Day 48 of Lockdown

Webmaster is easily amused by wordplay and on day 48 I was reminded of an old jokey jibe “Are you a Lert? Didn’t you know there is a national shortage!” I can’t imagine why; my other favourite was the “I’ve got a round tuit.”

So, the connection here is to the round tuit and two sources of things you can get around to doing during the lockdown. Some from CBC and others from the WWF. Finally for today, The Sound of Sirens (a parody song)

Some Ideas from the WWF

This week we’re sharing tips on how to grow vegetables indoors, an escapist reading list, details of our awesome Earth School initiative and an exciting isolation photography competition!

Join Earth School

Want access to amazing educational content for free from the United Nations, National Geographic, BBC, WWF and more?! Look no further than the newly launched Earth School; it features 30 Quests for students around the world to celebrate, explore and connect with nature. As an example:

Week 1 The Nature of Our Stuff

You’re likely wearing a shirt made from seeds, using a device made from rocks and the last meal you ate? It was probably made by bees. This week, we’ll learn how all the stuff we need and use comes from the Earth. We’ll also explore some small changes we can make that have huge, positive impacts on our planet.

Subsequent weeks address The Nature of:

Society.
Nature.
Change.
Individual Action.
Collective Action.

You can find the Earth School here.

10 Books That’ll Help You Escape

Holiday cancelled? Wishing you were having a tropical adventure right now? Well, National Geographic has got the next best thing – a reading list of books guaranteed to whisk you away to paradise! The article can be found here.

Isolation Wildlife Photography Competition

Calling all budding wildlife photographers – there’s a new photography competition on the block! Designed to encourage you to get creative during isolation, you don’t have to be an expert or have any fancy equipment to participate. Find out how to enter here.

Some Ideas from CBC

The Visit Colchester team bring together a range of activities for kids of all ages (and some adults). Some examples are below, the full collection is here.

Museum From Home

Inspired by the Collections across Colchester and Ipswich Museums, Museum From Home are sharing a variety of activities to help educate and entertain.

The Ancient Colchester App

Explore Colchester’s historic sights on a virtual tour, with 360 degree panoramic reconstructions and augmented reality, discover Colchester from the comfort of your own home. Download the app on IOS and Android.

Parks at Home

Get creative with some fun planting activities you can try at home. Download the #ParksAtHome activity leaflet and share your creations on social media with #ParksAtHome.

Art is Where the Home Is

Artist created activity packs, courtesy of Firstsite, featuring contributions from big name UK artists including Antony Gormley, Gillian Wearing, Idris Khan, Jeremy Deller, Mark Wallinger and more. ‘Art is where the home is’ will give you ideas about how to get creative at home. Why don’t you have a go, no specialist materials are required.