Making the Best of Your Time at Home Without Going Stir Crazy

We are living in some unprecedented days; being forced to either work or learn remotely at home as many businesses and entertainment venues, and schools shut down, all in an attempt at social distancing to stay healthy amid the novel coronavirus that is increasingly threatening the world. But being cooped up indoors can drive anyone stir crazy, especially if it’s prolonged. Here are some ideas on how to make the time pass, until… well, we don’t know yet.

Visit a Museum Online

Check out exhibits. No, don’t go to the museum; they’re all closed. Let the museum come to you. Here is a listing of wonderful exhibits in the DMV, across the nation and world that you can view online, anytime, without fees or the need to travel.

Smithsonian Online - Washington, DC - Online exhibits
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC - Two online exhibits
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Guggenheim, New York, New York - Virtual tour
Louvre, Paris, France - Virtual tour
Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France - Virtual tour
The British Museum, London, England - Virtual tour
National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea - Virtual tour and online exhibits
Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany - Virtual tour and online exhibits
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - Virtual tour

Catch an Opera Online

Enjoy the magic of the opera again or for the first time. The Metropolitan Opera of New York is launching “Nightly Met Opera Streams,” a free series of encore award-winning Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website during the coronavirus closure, each night at 7:30 p.m. starting Monday, March 16. The presentations will remain available online for 20 hours at their website. They will also be available on the Met Opera’s On-Demand apps.

Fun Online Activities for Kids of All Ages

Both kids and teenagers can go stir crazy easily if not entertained. Being out of school in March for an extended period is unprecedented. How to keep them busy while practicing social distancing? Try these websites that offer fun stuff for kids to do online:

Learn With Smithsonian: Science Game Center, Learning Lab, Smithsonian 3D, Animal Webcams, and more!
HelloKids.com – Offers free online games, puzzles and quizzes, coloring pages, learning experiences, and more.
Coloring-4kids.com – Free online and printable coloring pages for kids

Family Games

Time to dust off some of the board games in the attic. Don’t have any? Get some at the store or order online. Some old favorites: Monopoly, Life, Trouble. Get really competitive with other games like chess, checkers, backgammon, Jenga, or dominoes. Try your hand at some card games. Don’t own any games? Perhaps it’s time to go shopping online and have them delivered to your door.

Parent Guides to Stay Updated on the Kids

Parents, do you Tik Tok? Do you know what Fortnite is? Get up-to-date with the latest social media, games, and other things that kids and teenagers are familiar with, by using free online guides at Commonsensemedia.org.

Watch Free Online Movies

Want to see free movies online without a subscription? Check out YouTube’s listing of free and full online film features. You can also do a search on their website using as keywords the name of the film you wish to see and other keywords such as “free full movie”. Some selections have ads embedded, others don’t.

Do What You Didn’t Have Time To Do Before

Exercise. Do yoga. Make a playlist. Learn how to cook or expand on your recipe book. Often, people make the excuse that they’d do this or that if they only had the time. Well, you do now. Get to it.

Catch Up on TV Serials

If you have Hulu, Netflix, etc. and you’ve missed some of the serials you’ve heard around the water cooler at work, get caught up! There’s a lot of good stuff out there for everyone.

Visit A Virtual Library

The library is always a great resource and it’s sad when they are closed; however, there’s good news! Libraries are always open online. It’s not the same experience, but you can search for books, “borrow” online, and more, at these websites:

PGCMLS.info - Prince George’s County Memorial Library System Online
Goodreads.com - Goodreads
Read.gov – Library of Congress Library
OpenLibrary.org – Open Library Internet ArchiveGoodreads.com
Goodreads.com
Librivox.org – LibriVox offers free public domain audiobooks

Update Your Dating Website

Got an online dating profile? Go there and make any necessary updates. Don’t have one, but have considered it? You have time now to review the various websites, come up with a profile, and find a new date.

Learn More About Your Partner

What better time is there than the present to get to learn more about your partner or to get re-connected with them? If you need a book or game to help break the ice, try any of these.

How Well Do You Really Know Your Partner?
Our Moments - Couples
Realizations – Card Deck
Relationship Questions: Fun and Interesting Questions to Ask Your Loved One
Questions for Couples: How to Get Skills and Communication Miracles to Eliminate High Conflicts in the Relationship Before, During, and After Marriage
The Hot or Not Quiz for Couples: A Sexy Game of Naughty Questions and Revealing Answers (Hot and Sexy Games)