Social distancing, isolation, new normal are all new terms we are learning and living with.
Just remember social distancing and being in isolation does not mean you have to be socially and mentally isolated.
Hopefully some of these ideas and websites will help you cope a little better, smile a little more, and remember we are all in this together.
Facebook, Google, Skype, Face Time, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams can all be used to have video calls with friends and family. The best thing about some of these services, other then the fact that they are free, is you can talk with multiple people at a time. Whoa!! I know, so when you get a group of friends together on Zoom or Skype have some fun:
Try to keep some sort of normal, if you get together with the girls on Wednesdays do it on Skype. If you and the boys usually get together on Friday to play games do it on JackBoxTv and YouTube.
Remember we are all in this together and together we can get through this.
Do a quick Google Search to find some fun ways to not be Socially Isolated.
Celebrates are doing their part trying to keep people entertained and smiling. Here is a small list of things going on out there:
Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber request a song and he may play it for you.
Dolly Parton is reading children books at Imagination Library
Jimmy Fallon host of The Tonight Show, doing the show from his basement
Melissa Etheridge and other recording stars are doing concerts from home, check them out.
Check Twitter, Snap Chat, Facebook, and other social media accounts. Many are posting challenges and things they are doing as well.
Do you need a break for learning? Does your brain just need to feel like it isn't thinking? Do you need to relieve some stress? Here are some sites that are meant just for that?
Kahoot! a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to learning
Arkadium from Solitaire and Bridge to Mahjong and Daily Crossword Puzzles, a free collection of online games
FOG Free Online Games, a collection of a wide variety of games to keep you busy
AGAME popular and free online games
Big Fish free online games, they say welcome to the Big Fish Casino
Gamesgames even more games online
BGames even more games in a variety of genres
Addicting Games I think the title of the page says it all
Online Crosswords a collection of daily crosswords you can either print or play online
BigOpolis daily fill-it-in puzzles
Libraries around the world are offering digital collections to entertain and education, check out these libraries to see what they have to offer:
UW Digital Library and Digital Collections see what the UW has for you.
Wisconsin Digital Library browse, borrow, and enjoy titles from the Wisconsin PUblic Library Consortium digital collection.
Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America's libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.
Library of Congress OMG the amount of resources available here is crazy. Check out this Day in History, teaching with the Library of Congress, and the digital collections, utilize your national resources.
New York Public Library can I get a WOW!! An amazing collection of free public domain images, a fun interactive game, want to see 5th Ave in 1911? It is all here, along with a neat challenge--Recreate your favorite book cover. You don't have to live in New York to enjoy these resources.
Internet Public Library information to help you succeed, explore over 500,000 essays across thousands of topics to help you finish your homework.
World Digital Library provides free access to multilingual format with significant primary materials from all countries and cultures around the world. Brought to you by the Library of Congress.
International Children's Digital Library a free online library of digitized children's books in 56 languages from various countries.
Open Library and Internet Archives building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.
Museums are stepping up to help you get out of the house with out getting off of your couch. Have you ever wanted to visit some of the world's best museums? Well now you can with out worrying about your passport. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the beauty:
Getty Museum located in Los Angeles they are offering two virtual tours one titled "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry," all about food in the Middle Ages. They are also doing a fun Art Challenge, check it out.
Smithsonian National Museum and Institute take a 360-degree tour of every exhibit in the museum. Do not forget to check out other resources available, and again utilize your national resources.
The Louvre located in Paris you can visit the City of Lights and take three different exhibit tours.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum located in New York City, you can check out all 625 works of art housed here including works by Pablo Picasso.
Van Gogh Museum located in Amsterdam get up close and personal with the impressionists works.
The Vatican Museum you do not need to fly to Rome to view the wonders of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica while virtually touring the center of the Catholic Church.
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum located in Madrid houses works by artists like Rembrandt, Dali, and more.
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum located in Santa Fe take one of six virtual exhibits from the "Mother of American Modernism."
British Museum located in London tour the museum and see the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies, you will want to get lost in the wonders held here.
Metropolitan Museum of Art located in New York City and home of the Met Gala take a peak at the Costume Institute Conseration Lab which is just one of the 26 virtual exhibits.
There are many more museums offering virtual tours and the like, do a quick search and see what you can find.
