With the pandemic still going on and the Texas summer heat beating down why not enjoy some online activities. The majority of these activities are free or fairly affordable with some online interaction.
1. Take an Online Course
There are a number of websites that offer excellent academic courses from your computer. If you use sites like EDX you can receive college credits from notable universities such as Harvard and Stanford. EDX offers thousands of courses from computer science to humanities. Usually, a course will cost about $99 for a certificate and can be used for credit towards most undergraduate and graduate degrees. They also offer a free or audit version that is for pure educational fulfillment. In this version, you receive all materials, lectures, and notes for a limited time from your enrollment date. All in all, whether you use the paid or free version it’s certainly a high-quality product that is well worth your time.
2. Take a Virtual Museum Tour
If you ever wanted to see the Louvre or the Van Gogh museum then your in luck with free virtual tours. They offer a nice sample of their collections and can be easily viewed on most smart devices. Additionally, you can view other great museums including the Houston Museum of Fine Art to The Smithsonian at Google’s Arts & Culture website.
3. Learn a Hobby or New Language
Starting a new hobby can be quite daunting at first, but with some great websites, you can find affordable options to get you started. Udemy offers a nice selection of courses from cooking to learning an instrument. They offer both paid and free options. Luckily, most paid courses often go on sale and usually cost no more than $20.
If you’re interested in learning a new language then try excellent smartphone apps like Duolingo and Babble. The good thing about Duolingo it offers a free version of popular languages like French, German, and Spanish. However, if you wish to become more fluent then you will need to use the paid version with more learning tools at your disposal. With regards to Babble, they only offer a paid monthly subscription but does offer a product much like Rosetta Stone. It is a little more than Duolingo a month but offers better learning tools and was designed by professional linguists.
4. Take a Free Accessible and Online Chair Yoga Class
Finding accessible chair yoga that is designed especially for the disabled is nearly impossible. Fortunately, Jackie Gadd a yoga instructor out of San Diego has been offering free online sessions every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 AM PST. Her sessions are purely designed for people with disabilities and are wheelchair friendly. If you interested in her online session you must sign a liability waiver. Also, on her site, you can view previous videos before getting started with her online class. Learn more about her class at BYOMyoga.
5. Take a Virtual National Park Tour
The National Parks Foundation is offering free virtual tours of some of the nation’s finest parks including Crater Lake to Yellowstone National Park. The tours offer stunning views of major sights in these parks that will blow you away. Also, don’t miss the excellent interviews of park rangers and view the incredible bear cameras in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve.
