and is full of British and Australian TV shows
- Crunchyroll has a 14-day free trial and access to Anime
- Philo is a cable alternative that has a 7-day free trial then it’s $20/month for 59+ channels.
- Sling TV is another Cable alternative and has two packages available
- IMDb TV is an ad-supported movie streaming services
Educational Activities for Kids
Teachers go to school for years before they end up in the classroom so it’s OK if you feel out of your depth while the kids are at home. Here are some of the resources we’ve found to keep kids entertained. And don’t be afraid to let loose on the screen-time rules right now. If there’s more Netflix than usual, everyone is going to be okay!
- Scholastic Remote Learning
- Science Mom will have daily Science lessons on YouTube and Facebook every weekday at 10 AM central time.
- Art and Craft tutorial daily with McHarper Manor via their Facebook page
- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems, Education Artist-in-Residence at the Kennedy Center
- 16 Card Games That Will Turn Kids into Math Aces
- 75+ Entertaining and Educational Activities for When You’re Stuck Indoors
- Virtual Lessons from Discovery Education
- Education Companies offering Free Subscriptions right now
Just Have Fun with the Kids
- Create an indoor/outdoor scavenger hunt
- Create a YouTube Art Lesson with The Art Sherpa
- Learn how to create Pop Art
Food Delivery and Local Businesses
Restaurants and local businesses need our support as much as possible right now. If you’re not sure where to order from, bookmark this post and save it for later.
- CurbsideKC has a full list of Kansas City restaurants offering delivery or curbside pickup. They even have a dedicated list of liquor stores, distilleries and wineries to keep your liquor cabinet stocked!
- Instacart lets you shop online and order from 15 different stores including Hen House, Target, Price Chopper, Costco and Sprouts.
- Prime Now delivers from WholeFoods.
- Uber Eats is currently offering $0 delivery fees on all orders. Uber Eats is a convenient way to order food, but you can save money by ordering directly from restaurants.
- Brancato’s Catering has created family meals to feed 4-6 people and they are waiving delivery fees.
- Cupcake a la mode has take home decorating kits.
- Culligan Water of Kansas City is offering a two-week trial of drinking water delivery, or three months free on a new in-home water system.
- J. Rieger Distillery has switched to making hand sanitizer that is 70% alcohol. Suggested pricing is $5 for 2oz bottles and $30 for 2 liter bottles, available via curbside pickup at their distillery.
- Imperfect Foods is a food delivery service that services the Kansas City area. Not only do they deliver produce and pantry-staples every week (or every other week), but they reduce food waste and support food banks in the process.
- Scoby Master Tea-Biotics is offering free delivery of their kombucha.
Just Relax
It’s important to take care of YOURSELF as well as everyone else. I am sure you’re worried about friends and relatives. Perhaps you’re exhausted after being home with people you love, but also love space from! Take a moment to take care of YOU.
- Watch 3 Minutes of Cats Playing with Dominos
- Meditate with apps like Meditation Studio, Brain.FM, or this Five Minute Meditation when you need a quick break.
- Treat yourself to something special from Underdog Wine Co., they are offering curbside pickup.
- Stay connected! Put a phone-date on the calendar so you can stay connected with friends from afar.
- Play frisbee or catch in the back yard.
