With local, state, and national officials encouraging Americans to stay home and schools across the state closed, we wanted to offer some resources to Cook County residents on things to do at home:
Kids
Parents magazine offers tips for creative and imaginative play here. The School Library Journal also pulled together a list of children's authors and illustrators who are developing daily content for your family. Locally, Kohl Children's Museum has activities you can do at home. Additionally, here are some activities your family might consider:
Jarret J. Korsocka's daily drawing lessons at 1pm CST (or you can watch them online at any time)
Stimola Literary Studio's live streamed events for kids
Mo Willems' Lunch Doodles, the Kennedy Center Artist-in-Residence is posting daily drawing classes at 12pm CST (or you can watch them online at any time)
Storytime from Space, which has videos of astronauts reading children's books
Locally, Bubbles Academy in Chicago is offering pay-what-you-can children's classes every day
Arts & Culture
For older kids or adults, there are a range of arts and culture experiences you can take in:
Travel and Leisure made a list of great museums you can visit via Google
Playbill.com is made a list of filmed Broadway plays you can watch online (some require a rental fee)
New York's Metropolitan Opera is offering nightly streams of their operas
Locally, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is offering recordings of their concerts
The Digital Library of Illinois has audio books and e-books you can check out. Also, check with your local library for additional digital rentals, including movies and TV you can rent with your library card
Athletics & Outdoors
Finally, it's important to stay healthy and active even while at home. Here are some opportunities for you to break a sweat:
Planet Fitness is offering free online classes via Facebook Live, these are available for members and non-members
There are great home yoga practices, including Yoga with Adriene, who offers monthly playlists for daily practice.
Mental health is also important! There are many great free meditation and mindfulness apps, including Smiling Mind.
Local studios, including Total Sona Fitness, offer video classes that blend virtual with personalized fitness support.
Finally, portions of the Cook County Forest Preserve remain open for walks, runs, hikes, or bike rides outside. Please visit the Forest Preserve website for information about visiting and check your local preserve for specific closures.
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