More Coronavirus, More Edutainment Resources

 

Early on in the pandemic, I shared a variety of resources for keeping your mind engaged while quarantined at home:  March 22 (no need to be bored), March 30 (virtual travel), April 6 (for kids of all ages), April 13 (exercise at home), April 20 (virtual mindfulness).

 

Here we are, almost a year later (yikes!), and vaccination-for-all is starting to be visible ahead at the end of the tunnel.  As a community, however, we are still not past the need for physical distancing and continued isolation.  And, in the intervening months since my first posts, even more edutainment material has been made available.  Indeed, edutainment may become the post-pandemic norm.

 

Here is a list of additional ways to learn and be entertained while watching a screen (some are free, some not):

 

·      Arts and culture

o   Opera Philadelphia streaming

o   Metropolitan Opera on demand

o   British National Theatre live performances

o   London Royal Opera House streaming

o   Georgia O’Keeffe online museum

o   Globe Theatre Shakespeare productions

 

·      Nature and wildlife

o   Aquarium livestreams

o   African wildlife livecams

o   Discover Wildlife livestreams

o   US national park livecams

o   San Diego zoo livecam

 

·      Fitness

o   How Covid-19 has permanently changed the fitness industry

o   15 of the best free workout apps

o   Yoga for beginners

o   7 Minute Workout

o   Yoga with Adriene

 

·      Mindfulness

o   eMindful (link is specific to our readers)

o   Music and mindfulness

o   Stop, Breathe & Think

o   10% Happier

o   UCLA Mindful

 

·      Brain training games

o   BrainHQ

o   Lumosity

MindUP: Mental and Emotional Wellness Training for Ages 3-14 Goes Virtual

 

A month or so ago, I listened to a podcast of actor Alan Alda interviewing Goldie Hawn about her non-profit MindUP.  I was quite intrigued.

 

The organization provides training materials to help children ages 3-14 develop social and emotional learning, to give them a strong foundation to weather the challenges that life will throw at them.  The skills included in the MindUP program have been proven to increase resilience and decrease negative behaviors.

 

The MindUP training program is based on scientific research in the fields of neuroscience, positive psychology, mindful awareness, and social-emotional learning.  It covers topics including:

·      The Brain & The Brain Break

·      Mindful Awareness

·      Acts of Kindness & Optimism

·      Perspective Taking, Kindness, Gratitude

The training includes coaching services as well, so teachers and parents can themselves become proficient in the skills.

 

Just like the brain breaks I wrote about in my last blog post, and the mindfulness practices available for our readers at eM-Life, the MindUP training program helps children learn how to learn.  The children acquire skills they can use for the rest of their lives, regardless of which educational or career path they choose.

 

Just a few days ago, I discovered that the MindUP training materials are now available virtually.  Meaning that any teacher or parent, anywhere in the world, can take advantage of the science-based curriculum and coaching support.  Many of the lessons are available for free on the MindUp website, and memberships to the online learning platform are free in “early 2021” only.