Live from your living room: new experiences to have at home

By Stephanie Racine

Virtual museum tours

Travel through the travel ban and visit some of the world’s most famous museums on a virtual tour. Some of the tours available include the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, which houses works from famous French artists such as Gauguin, Monet and Degas. Locally, virtually visit The Art Institute of Chicago, The Field Museum and The Adler Planetarium, available through Google’s Art and Culture Platform. Visit artsandculture.google.com.

Help out a local Library

The Newberry Library is looking for volunteers to help transcribe historical letters from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The process is simple and can be done on the Newberry’s website. Read letters and diaries from people who lived in the midwest and those expanding the West, including some Native American history. Click here to get started.

Livestream a zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo will be going live on Facebook every day at 2 p.m. through April 9. One of their animals will be highlighted each day and an activity will be shared. Those without Facebook can watch the daily video on The Cincinnati Zoo’s website, or YouTube.

Foster a pet

PAWS Chicago is always looking for foster homes for their pets. Apply to foster a pet online at the PAWS chicago website. Fostering of some pets have specific requirements. Other pet rescues organizations looking for fosterers include the Anti-Cruelty Society and ALIVE Rescue.

At-home meditation

Meditation apps can help for relaxation and mindfulness. Calm and Headspace are apps that offer free or paid options. Listen to calming sounds or guided meditations in soothing voices. Available on the Apple App store and Google Play. 

Social media concerts 

A number of famous artists have taken to social media to perform livestream concerts. John Legend, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Keith Urban have taken requests on Instagram. Stay tuned on social media for the next surprise live performance.