Easter Indoors

With Easter being a week away, it’s time to plan. This post will help you put on a great Easter for your Family, while being Indoors. These ideas are sure to put a Smile on Faces.

We will start with the Traditional Egg Hunt. All These ideas can be done Indoors. There are several new ways to conduct your Hunts. I hope you like them.

Egg Hunt Ideas

Rainbow Egg Hunt:

Put out eggs in every color of the rainbow and have your little ones try to locate one of each color to get a full set.

Backwards Easter Egg Hunt Idea: Let the kids play Easter bunny and hide the eggs for the parents. But instead of candy, the eggs are filled with special coupons to skip a chore, choose a special meal, or pick the film for family movie night. The adults must grant whatever wishes they don’t find.

Yolks That Become Prizes: Instead of putting candy in your Easter eggs, put in slips of paper that indicate how many “yolks” that egg was worth. At the end, allow kids to make choices about what candy prizes they want based on how many yolks they must trade in.

Hunt to Make Words:

Hide foam letters inside the eggs and have your kids spell out a few Easter-themed words for an educational twist on a traditional Easter egg hunt. Color-code the word sheet with the color of each foam letter.

Find Your Name:

Instead of hunting for eggs as a free-for-all, have each child find the eggs with the letters of their name on them. If they need help remembering the letters, writing the name on their Easter basket could be helpful.

ABC Hunt:

Turn your Easter egg hunt into a fun scavenger hunt where kids have to find every letter of the alphabet.

Color-Coordinated Easter Egg Hunt:

Avoid fights over Easter eggs by assigning each kid a color to collect.

Egg Counting Game:

Your preschoolers will be able to practice their counting skills with this simple Easter learning exercise.

Lego Easter Egg Hunt:

Your little Lego fans will love this Easter egg hunt idea that involves putting together a set.

Since Egg Hunting only keeps them Entertained for a little while, here are some other Activities to try. These Games can be done with all age groups. Get ready to be the Star Party planner.

Creative Easter Activities

This section will give you Creative and addictive Activities for your Family. The Games are easy to learn and quite enjoyable. These will definitely get them moving.

Easter Egg Bowling

Setting up the game…

You’ll want to place the white egg out somewhere in your playing field, at least 10 feet away from the bowlers

Players will have different colored eggs, so they know which one belongs to who

Playing the Easter Egg Game…

They should, one at a time, roll their egg toward the white egg – trying to get as close to the white egg as possible

How do you win at Easter Egg Bowling?

The player with the egg closest to the white egg at the end of the round wins that round

*There may be some measuring involved for tiebreakers, or eggs that seem the same distance away from the white egg. We once had a tie of 10 inches

You can also set up empty 2 litter bottles and have them try to knock them down

Egg Rolling Race Easter Game for Adults, Kids, and Teens to Play

Here’s What You’ll Need for this Easy Easter Game for Adults, Kids, and Teens – the whole family, really…

Boiled eggs (1 per team) – to make it really festive, dye them!

*I’d have a few extra on hand – just in case one cracks

A large and hard surface to roll the eggs across – you can play this inside or take it outside to the yard

Instructions for this Egg Rolling Game – An Easter Game for Adults, Kids, and Teens…

• Mark a starting line and a finish line

• Give players a boiled egg and have them set their eggs down on the starting line, and get on their hands and knees behind the egg

• When you yell go, players should race to roll the egg across the finish without cracking it – using ONLY THEIR NOSES!

You can also use spoons to help roll the eggs

Bunny says

Divide kids into two teams. Assign one adult judge per team. Fill one basket for each team with the plastic eggs.

On the word, “go!” the first player from each team must race to the basket, choose an egg and perform the command. The judges must determine if the command is completed, and when it is, will signal the player to run back and tag the next player in line. If a player can’t complete a command after two tries, they must place it back in the basket and return to the back of the line. The first team to complete all of their egg commands wins the game.

Some egg command suggestions include:

• Hop like the Easter bunny.

• Shake your bunny tail.

• Name three kinds of Easter candy.

• Juggle two eggs.

• Roll around as an egg dropped on the ground.

Bunny says Game

One person is designated the Bunny, the others are the players. Standing in front of the group, Bunny tells players what they must do. However, the players must only obey commands that begin with the words “Bunny Says.”

If Bunny says, “Bunny says touch your nose,” then players must touch their nose. But, if Bunny simply says, “jump,” without first saying “Bunny says,” players must not jump. Those that do jump are out.

Bunny says commands:

• Hop like a Bunny

• Shake your Bunny Tail

• Wiggle your Nose

• Touch your Bunny ears

• Pat your belly

• Touch the floor

• Hop on 1 foot

• Clap your hands

• Wave hello

• Wiggle your body

• Make a funny face

• Blow a kiss

• says roll over

• rub your tummy and pat your head

• hug yourself

• walk backwards

Jelly Bean Race

Fill two baskets each with the same amount of jelly beans. Place them side-by-side on a table. Divide players into two even teams. Have the teams line up behind a starting point that is several feet away from the jelly bean table. Give each team an empty basket and a spoon.

