10 FREE & Fun Ways to Pass the Time During Quarantine

Tim the security guy, the only staff member remaining at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has become an instant icon.

If you’re looking for a few free and fun ways to pass the time while sheltering in place, check out my list below for 10 things to do from the comfort of your own home.

1. Stream the Met Opera
Until the doors reopen, you can stream handpicked past performances of the Met’s Live in HD series each night right from the organization’s website. The performances will go live at 7:30 p.m. ET and will remain active for 20 hours.

2. Live stream the Seattle Symphony
The musicians of the Seattle Symphony have generously volunteered to share free broadcasts with everyone during this time of uncertainty. All broadcasts can be streamed through the Symphony’s social media channels on YouTube and Facebook.

3. Ride virtual rides from Disney parks
Disney World theme parks may be closed right now, but you can take a virtual trip to Walt Disney World from the comfort of your living room, from Magic Kingdom to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios then Animal Kingdom, experience 10 different Disney rides and attractions with no lines! Including Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Slinky Dog Dash, Expedition Everest, Star Wars Rise of the Resistance, Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway, Frozen Ever After and many more!

4. Take Yale’s most popular class ever: How to be happier in your daily life
In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.

5. Watch celebrities read children’s books
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s award-winning children’s literacy website, Storyline Online, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.

6. Watch 100 Humans on Netflix
One hundred hardy souls from diverse backgrounds participate in playful experiments exploring age, sex, happiness and other aspects of being human.

7. Follow the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum on Facebook
Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. And just like a humble Western hero straight out of your favorite movie, they’ve given us Tim the security guy, a veritable low-key paragon of hope and humor in these dark days, who shares the museum’s internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts on Facebook.

8. Keep your kids from falling behind academically
With schools closing across the nation, parents and educators are in bit of a panic as they try to figure out how kids can learn and obtain their education from home. If this sounds like you, stop stressing. This is going to be super helpful!

9. Watch Babies docu-series on Netflix
Thirty-six world-renowned scientists are featured in the new docu-series “Babies,” a scientific investigation covering the epic journey that babies make from infancy to toddlerhood. The series examines how infants remember objects, learn new words, understand numbers and more.

10. Follow the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory on Facebook
Located in Key West, Florida, the beautiful 5,000 sq. ft. lush tropical garden holds turtles, various species of fish, 50-60 species of butterflies, and 23-25 different species of birds, including Flamingo Fridays featuring stars of the show Rhett and Scarlett.