Six Online Activities to Keep You Going

Cover photo of crossword puzzle courtesy of Wikimedia.

Melody Conrad 
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Need a break from Zoom classes? Try out these six virtual activities to keep you busy during your time at home.

Stander Symposium

Even though in-person classes are suspended for the remainder of the semester, you can still participate in Stander virtually. An email announcement sent out to students March 25 noted that the symposium would still take place April 22, and classes would not be held that day. The deadline for submissions is extended to April 3 at 11:59 p.m. Sign up through Porches or click here.

New York Times Games

Take a break from COVID-19 news in an unexpected way while making use of your free student subscription. The New York Times offers a news quiz every Friday, daily mini crossword puzzle, spelling bee, tiles and other logic puzzles like Sudoku. Compete to make it on to the leaderboard or keep track of your own stats as an added bonus.

UD Archives

While the library may be closed, the digital collections are ready for perusal. Explore old yearbooks, the 1913 Dayton Flood Collection or old photos at our beloved school. If you’re still bored, you can also check out some rocks through eCommons.

Virtual Choir or Orchestra

Unite in song with fellow ‘quarantiners’ in a creative musical gathering. Stay At Home Choir, an online platform that brings together musicians and singers, accepts video submissions and compiles projects from the footage. A new project is introduced weekly via Twitter, giving “members” ample chance to submit content. Vivaldi Gloria, the project from week one, closed submissions Friday, March 27, and will be released soon.

Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari Facebook Live

It doesn’t get much cuter than this. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is sharing live videos of animals every day on its Facebook page at 3 p.m., relaying facts about the critters and answering questions posted in the chat. For those that don’t have Facebook, you can view videos after they’re finished on the zoo’s YouTube channel or website

Visit a Museum

Google Arts & Culture offers a unique way to visit a variety of museums from the comfort of your own bedroom. With 3,648 museums, you can choose anywhere from The Shore Temple in New Delhi to the Temple of Heracles in Italy. Using the same technology that enables Street View on Google Maps, viewers have a 360 degree view of the museums and can digitally interact with the sites. 

If you’re looking for a particular spot, you can also search by country and hone in on a specific region. This method doesn’t guarantee a virtual tour, but viewers can still find various photos of objects on display.

Looking for apps to help you through the COVID-19 slump instead? A&E staff writer Madeline Bartsche offers her suggestions here.

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