Bored at home? We've put together a list of things to do to keep you entertained.
Watch
During isolation the ROH isn’t able to open it’s doors, but you can get a taste of the opera at one of their free streamed performances. You can join in on their Facebook page or YouTube channel. They are offering performances of:
· Peter and the Wolf, The Royal Ballet, 2010 – 27 March 2020, 7pm GMT
· Acis and Galatea, The Royal Opera, 2009 – 3 April 2020, 7pm BST
· Così fan tutte, The Royal Opera, 2010 – 10 April 2020, 7pm BST
· The Metamorphosis, The Royal Ballet, 2013 – 17 April 2020, 7pm BST
Similar to the ROH, the Metropolitan Opera is offering streaming of some of it’s previous performances. The performance changes nightly so take a look at what’s on this evening. Here are the full instructions on how to access it for free.
Broadway HD are offering a free 7 day trial to stream Broadway hits. It is a paid subscription after the trial so make sure you cancel if you don’t want to continue paying.
Catch up on some TV… Here are some of our Team recommendations for shows to check out.
free options
Paid subscription services
Netflix has a wide range of TV series – British and American, plus documentaries and films. Netflix create their own ‘Netflix Original’ shows that you can only find here. Currently you can also access netflixparty.com which is a Chrome browser extension that allows you to share a movie with friends in a different location. Film night at a distance!
Now TV – you will need a device to stream from NowTV unless you watch on a computer. You buy passes for the genre you would like – film, entertainment, sports or kids. All are via the Sky network so there are plenty of shows and films to choose from.
Amazon Prime Video – similar to Netflix there is plenty to choose from and Amazon also have their own Amazon exclusive shows.
Some ideas from our community:
Karen shared:
For a small fee membership there’s private theatres like Broadway (Nottm) and Phoenix screening to home https://player.bfi.org.uk/rentals/film/watch-i-wish-2011-online
Films on MUBI: https://mubi.com/films/domains
You can get 3 months Mubi subscription for £1 at the moment (or free if you are a Broadway member)
Watch a play at home for free. You choose which play, the date and the time. Follow the link, read the instructions, you choose, then sit back and relax. https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/hampstead-theatre-at-home/wonderland/. Hampstead Theatre and The Guardian will re-release the live stream recordings of Mike Bartlett’s Wild, Beth Steel’s Wonderland and Howard Brenton’s Drawing the Line for free.
Visit
Worldwide Attractions
Being at home doesn’t mean you have to avoid a day trip. Why not visit these attractions online where they are offering virtual tours and videos?
British Museum – they are sharing content across different platforms - from their website to social media to Google Arts & Culture. Check their website for up to date information and to access their online catalogue.
Visit various different museums and landmarks using Google Arts & Culture. You can visit the Eiffel Tower, walk around the Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia or explore the world of Harry Potter at the British Library.
Learn
Wine Tasting - Order one of Pull The Cork’s Isolation Wine Tasting Kits (available to buy for £45) ready for a live Instagram wine tasting on Saturday. Remember when you said you wanted to learn a new skill in quarantine? It looks like you have to be in a hurry to order though as they quickly go out of stock!
TED Talks - There are thousands of talks about all sorts of topics. Visit the website to search for a topic of your choice. We love TED for all of the different things you can learn – click here for some of our favourites and share yours.
Podcasts - There are many podcasts you could listen to on all manner of subjects, from funny to serious, to learning to entertaining. You can access podcasts through lots of different ways some of which are via BBC Sounds, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes or SoundCloud. Some of our recommendations are on this post here.
British Sign Language - British-Sign.co.uk are offering a pay what you can scheme for their courses. Why not spend the time learning a new skill?
Open University Free Courses – Did you know Open University offer free courses? There are lots to choose from with all kind of subjects to learn about.
Udemy – these are paid for courses but heavily discounted. There are lots to choose from.
Learn to cook - something vegan, something Jamie-ish or something deliciously naughty!
