Pass the Time with These 65 COVID-19 Isolation Activities

work from home, stock photo — *You may be trapped in your home thanks to COVID-19, but you don't need to be bored. Here are a host of ways to keep yourself occupied in self-isolation. Photo: GETTY IMAGES*

If you're like all my arts-and-entertainment-loving friends these days, you've been sitting in your home enjoying some aspects of self-isolation (the chance to read a book, for instance) but craving your fix of theatre or music.

Or, perhaps, you're looking for ways to occupy the other humans (small or large) who are now sharing your household space with you.

Whatever your reason for seeking diversion - and really, in times like these, who needs a reason? - then you'll be delighted by this list that came my way, courtesy of my sister Carol MacLellan (who's currently weathering the world of self-isolation from her home in Toronto).

With her permission, I am reprinting this fabulous list here so that everyone out there who's dealing with cabin fever can find something to occupy their time other than obsessively scrolling the COVID-19 news.

Writing:

Write the Great Canadian Novel at #StayHomeWriMo, brought to you by NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month): https://www.facebook.com/nanowrimo/posts/10158118168234299
Write - and get a free do-it-yourself MFA (not really a degree, but you do get to learn how to write!). Looks at both fiction and non-fiction, has suggested readings and lots of online resources (including a podcast): https://diymfa.com/
More about writing (and some for the full-on grammar nerds, too): https://www.classcentral.com/report/writing-free-online-courses/
It’s not free, but you can take a masterclass in creative writing with Margaret Atwood: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/margaret-atwood-teaches-creative-writing
Free mini masterclass in short fiction here: https://writershq.co.uk/short-fiction-mini-masterclass-landing-page/?fbclid=IwAR113JZLQMZ5zCKljXvbaRXccYc_5dhEZr77VuSrMcVfApF4clLsKbzMJZQ

Learning:

FutureLearn
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/futurelearn-international/futurelearn-canada/top-23-online-courses-in-canada-june-2020
450 Ivy League Courses for free: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ivy-league-free-online-courses-a0d7ae675869/?fbclid=IwAR1HZNhoAtPG08Z4eFh5LV6RW3qd2uKojQXciZqFmRqxcNIHbmrxJM4QEBQ
Language – DuoLingo app
Yale University – “happiness” course: https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a31846979/coronavirus-quarantine-yale-happiness-wellbeing-class-free-online/?fbclid=IwAR3KZ-1ON4YEHVQy-0OzKVxU_KynJgWNZPiyONN3XpgsmkPB8oTGR-5rfx8
Lynda.com – accessible through the Toronto Public Library (with a library card): https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?R=EDB0187
iTunesU (accessible with an Apple ID): https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/coursemanager/
Learn anything!: http://www.openculture.com/2020/03/use-your-time-in-isolation-to-learn-everything-youve-always-wanted-to.html?fbclid=IwAR0F11qclxYZXxqXBi5tHmTMkvv6jXF1XTmf7MGTqc-ukJIo3BbXV3-u8Qc

Armchair Tourism:

Toronto attractions: https://www.blogto.com/sports_play/2020/03/toronto-attractions-you-can-visit-while-social-distancing/?fbclid=IwAR1qwHULPBdINU6Bq17viiJhGu8Hr3O0phnSLNSg_gceHrhLlINrWYJXQpc
Virtual field trips to some very cool places: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SvIdgTx9djKO6SjyvPDsoGlkgE3iExmi3qh2KRRku_w/preview?fbclid=IwAR02BOIkp1SGjgdeyxhPGp66NCIezYSFr2iS1Qxamq8YSLKdYn6wSecBUc0
Free online programming from the Toronto Zoo at 1 pm every day: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheTorontoZoo/videos/?ref=page_internal
Virtual tours from world-famous museums (British Museum! Musee d’Orsay! Uffizi Gallery! Guggenheim! Van Gogh Museum!): https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-article&utm_content=20200313&fbclid=IwAR07BhA_AMMWEkrMMzqMv2FfxRZpgG2Ih4F0lP88fbRhqbGB57cHu5AQZiA

Podcasts:

In Women’s History Month, learn the history you were never taught in school: https://www.bustle.com/p/13-womens-history-podcasts-you-dont-want-to-miss-out-on-22585118?fbclid=IwAR0OkjbXc7pky3MTxBbACIbK0q27G9hiwDPjXuh97HFiV3U8W5Uhq4f4viQ
The best Canadian podcasts right now:: https://www.cbc.ca/life/culture/the-best-canadian-podcasts-to-listen-to-according-to-podcasters-1.5357112
CBC’s Missing & Murdered - I listened to “Finding Cleo” (about a young Cree girl taken from her family in the 60s scoop) as I drove across the Prairies last August. A host of interesting (and sobering) stories. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcasts/missing-murdered-who-killed-alberta-williams/
CBC’s “Uncover” podcast (I really like CBC’s podcasts!), an investigative series about true crimes. Season 3 focuses on the serial murders in Toronto’s VIllage. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/uncover/about-uncover-1.4674742
Top 15 Feminist podcasts to follow in 2020: https://blog.feedspot.com/feminist_podcasts/ (I am Woman, hear me roar! Have only started The Guilty Feminist, which I can vouch for as very funny and thought-provoking.)
Little-known Canadian history tales on “The Secret Life of Canada”: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-secret-life-of-canada/id1434339568

Movies:

Try one of more than 4,000 films free to stream online from the National Film Board of Canada, including a library of Indigenous cinema: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/nfb-indigenous-cinema-free-self-isloating-1.5504434