Things to keep you busy

There is a wealth of stuff being made available online try keep us busy during the lockdown. So here are some of the things I have found this week that I think might be useful, or at least interesting.

Educational

I just found the best library/Gaming crossover by Western Sydney University - it's a guide to referencing that they've turned into a computer game dungeon crawl!  perfect for anyone thinking about Advanced Highers next year or heading off to Uni and wanting to get a head start on these vital skills.

Babble.com are offering 3 months free to students to learn a new language. 

Audible are offering free audio books during this time - for free and no login or bank details required. It includes stuff for all ages and includes books in French, German, Spanish and Chinese.

Open Library have removed waiting times on their ebooks until June. So multiple people can now read the same titles. It's a US based project sharing out of print titles so there is some amazing stuff in the collection and well worth a browse.

For more digital book ideas try the ebook tab on this blog.

Best of Social Media - book edition

• Patrick Stewart is reading a Shakespeare sonnet a day on twitter @SirPatStew 

• Cressida Cowell is working her way through her 'How to Train Your Dragon' book - one chapter at a time https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe01xn13M8q2dsIw0mvW9lg

• Alex T. Smith is sharing a 3 story starters a day on his twitter@Alex_T_Smith

• While Kelly Yang is doing teen writing classes for free on her instagram.

• If you fancy more of a meet the author then A Case for Books is launching 'Book Wanderers Club' thrice weekly starting Friday with a chat with Robin Stevens 


• Illustrators are in on the act as well my personal favourite is Rob Biddulph 


• You can find loads more by looking for the #UnitedByBooks on twitter.

Try Something Fun
If you fancy from STEM fun Makerspaces.com has some ideas that might be possible with stuff you have at home. Or Kiwi Crates have a daily project and have released some of their STEM projects for free - there is stuff suitable for all ages.

Podcasts are plentiful but I'm really enjoying Shedunnit a podcast about Golden Age Detective books.

If you'd like to try Dungeons and Dragons you only need one other person and you can play The Hermit’s Sanctuary a free, full-length, introductory adventure. 

Or you could download a copy of If you are looking for a game to play with your household - might I suggest Mr Lister. Big Potato games are giving it away for Free! 

Mental Health 
Author Matt Haig said on twitter:

  "Limit news intake when you need to. Talk to loved ones more than ever. Eat well. Focus on the day, not the year, in front of you. Appreciate the future is as unknowable as always. Be as safe as you can. Let yourself feel what you feel. Find a routine baggy enough to live in. Be."

Remember the Library blog has a Mental Health tab that might offer some help. I'm adding to as I find more resources (so any ideas gratefully received).

Get busy with some self directed work

Lockdown is a great chance to learn something new and knowledge is never a waste. Here are some places to get you started that you can find free online courses or other opportunities to discover something new:

BBC Bitesize: there is more on there than just support for your school work. Take some time to explore it a bit more.

Future Learn - offers free access to online courses - there is a huge variety from screenwriting to archaeology they run for a range of weeks and are a great chance to learn about something you are interested in.

TED Talks - Amazing wealth of ideas and knowledge on a vast range of topics. Loose yourself browsing the collection.

Glasgow Science Centre are posting daily videos on their youtube with science experiments to do at home.

Visit a Virtual Library - National Library of Scotland and the British Library both have curated tours through their collections which are well worth a look.

Visit a Virtual Museum - the National Museum of Scotland, Victoria and Albert and British Museum have amazing online collections you can explore from the comfort of home.