Resources for Being Housebound during COVID-19
Getting cabin fever? Here are some resources to help you maintain sanity while you’re housebound.
If it feels like you’re facing a new reality amid the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re not alone. Our routines are topsy-turvy too. Even at CF Wholesale, many of us who worked in offices are now adjusting to the work-from-home life. And those of us who already worked from home may now be getting used to the full-time companionship of housebound significant others and kids. That’s a lot of change to cope with in a short amount of time!
If the cabin fever is real, and you’re starting to get a little squirrely from being home all the time, we’re here to help. We’ve put together this roundup of fun resources we’ve found to give you some ideas to help keep you and your families busy, happy, and sane.
Educational Resources for Kids
- Audible: Free 30-day trial on audiobooks for kids.
- Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science Academy: Interactive middle and high school computer science curriculum.
- Disneynature: Movies and complementary educational materials for grades 2 to 6.
- Fun Family Crafts: Free educational crafting ideas for toddlers to teens.
- Free podcasts: Check out this list of the 25 best podcasts for kids.
- Scratch: Interactive story, game, and animation design from the MIT Media Lab, designed for ages eight to 16.
- Sesame Street: Free online learning games and videos for young students.
- The Magic School Bus: Free online learning, experiments, and an educational cartoon available on Netflix.
- Check out this principal’s list of things to do and this list of free learning apps.
Learning-From-Home Assistance
- 123 Homeschool 4 Me
- ABCya offers more than 400 educational games for children in grades Pre-K through 6. Games are categorized by grade and subject, and families can access all ABCya’s regular games and videos with a free subscription.
- Adventureacademy.com
- BrainPOP provides animated interactive lessons, quizzes, and games for core subjects and a variety of electives.
- Circletime Fun offers classes from home for kids up to age six that they can either watch on demand or participate in live. Registration is required to access the classes but is free with this code: homefun1.
- Cognitive ToyBox offers free daily activities geared toward children eight and under.
- edHelper currently offers lots of free printable worksheets for parents to use.
- EVERFI offers free supplemental lessons for students in the areas of finance, social and emotional learning, health, college/career readiness, and other related topics.
- Khanacademy.org
- KidLitTV offers a variety of creative video content to inspire and educate kids. The website’s free content includes read-alouds, drawing tutorials, cooking lessons, craft ideas, and more.
- #LearnEverywhere is a community and website devoted to sharing educational resources for all grade levels.
- Lumosity offers free brain games to keep students’ minds actively engaged.
- Outschool.com
- TEDEd brings lessons to life for students through animation.
- Varsitytutors.com
Physical Activity Breaks
- GoNoodle: Free movement and mindfulness videos on YouTube.
- Cosmic Kids Yoga: Yoga, mindfulness, and relaxation designed for kids ages three and up used in schools and homes all over the world.
- Tune in to the weekly kid-friendly “Living Room Dance Party” (attracting thousands) on DJ Mel’s Facebook page.
- Choreograph and film family TikToks.
- Go for a walk.
Family Resources
- Tour Disney World from the comfort of home.
- Play cards (e.g., Rummy, War, Go Fish, Uno, Old Maid), games (e.g., Scrabble, Monopoly, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders), charades, or put a puzzle together.
- Watch the beluga whales at the Georgia Aquarium, check out the Panda Cam from The Smithsonian’s National Zoo, watch the San Diego Zoo’s live webcam, or tune in to see the Cincinnati Zoo’s daily livestream of animals.
- Check out Rotten Tomato’s list of top 100 kids’ and family movies and have a family movie night. Disney+ has released Frozen 2 and Rise of Skywalker. There’s also CuriosityStream, which features thousands of science and history documentaries.
- Camp at home in your backyard.
- Check out this site with family projects/activities.
- Take the Family Adventure Challenge.
- Video chat with friends and family members.
- Listen to NASA astronauts read stories to kids while they float around in space.
- Do some spring cleaning or organizing.
- Tour our National Parks via Google Earth.
- Take a digital look around the Louvre in Paris or other virtual museum tours.
- Transport your family to Yellowstone National Park via virtual field trip.
- Explore the surface of Mars via this digital 360° camera.
- Tour the Lego Hotel at Legoland.
- Encourage your kids to do some age-appropriate yard work.
Individual Resources
- For the sports fan, NBA League Pass is offering free preview subscriptions until April 22, and NFL Game Pass is offering free access until May 31.
- Take an online class. Check out this roundup of nearly 30 places to access courses for free.
- Play an online game with friends.
We’re here to support our brokers and their customers during this challenging time. In addition to passing along these fun resources, we’ve created a COVID-19 information page on our website to help you navigate how to still do business with us. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home!
Did this blog post help you beat cabin fever? Share it on social media to spread the word!
