Links to useful resources during self-isolation

For children, World Book Online have just made their fabulous collection of over 3,000 ebooks and audiobooks available for free for children to access at home. They have books suitable for all ages. worldbook.kitaboo.com/reader/worldbook/index.html

Learn something new - academic, leisure or just fun - on a MOOC course, MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. They are published online by various organisation, mainly Coursera EdX Udacity and FutureLearn. They cover all kinds of subjects, academic, vocational, leisure and fun, and most allow you to progress at your own pace over several weeks. Most are FREE.

This page - www.classcentral.com/help/moocs has more information and links to providers.

Two that I have enjoyed are -
www.futurelearn.com/courses/art-crime "Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime. Delve into the seedy underbelly of the art world, looking at smuggling, theft, fakes, and fraud, with this free online course." Lots of very interesting case histories, some of them on heists that made the headlines.
and
www.futurelearn.com/courses/introduction-to-forensic-science Taken from a real murder case, this is presented rather like a detective novel, with a video a week on the latest developments in the investigation and details on the methods used for each forensic test. and the results. The last week puts all the facts before you and asks what your verdict would be. Great for murder mystery readers.

MIND have given us lots of ideas of how to cope with the mental/emotional side of self-isolation.

www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

Elegran Thank you for reminding me about futurelearn. I just had a look and there seems a much better choice of courses than the last time I visited their website. I have a long list of all I hope to achieve over the coming weeks of incarceration and when/if I finish my mammoth decluttering and my 27 (ish) started-but-didn't-finish-projects (eg embroidery/calligraphy/curtain-making/short story writing/card-making/watercolour/egg-blowing-and-decorating/feltwork/knitting/patchwork quilting), I will enjoy choosing one of their courses! I see there is one starting on Monday all about Covid-19 which looks very interesting for anybody brave enough... but not me!

Free online opera from Paris and the Met-

www.vogue.fr/fashion-culture/article/paris-opera-broadcasting-screening-performances-online-for-free-2020

blooloop.com/news/met-opera-live-stream-performances-coronavirus/

who-called.co.uk/
Check here if you receive unusual calls - the scammers are out to get us - no joke!

Duolingo. Great online course for learning a language. Free, with ads. Or subscription.
I am doing Spanish.
Various meditation Apps. I am doing Sam Harris' (a neuroscientist) Waking Up App. Not free but they will reduce if you can't afford.

Today I worked through a few levels of duolingo. Enjoyable and confidence-building!
Also downloaded a week free trial of Elevate brain games!

Just discovered these online exercise videos
www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/?tabname=pilates-and-yoga
There’s a wide range including belly dancing, but I’ll stick to my usual Pilates.

www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/a31784720/best-virtual-tours/?utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=socialflowFBED&utm_source=facebook

Some good virtual tours.

I love going on google earth and seeing places I loved but can
no longer go to. The street where I played hopscotch, the
castle grounds where I walked my first born daughter, the beach where my husband proposed . The beach where I went
skinny dipping !

Another Duolingo fan here. OH is talking of buying an Xbox thingie so we can do online gaming. Not sure if I want to....
Words with Friends is another good resource.

Dies anyone know if or how I can play scrabble online with my son ( whose in a different county). Thanks

Loutog Google you should find the answer good luck

I'd like to know if anyone plays bridge via the internet (on a social level) with people they know who are elsewhere please? And yes, I did google this but I found nothing.

And like Loutog would be interested in online "board" games where you play with actual people you know rather than random players please

Any ideas?
Thank you.

I'm learning photo editing via photodiva.net/, this is a free portrait editor and maybe some of you may find it entertaining

Ted Talks

I’ll start by recommending this one - an incredible woman.

www.ted.com/talks/dame_stephanie_shirley_why_do_ambitious_women_have_flat_heads

National theatre are doing live productions on YouTube from 2 April. Their most popular productions. Starts at 7 and available for a week after

www.timeout.com/london/news/the-national-theatre-is-going-to-stream-a-free-play-every-thursday-night-032620?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&cid=%7Elondon%7Enatsoc%7Efacebook%7Eechobox#Echobox=1585229560

I see you’ve flagged this up *Daisymae^, but here’s a link

Blueprint are offering all their courses free until 9 April. There are over 1300 craft courses here.

Here is an app which lets you play many different online board games with people you know

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hagstrom.henrik.boardgames

Here is a photo calendar program, I'm distracting myself while creating the calendars and sending them to my family and friends. It is funny.
photo-calendar-software.com/