Feeling a little cabin-fever? Kaylin Creason, a librarian at Lake Elmo Library, put together these free resources to keep you entertained and mentally healthy while you’re at home. Download or share the full infographic here!

Catch the opera (and not a cough)

The Metropolitan Opera will be streaming past shows through their Met Opera on Demand app. There will be a new show each night, with each performance available for a period of 20 hours, from 7:30 p.m. EDT until 3:30 p.m. the following day. Learn more.

Go to the museum (without leaving your couch) 

Travel + Leisure put together this list of museums offering free virtual tours. Explore ancient artifacts at the British Museum, famous artworks at the Musee D’Orsay, and so much more across 4 continents. See the list.

Get your daily dose of puppies

Here’s one resource that’s not in short supply! A quick Google for “live puppy cam” brings up thousands of results, but you can’t go wrong with Explore.org’s livestream.

Get creative in the kitchen (and not just because you’re out of ingredients) 

There’s no better time to work on your culinary skills, especially with chefs offering free classes online. Need a place to start? Follow Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura’s “Kitchen Quarantine” or learn to make junk food with Claire Saffitz’s “Gourmet Makes.”

Inhale. Exhale. 

Stressed out? Download one of these meditation apps or go through a free online guided meditation to help stay calm, cool, and collected during this time of uncertainty.  

Bulk up (no, not on toilet paper) 

Turn your living room into a gym with these free workouts. Youtube also has a plethora of videos, from chair yoga to pilates to workouts with kids to basically anything you can think of.

Læra nýtt tungumál (Learn a new language!) 

Icelandic is one of over 70 languages you can learn through Transparent Language*. You might not be able to travel right now, but with this website you’ll be ready to speak like a native the next time you jet-set! 

*Transparent Language and Lynda.com are made available through Washington County Libraries. Need a library card? Give your local branch a call, or try our new online registration! 

Talk it out

You are not alone. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has a free COVID-19 guide and free resource library to answer your questions and get you the support you need. Talkspace is offering one week free with code "1004U" other online therapy sites are also offering special programs during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Get front row seats to your favorite bands  

Concerts may be canceled, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on seeing your favorite bands! Musicians across the world are hosting live, mini-concerts on their social media. See a comprehensive list here. The best part? You can sing along in your living room (no judgment). 

Explore the great outdoors (indoors) 

Travel + Leisure has also put together a great list of National Parks you can tour from your screen. Go to Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, and more without catching a flight. See it here.

Become an expert 

Learn how to produce a podcast, use photoshop, write in calligraphy, illustrate digitally, develop for Python, and so much more using Lynda.com*. Many classes include free test files so you can gain hands-on experience. 

Flex your creativity

Feeling crafty? JoAnn and Michael’s are offering free classes and tutorials, and you can always find more on YouTube. Yarn and paint not your thing? Adobe is also offering a free 7-day trial of Creative Cloud.

Read!

Ebooks, e-audiobooks, e-magazines, and more are available at your local library! Check it out! You’ll make your librarians happy! :)