All over the country, families are adjusting to being holed up together in tiny quarters, and students are trying to figure out the new normal of no classes and no activities. While you may love a day or two off from going to school, after a few days the sheen may wear off. It might be tempting to kill the time by binging Netflix between a continuous stream of TikTok videos, but there are also plenty of other brain-stimulating things to do. Having access to the greater world through virtual channels means that, even remotely, you can still dive into your intellectual curiosities and expose yourself to a little culture. Here are some ideas to explore in between your favorite shows. And almost all of them are free!
Check out a classic movie. Did you know that with a library card you can stream hundreds of movies? With Kanopy, you can watch up to 10 free classics, indies, foreign films or even more current Academy Award winners for free. The app even offers free lectures from experts. Have access to TCM through Cable or streaming? The channel pulls from a huge collection of film classics for its live feed and on-demand library.
Watch a documentary. Fascinated by climate change, the British royals or the civil rights movement? Deepen an intellectual passion or find a new one by streaming a documentary. Documentary Tube has a page listing the top 100 free documentariesbeing screened on their site. You can find others on Kanopy or YouTube. And if you have access to Netflix, Amazon, or another paid streaming site, you can find hundreds more!
Attend a concert online. With countless music venues having to shut down, some are offering free virtual listening. The week of March 16th, the Metropolitan Operais offering free viewings of a selection of their operas from the HD archive. The Seattle Symphonyis also offering free concerts. WKAR pulled together a list of even more classical offeringsthat are free beginning this week. Looking for a different genre of music? Some artists who had to cancel tours have been performing limited sets for free on Facebook live. Check social media and websites.
Try practicing yoga, exercising or meditating. There are dozens of YouTube channels and apps that offer free exercise routines. The Boston Globe put together a list of 5 workout channels. Do Yoga With Me offers yoga videos at all different levels for free. Is the stress of sharing space with your younger sibling getting to you? Mindful.org curated a list of meditation apps, many of which are free or freemium.
Read a good book. When was the last time you had a chance to read for fun? Libraries may be closed, but if you have a library card you have access to the whole library from your phone or tablet! Download the Libby app by Overdrive to sign up. You can search your library and take out an e-book or audiobook. Just like the real library, there are a limited number of copies of each book available at any given moment, but you can place a hold and will be contacted when it’s ready!
Keep your skills sharp. Khan Academy offers free courses in everything from U.S. history to electrical engineering so you can keep up with schoolwork even when you are away from class. Or try something a subject that’s not on your high school schedule. You can learn how to code at Code Academy or try one of Coursera’s free day-long courses on subjects like Feminism and Social Justice or Global Diplomacy.
Visit a museum (online). Did you know that you can peruse the halls of the Guggenheim, the Louvre or the British Museum without leaving your home? Google has teamed up with thousands of museums to build virtual tours. Travel + Leisure has compiled a list of 12 world-class museums you can explore. Also, check out the hashtag #museummomentofzen to see a collection of stress-relieving art pieces selected by museums around the world.
Listen to a Podcast. We are living in the golden age of podcasts; you can find one on virtually anything. Love sports? Check out the 30 for 30 podcast from ESPN. Love fashion? Check out the The Cutting Room Floor which examines the cultural and social issues in the industry. You can find free podcasts on anything from spirituality to politics to animation to bugs. Many authors, experts and celebrities have their own podcasts too. And most are free (if you can muddle through a few ad interruptions.)
Pick up an old hobby (or start a new one). With so much time at home, it might be the perfect time to (re)discover knitting or guitar or baking. See what’s lying around in your closet that you had forgotten about. Lo-fi is a great antidote at a time when everything else is about connecting through a screen virtually.
Breathe and reflect. Sometimes downtime can be just the thing to encourage us to step back and notice the changes we want to make in our lives. Are there interests that you have always wanted to explore that you haven’t had the chance to try? Are you so overscheduled that you never get enough sleep? Take the downtime to think about the things that you would love to do and the changes you would want to make once life goes back to normal.