The first player in line for each team must race to the table and place as many jelly beans as they can on their spoons. They must then race back and dump their jelly beans into the empty basket and hand the spoon off to the next player, who has to do the same. Play continues in this manner until one team has transferred all of their jelly beans. If a runner drops any jelly beans in the course of the race, they must go back and start over.

Peep Eating Race

Use ribbon to hang as many marshmallow chicks as you have players from the ceiling. Have each player stand next to a peep. On “Go!” the players must eat the peeps without using their hands. The first player to finish a peep wins.

Jelly Bean Toss

Line up a few empty Easter baskets. Mark a standing point that is a few feet away from the baskets (the distance will depend on the age group). Have kids take turns standing behind the line and attempting to toss the jelly beans into the baskets. Players score one point per jelly bean they land in a basket.

Bunny Hokey Pokey

I would suggest putting the kids in Bunny ears, a tail ( you can use a couple cotton balls pinned to them) and whiskers ( draw on with eyeliner pencil) for this dance

The commands:

• Put your bunny ears in.

• Put your Bunny paws in.

• Put your bunny nose in.

• Put your bunny tail in.

• Put your Bunny whiskers in.

• Put your bunny body in.

Easter Minute to Win It games

This game is super simple! To set up, just break apart your Easter Eggs and mix them around. You have one minute to match the halves! Ready, set, go!

Bunny Tail drop

The object of the Bunny Tail Drop is to see how many bunny tails (cotton balls) you can get in the bucket. Have the children stand on a chair or a step stool. Holding the bunny tail to their nose, drop them into the bucket! How good is your aim?

Peep Stacking

Who can stack the most peeps in under a minute? It’s not as easy as you think! There’s a strategy to stacking Peeps.

Egg stacking

Just like with Stack the Peeps, see how many egg halves you can stack before the tumble over!

Egg Spoon Race

Just like an old-fashioned egg race, place an egg on a spoon and see how many eggs you can carry to the other side and drop in the bucket!

EASTER FAMILY FEUD PARTY GAME

100 people were surveyed via an internet online form.

The top answers for each question are listed.

01. Name one-way people celebrate Easter.

51 – Go to church

33 – An egg hunt

07 – Dinner with family and/or friends

06 – Color or decorate eggs

03 – Eat chocolate

02. Name a popular Easter color.

52 – Pink

21 – Purple

20 – Yellow

05 – Green

02 – Blue

03. Name an animal associated with Easter.

91 – Bunny / Rabbit

05 – Lamb

02 – Chick

02 – Duck

04. Name one of the 8 days of Easter other than Easter Sunday and Maundy Thursday.

83 – Good Friday

07 – Palm Sunday

06 – Easter Monday

04 – Black Saturday

05. Name something you do with eggs at Easter.

54 – Dye / decorate them

25 – Hide them

11 – Eat them

06 – Hunt for them

04 – Boil them

06. Name a traditional Easter symbol.

68 – Cross

19 – Egg

07 – Rabbit/Bunny

04 – Lily

02 – Chick

07. Name a popular Easter song.

72 – Here Comes Peter Cottontail

07 – He Is Risen

04 – Amazing Grace

04 – Old Rugged Cross

04 – Up From The Grave He Arose

04 – In Your Easter Bonnet

03 – Easter Parade

02 – The Bunny Hop

08. Name something you would find in an Easter basket.

31 – Chocolate

28 – Candy/Jelly beans

23 – Decorated eggs

10- Fake grass

04- Marshmallows/marshmallow chicks

04 – Toys

09. Name a popular Easter movie.

28 – Here Comes Peter Cottontail

25 – Passion of the Christ

19 – Hop

09 – The 10 Commandments

09 – It’s the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown

08 – Easter Parade

02 – Rise of the Guardians

10. Name a food traditionally served at Easter.

75 – Ham

10 – Deviled eggs

05 – Lamb

05 – Hot cross buns

05 – Turkey

11. What part of chocolate bunny do you eat first?

67 – Ears

31 – Head

02 – Tail

12. Name something people buy at Easter.

38 – Chocolate / candy

24 – Easter outfit / new dress / clothes

22 – Baskets

11 – Eggs to decorate

05 – Plastic eggs

Easter Hot Egg Game

You can use a; stuffed animal bunny, chick, plastic Easter egg, or a hat for this game.

This game is similar to hot potato. Have kids sit in a circle. Play music and have them pass around an Easter bonnet. As each player receives the bonnet, he must put it on his head, then take it off and pass it to the next player. When the music stops, the player wearing the bonnet is out. That player must have her picture taken wearing the bonnet before giving it back to the circle for play to continue. Make this game, even more, fun by decorating the Easter bonnet in as creative or silly a fashion as you can.

Musical Easter Baskets

This game is based on the concept of the classic, Musical Chairs, but with an Easter-themed twist. Instead of lining up chairs, line up Easter baskets, making sure you have one less than there are players. Play “The Bunny Hop” and have kids hop around the baskets as the music plays. When the music stops, each kid must pick up a basket. The player left without a basket is out, another basket is removed, and play continues this way until only one player remains.

