While we are confined to our homes and practicing social distancing 6 feet away from each other, I hope everyone has taken time to learn something new between work assignments and home schooling their children. Most of the things I have been learning can be shared with children and can be a learning experience for them as well.
Virtual Museums – USA Today had a list of 12 museums that are offering virtual tours. I’ve been to most of the ones listed here, but it’s always nice to get a refresher, and to see the new and temporary exhibits. Our very own High Museum in Atlanta gets a shout out in the article!
The National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. is featured in the USA Today list. Here are some of my favorites from when I visited last May!
Center for Puppetry Arts is doing Zoom programming! Great for kids, and maybe adults can secretly enjoy it too. I’m not the only one who likes to watch Sesame Street reruns with my 3 year old nephew, am I?
Louvre Virtual Tours – I’ve never been to France, so this may be the closest I get to the Louvre for a while! The Virtual Tours are part history, part art, and part art history as you get an in-depth look at the masterpieces and learn about each piece of art. And, no waiting in lines or crowded galleries!
New York Public Library offers more than 180,000 items from their Digital Collection. While you must be a resident of the State of New York to have a membership card and access to NYPL’s e-reader and e-audiobooks, anyone can access the Digital Collection. Being a fan of historic preservation, my favorite resource is a repository of historic mansion floor plans.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is offering curated videos, podcasts and social media content about its permanent and temporary exhibits.
A Capella Books is delivering books within 1 day after purchase. The owner was featured in a New York Times article. I hope that her business continues to do well despite the quarantine, and that she picks up some new customers as well! I’m sure she is enjoying getting exercise and being outside delivering books on her bicycle.
National Parks Virtual Tours – You can explore these five national parks from your living room thanks to these virtual tours: Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska), Hawa’i Volcanoes National Park (Hawai’i), Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico), Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah) and Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida). I’ve been to Carlsbad, but I was 10 years old then, and I’ve seen Kenai and Hawai’i Volcanoes from a distance, but I wanted a better look. For now, this is as close as I get. Google Earth is providing access to more national parks as well.
Streaming Options
National Geographic shared a plethora of wildlife streaming choices, including our own Georgia Aquarium’s webcams, Fiona the Hippo at Cincinnati Zoo (and their non-celebrity residents), and Africam’s Tembe Life Wildlife Channel.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Playbill is hosting a free streaming of the 1965 classic on Friday, March 20 at 8 pm ET with trivia, giveaways, and social media interaction on Twitter and Instagram.
Willie Nelson concert – Luck Reunion, Willie’s annual music fest, will stream Thursday, March 19 at 7 pm ET. Check the site for updates to the schedule.
Broadway shows and plays – BroadwayHD offers a 7-day free trial, and it may be worth a month subscription to take advantage of all of its offerings depending on how long we are at home, and how long schools are closed.
If you have Hulu, Amazon Prime or Netflix subscriptions, please check these out!
Won’t You Be My Neighbor – this documentary about Mr. Rogers was released in 2018, and I saw it in the theater twice, and have watched it online two or three times since then.
Drunk History – Not entirely kid-friendly, but at least the adults will learn something! Especially interesting is the last episode, released last August, about Typhoid Mary. Maybe you can paraphrase the lessons for the kids? Or show them why excessive drinking is not adviseable?
Big Charity – This documentary about the demise of Charity Hospital, the largest hospital in New Orleans, and once one of the largest in the country with 1,000 beds, was filmed by Atlanta native, Alexander Glustrom. It hits close to home for me because my dad, uncles and cousin all did their residencies, fellowships and training here, and my uncle was still working in the Emergency Room until it was shut down by the state of Louisiana after Katrina. Big Charity is free with an Amazon Prime subscription.
These YouTube shows and videos are on my “Favorites list” because of the subject, or just because I love to learn!
The Nomadic Professor – I love the ones about India, because not only does he know his stuff, but he also pronounces everything correctly! He even has courses on his web site. He has Bachelor’s in Asian Studies (Brigham Young University), a Master’s in Humanities (Penn State), and a Master’s and Ph.D. in History from Syracuse University.
How Wolves Change Rivers – check out the other videos from Sustainable Human here
Mental Floss – More from the Mental Floss channel here
Crayola Inspired: Brian’s Dots
And no educational experience would be complete without Mr. Rogers, right?
Mr. Rogers RFK Assassination Special
Mr. Rogers, Our Friend & Neighbor CBS Special
Mr. Rogers’ Emmy Award Speech (1997)
Sravanthi Meka 