Learn to play guitar - Fender Play are offering 3 months free online lessons
Meditate with
Educate the Children
David Walliams is reading daily stories for free
Mylene Klass is offering daily music classes
Oti Mabuse of Strictly fame is offering dance classes on You Tube
Learn some more science with Maddie Moate
Become a Maths genius with Carol Vorderman
Some ideas from our community:
From Miranda:
A lot of parents approached me with their concerns regarding home schooling and balancing this with their own jobs when working from home, hence why I set this up. Miranda’s Craft Club: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMRQvn-0gfP-Zwf3yJwBqsw?view_as=subscriber
Keep you cheered with Good News
FactCheck - if you've heard tales on Facebook or elsewhere on the internet you can check how true it is on this site.
Help you keep in touch
Zoom – for face-timing
Skype – for calls and face-timing
Keep you working out
DownDog App has made all their apps completely free until May 1st. You can choose from hundreds of at-home yoga, HIIT, Barre, and 7-minute workouts.
Glo is offering free online yoga, meditation and pilates workouts to help deal with anxiety.
Yoga with Adriene offers amazing free yoga classes on YouTube, and is welcoming to all abilities and body types.
Ryan Heffington, a well-known dance choreographer in LA, is leading scheduled dance parties on Instagram Live.
Posture Ellie - you could use some of your at home time to strengthen your posture with these exercises from Postural Alignment Therapist Ellie.
Chris Hemsworth (the mighty Thor himself!) is offering 6 weeks of free training with his fitness brand Centr. I’ve heard there will be many ladies viewing this from the sofa with a bowl of popcorn!
Inspire you to start a new hobby
Gardening - there’s lots of research to show gardening helps to alleviate stress, depression and anxiety so what better excuse to get into it?! You can get started even if you don’t have a garden. The Royal Horticulture Society has some great tips to help you get started. If you’re an indoors kind of person there’s a helpful guide to houseplants.
Knitting – there are lots of different tutorials online to teach you to knit or crochet. One I like and find easy to follow is by Wool and The Gang. The offer video tutorials and have patterns you can download to try at different ease levels. If you are looking for a project to complete the East Midlands Ambulance Service would like twiddle muffs for Dementia patients. Here’s the recipe.
Calligraphy or hand lettering
Brain games – Luminosity, Peak, Some more here recommended by our Team
Photography – you don’t need an SLR to take great images – you can get great results just with your smartphone camera. The basic principles to remember are the rule of thirds – positioning the main subject in your image in one of the thirds of the screen and to be aware of the light – direction and time of day can make a huge difference. The best time is the Golden Hour around sunrise/set when the sunlight is a more golden colour and less harsh.
If you do want to make better use your SLR this is a good starter guide.
Our suggestion is to take a look at images online to get some inspiration and just start experimenting – you can soon pick up a feel for what makes a good photograph. Flickr is a good place to start.
Make a physical photo album – you should still be able to get your photographs printed online and delivered to your home. Why not take the opportunity to free your digital photos and display them in a beautiful photo album?
Sing – take up karaoke
Painting – there are plenty of tutorial videos on YouTube to help you get started – just type painting tutorial into the search bar and see what draws your interest.
Read – there are plenty of books to buy or borrow online and a number of libraries have an e-book lending facility. Take a look at your local library to see if they do. You could also set up a virtual book club with your friends and loved ones.
Our Team LOVE to read a good book – we even have a library in our offices for reading during lunchtime. Some books we recommend can be found here.
Online Events
Virtual Pub Quiz – Jay Flynn set up a virtual pub quiz and put it out to his friends on Facebook to join in. What he didn’t expect was 300,000 people joining him from across the globe! Seems everyone likes a quiz! Jay is now running the quiz regularly on a Thursday evening so if you fancy testing your general knowledge visit his YouTube channel.
A number of music artists and bands have decided to do live streamed performances. Here’s a list of who, when and how.
Hopefully there's something that catches your eye in the ideas we've found. Let us know how you're getting on or if you have come across any other interesting ideas to share with the world.