23 April 2020

More virtual activities to bring the outside in while we #StayHome 🏡

Most of us have now hit the 1-month mark since the beginning of confinement. While we acknowledge how tough this adjustment has been, we have been incredibly impressed by all the initiatives undertaken worldwide to make this time a little more entertaining…so much so that our Cambre Sustainability Team is ready to share the second edition of content dedicated to “entertainment in times of quarantine”. #StayHomeStaySafe

Sustainability Team

All of the activities below are free or are based on donations. It is important to remember that some of these online activities are performed by people who are now not getting paid so please consider donating to them if you can.

Music to Your Ears

  • Global Citizen One World: Together at Home – on 18 & 19 April the WHO organised a virtual concert to support frontline healthcare workers. The full event can be viewed on their website
  • Bands in Town helps you stay connected with your favourite artists through live, intimate sets streamed directly from their homes to yours
  • Billboard also has a list of virtual concerts, updated regularly
  • Montreux Jazz Festival – cancelled this year is making 50 festival concerts available to stream, artists include Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Wu-Tang Clan & more!
  • Brussels’ music scene invites itself into your home
  • Playbill has a list of 15 Broadway plays and musicals you can watch on stage from home
  • If you’re really missing the party scene, Zoom has you covered. Check out this Bloomberg piece on Zoom Nightclubs

Art at Your Fingertips

  • The Anne Frank House has created a YouTube series asking: What if Anne Frank had a camera instead of a diary?
  • Art Transfer from Google lets you create your own art by transforming your photo in the style of an iconic artist
  • The Bolshoi Theater has some of their ballet performances on YouTube
  • The Royal Danish Ballet has their performance of Napoli on their website for free viewing
  • The UK Royal Opera House has their performance of Peter and the Wolf on their website for free viewing
  • Northern Ballet has announced its Pay as You Feel Digital Season with digital performances of famous ballets – they ask that you donate when you watch to support the programme
  • BBC Arts has an entire section of their website dedicated to Culture in Quarantine
  • The Rosie Kay Dance Company’s performance of MK Ultra is few to view on YouTube

Brain Training

  • Nikon is offering free photography classes
  • Sue Bryce is offering free access to its education library for portrait photography until 26 April
  • LinkedIn is offering free courses on the topic remote working
  • MasterClass is offering free classes – first up is Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers
  • SDG Academy is providing free educational resources from the world’s leading experts on sustainable development
  • Khan Academy is offering free online learning schedules for children up to the age of 18. There is something for everyone though, brush up on skills like computer animation, economics, and storytelling

Stay Connected

  • If you’re craving human interaction – you can join Deep Talks, which creates spaces for people to connect over engaging, thought-provoking topics

(Virtually) gather your friends and family and play these classic games online:

Other fun virtual games:

Bring the outdoors in

  • Tour US National Parks with Google Arts and Culture
    • More parks available here
  • Pitchfork has a list of nature webcams to watch while listening to corresponding music to help you relax and feel less cooped up
  • Skill Share is offering free gardening classes
  • Disney Parks launches 360-degree panoramas on google street view
  • Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower garden has a drone tour on its YouTube

Zoos and aquariums around the world are providing us with the much-needed animal content we need. Check out these live cams:

Calm Your Mind and Strengthen Your Body

  • Aura, a meditation app, is offering a free 3-month subscription when you use the code FINDPEACE2020
  • A list of mental health resources can be found here to help ease your mind during this difficult time
  • Don’t have equipment and want to do strength training at home? That’s no problem for calisthenics workouts
  • Still stretched for time while working at home? Try stretching yourself even more with a ten minute morning yoga routine, you can even join the thirty day challenge!
  • Adidas wants to keep you motivated during this tough time and is offering a 90 day free membership and access to all workouts and training plans in their training app

Be the Next Masterchef/Master Bartender

  • HuffPost has a list of the best free virtual cooking classes to take during self-isolation
  • Celebrity chefs offer tips for cooking during quarantine
  • Check out the Home Cooking podcast hosted by Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway who want to help you figure out what to cook (and keep you company) during the quarantine!
  • Gluten-free? Vegan? Want to find out if it’s really possible to make delicious, healthy and easy vegan food? Or maybe you have just run out of eggs. Try out our favourite vegan blogger, Minimalist Baker
  • Cocktail Chemistry Lab has six quarantine cocktails you can make
  • And if you just don’t feel like cooking, check out your local restaurants and caterers to see if they are doing deliveries during confinement. With this sector being hit very hard, it can be a simple way to help out your local businesses. One of our picks – for those living in/near Brussels – is Quent’ on a faim: every week you get to order homemade bread, organic groceries or a full blown 3-course meal made with the best local produce

Are you (still) not entertained?

  • Some Good News – hosted by actor John Krasinski is the dose of happiness we all need, with weekly episodes posted on YouTube, Instagram and other social media sites – be on the lookout for some cool special guests
  • Every Friday spanning four consecutive weeks, the Lionsgate will team with Fandango and YouTube to livestream four blockbusters: The Hunger Games, the classic Dirty Dancing, La La Land, and John Wick
  • Missing (American) sports? The NBA, NHL, MBL and NFL are all providing free replays of past games plus other new content to help tide you over
  • The Guardian has a list of all the music, shows, exhibitions etc. that have been cancelled with creative alternatives
  • We’re all over Zoom meetings. So spice it up with a visit from a llama! Check out how you can add farm animals to your Zoom calls from Sweet Farm
  • If you and your work crew are hanging out on Teams, Zoom, or Skype, add some fun to your next call by turning yourself into a potato with this tutorial
  • Join a virtual pub quiz – such as this one from Big Drop Brewing Co in the UK that goes live every Tuesday on YouTube
  • Did you binge Love is Blind and need something to fill the void? The DIY version – Love is Quarantine can help you out
  • The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has launched Harry Potter at Home – where you’ll find all the latest magical treats to keep you occupied – including special contributions from Bloomsbury and Scholastic, nifty magical craft videos, fun articles, quizzes, puzzles
  • To help keep you and your children occupied at home Claire’s has created At Home With Claire’s – with free at home activity guides
  • If you’re looking to decrease your energy use while at home Engie has some tips to #stayhomesaveup

If you have seen an activity that should be included on future iterations of this list please send an email to Cambre’s Sustainability Team here.