In the United States we are blessed to have National Parks, while some may be closed to in person visits they are not closed to virtual ones. Check out some virtual tours of our National Parks:
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
So many different organizations are stepping up to help those who cannot step out, enjoy the resources they are providing:
Special Olympics the Special Olympics have teamed up with the WWE for some training videos, get up off the couch and exercise.
NASA the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is offering some very cool at home activities for students, plus its NASA they have cool images.
Wisconsin Governors' Office is offering virtual tours of the Governor's Mansion and you can even tour the Capitol
Cleveland Inner City Ballet take a class and learn Ballet.
Detroit Symphony Orchestra has free webcasts
PBS The Public Broadcasting System is offering online content for educational purposes too.
UNESCO the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Oragnization
If you have ever wanted to visit some exotic place but never had the money, well now you can:
Trip to Mars take a 360-degree tour, is there life out there?
Tour the Great Wall of China how cool is it to be at one of the wonders of the world, a man made object you can see from space
Blacktip Reef from the National Aquarium enjoy the live stream.
Pacific Coral Reef from the National Aquarium enjoy the live stream.
Famous Landmarks of Wyoming a virtual tour of Wyoming landmarks and national parks, thanks to Michele and her grandsons Jake and Noah!
Need something to feed the adreniline junkie in you? Well take a trip virtually to a theme park, hop on a ride and enjoy!
Hershey Park in Hershey, PA
Utilize your University Library
You have now become a teacher or tutor, helping your children or younger siblings with their homework. Still not sure what Core Math is? These resources may help all of you with the new educational normal. Here are some databases that may be just what the teacher ordered:
Ever want to try an Escape Room, but were maybe a little freaked out by the idea? Here are some Virtual Escape Rooms you can try. Get a group of friends or go it alone. Have fun.
Free Digital Escape Rooms - list of 10 free rooms for your next game night from Simplemost
Escape Rooms for Team Building - get the team together and have some fun, list provided by Teambuilding.com
Do a Google Search for Virtual Escape Rooms and see what you can find.
Zoos and Aquariums are closed right now, but you can still visit all the animals, here are a few:
Atlanta Zoo and be sure to check out the Panda Cam
The Shedd Aquarium located in Chicago
Many zoos have live cams up as well, check them out for some live entertainment.
You never thought you would be homeschooling, you never thought you would miss learning. Here are some websites that will peek some interest in a variety of topics, who knew learning and teaching could be this fun!
Open Culture the best free cultural & educational media on the web
Code.Org learn computer scince and change the world, learn how to code.
Scholastic offering online magazines for students.
Brain POP make any room a classroom
Khan Academy for every student, for every classroom, real results. A nonprofit with a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere
Prodigy Math the engaging, curriculum-aligned math platform loved by over 50 million students, teachers and administrators. No cost ever
Outschool free schooling rescourse available for educators, families, and learners
No Red Ink offering free content for the rest of the academic school year, free writing and grammar exercises for grades 5-12
Mystery Science offers open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science
Duoling learn a language for free, forever!
YouTube do not forget to go to YouTube, no you do not have to go just for educational purposes, check out Crash Course all kinds of good stuff here.
I get it, you cannot stay in the house forever, you need food and maybe toilet paper, and you can go to the store to get supplies. Get out of the house, but still remember to practice social distancing, here are some ideas:
Remember to get out and about from time to time, be safe when you do, but get some fresh air and some sun shine they are both good for you.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means, my hope is it will give some ideas to keep you entertained, learning, and above all healthy and safe.
Your Public Library Card is more important than ever, why? With your Public Library Card you will be able to access more libraries than just the one you usually go to down the street. You will be able to access electronic resources, eBooks, and depending on the library even more content. Your Public Library may be closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic but you can still access resources from Public Libraries everywhere.
Also, your UW-Platteville account may allow you access to some resources as well, remember to utilize everything you have in order to keep yourself healthy, both physically and mentally.
Here are some ideas for Google Searches to assist in finding more resources like the ones on this guide:
Here are a few more places to visit:
St. Jude's has created a coloring book to help explain COVID-19 to younger children, you can get it here
J.K. Rowling has created Harry Potter at Home bringing Hogwarts to you.
Many people want to know what they can do to help, first stay home. I saw some nurses with a sign that said "We stay here for you, please stay home for us." Like me you want to help, in some way without causing any more issues. Here are some things you can do to help:
