Stay Connected With Family and Friends!

With social distancing measures in place, maintaining social connections is more important than ever. Just because people are not able to gather in person doesn’t mean we can’t spend time with family and friends!

Video calling, whether it’s Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, or another system, is a great way to do more than just talk with loved ones over the phone. In the absence of being able to gather for meals, movie nights, or other activities, video calling can work as a good substitute. Consider gathering family and friends to take part in a virtual hang out with one of the activities below:

Sharing a Meal

Even though you can’t actually share a meal together, you can still talk to each other while you do! Consider taking this one step further and cooking the same foods – you can even turn it into the competition and send everyone a brand new recipe to test out!

Movie Night

Extensions like Netflix Party can make a virtual movie night easier to manage by making sure everyone’s movies pause and play at the same time. While you’re watching, considering using group texts or staying on a video call during the movie to stay connected. If you’re having a hard time finding something new to watch, consider going back and watching old favourites or popular movie marathons.

Trivia Challenge

Using a physical trivia game or one of the many apps available, designate a trivia “host” and have the rest of your group compete to win the challenge! You can even split up into teams to see who can guess the most correct answers and keep score. If you’re hosting weekly challenges, consider letting each person pick a different theme each week.

Games and Sing-a-Longs

Some board games may be hard to complete virtually, but there are many that can still work with family and friends like these ones. If some people don’t have access to a physical version of the game, try designating someone as the organizer to make sure everyone knows the rules and has access to any information they need. This can go beyond board games as well – you can take part in virtual sing-a-longs, talent competitions, and more!

Virtual Courses for At-Home Learning!

Learning knows no bounds! If you are looking for an activity to do while at home, there are many free online learning courses and activities that you can take part of, right here in Calgary. As more and more businesses and companies move to virtual platforms to practice social distancing and keep our community safe, you can still access a variety of learning courses from companies and local businesses during this difficult time, including the following courses:

Gale Courses (Calgary Public Library) 

Calgary Public Library (CPL) users can access the hundreds of virtual instructor-led courses offered by Gale. Courses cover a variety of topics like computers, drawing, finance and music. All CPL users are able to access two of the six-week courses per year – simply visit the Gale website, choose your course, enter your information, and then complete your library sign in process. For more information, visit the library page here. Not a CPL member? Learn how you can sign-up online for free here.

Barre Exercises (Barre Body Studio)

For those looking to keep up their fitness and physical activity while at home, Barre Body Studio in Calgary is offering online fitness lessons through their social media platforms. These 50-minute courses will be hosted by a variety of Barre instructors and will focus on helping people stay fit with workouts that combine exercises from yoga, Pilates and dance. Visit their Facebook page to see their previously-streamed classes and stay up to date on new releases.

Lynda Courses (Calgary Public Library)

 CPL users also have access to LinkedIn’s online courses on Lynda.com. These online courses can also be accessed on your mobile device and tablet by downloading the Lynda app. The courses provide users with professional-led video tutorials to help people grow current skills or learn new ones. From tutorials on popular computer software to other topics in music, design and programming, there are many skills to learn through this platform. Users will simply need to follow the instructions on the CPL page to download the Lynda app or access the website, create an account, and then sign in as an organization. From here, they will be directed to enter their CPL credentials and will have access to the online learning courses.

 Music Production for Kids (Beat Drop)

Kids can learn the basics of music production for free with Beat Drop’s online beginner course for children and youth ages 8-15. From Tuesday – Friday at 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., registrations will be able to learn about everything that goes into producing music – from how it is structured, to playing chords, using effects, and everything in between. The course is streamed live over four days, so users will need to have access to a computer, web browser and internet to complete the course activities, which are led by an Ableton-Certified Trainer. Learn more and register here.