Blind Folded Bunny Drawing

Have your party guests sit around a table. Give them each a piece of paper and a crayon. Blindfold them or ask them to close their eyes and draw per your instructions:

• Draw a circle.

• Draw two bunny ears on the circle.

• Draw a bunny’s nose in the circle.

• Draw bunny’s eyes in the circle.

• Draw a bunny’s mouth and teeth.

• Draw a bunny’s whiskers.

• Write your name below the bunny’s head.

Players open their eyes and see if they were able to draw a bunny while blindfolded. The player that draws the best bunny then wins.

PIN the Tail on the Bunny

For this game you will need:

• Poster board (white)

• Markers (to draw Bunny outline)

• Tape (to hang up the poster and for the bunny tails)

• Cotton balls or paper circles (for Bunny tails)

• Blind fold (something to put over the players eyes; Bandana, sleep mask, black out sunglasses, or a scarf)

Draw a big Bunny

• Tape the poster of the bunny to a wall

• Make your bunny tails (I suggest putting names on them for the different players or use a different color tail for each one)

How to play

• Line up the players away from the poster

• Blind fold the player

• Have the player walk to the poster and stick their Tale on the Bunny poster

The winner is the one that has the tail in the correct location.

Hungry Bunny Toss

Switch up the age-old bean bag toss for this silly bunny version. The game is as fun to make as it is to play.

Materials Needed to Make Easter Bunny Bean Bag Toss

• Cardboard

• Paint or Markers

• Paint brush

• Scissors

• Pencil

• Pen

• Eraser

• Scratch Paper

• Felt or just use socks and tie the tops

• Beans (I used lentils)

• Hot glue

• Funnel

Directions to Make Easter Bunny Bean Bag Toss

1. Doodle a sketch of your bunny on a piece of paper.

2. Sketch it onto your piece of cardboard.

3. Cut out the mouth and tummy holes.

4. Paint/Marker in your design onto the cardboard, using your pencil marks as guidelines.

Guess How Many

Pour a hefty number of jellybeans into a large jar and have everyone at the party submit their guesses. The prize? The jar of jellybeans, of course!

Mix and Match Easter eggs

If your kids have their color-naming skills on lock, kick it up a notch with this tricky sorting game that asks kids to hunt for plastic eggs that match an illustration.

Now that we have gotten their energy down, we can focus on more calming activities. These will be Activities that you won’t need to Supervise with. Just simply print them out ahead of time. Now you can Relax!

Coloring Pages

Easter Coloring Pages https://www.coloring-page.net/easter.html

Religious Easter Coloring pages http://www.getcoloringpages.com/religious-easter-coloring-pages

Easter Movies

Easter movies playlist 41 videos

Easter Books for Kids

https://youtu.be/nB7oXbnwylw

https://youtu.be/ZKMTJbjjWDY

I hope you found some ideas from this post useful for your Easter celebration. I know I will be using some of these at my Home this year. If you liked this post, please feel free to; Like, Comment, Share, and Subscribe. I look forward to seeing you again real soon.

Disney Sing Along Songs

Today we will be watching some old Disney Classic Sing Along Videos. These videos help teach you the words of some of your Favorite Disney songs. These Videos were created between 1980-2000’s. I hope you enjoy singing these songs.

Disney Sing Along Disneyland Fun

Sing Along Songs – Circle of Life (1995)

https://youtu.be/33OUI-q5SEY

Disney’s Sing Along Songs: Friend Like Me

https://youtu.be/6t-Ik12_mwg

Mickey’s Fun Songs: Beach Party at Walt Disney World

https://youtu.be/GPWgBxb89co

Sing Along Songs – Be Our Guest (1993)

Sing Along Songs – Under the Sea

https://youtu.be/fjQ8LxfiHiw

‘Sing Along Songs – I Love to Laugh’ (1991)

https://youtu.be/Pm-l6WH1boE

Disney’s Sing Along Songs: You Can Fly!

Disney’s Sing Along Songs Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (1986)

https://youtu.be/gSBjRCx-O1w

Disney Sing Along Songs: Heigh Ho

Disney Sing Along Songs: The Bare Necessities

Disney Sing Along Songs – Topsy Turvy

Disney’s Sing Along Songs: Strangers Like Me

Individual Songs

FROZEN 2 – Into the Unknown (Sing Along – Lyrics)

FROZEN – Let It Go Sing-along

Winnie the Pooh – The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers

Mulan | I’ll Make A Man Out Of You | Disney Sing-Along

Pocahontas | Colors of the Wind | Disney Sing-Along

Thanks for joining in on our Sing-along’s! Hope you had fun! If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to; Like, Comment, Share, and Subscribe. I look forward to seeing you again real soon!

Zoo’s and Aquariums

Welcome back Friends! Today we will be taking Virtual trips to; Zoo’s, Aquariums, and Gardens. We will also be learning about some of the Animals we will see on these tours. We will begin with the Zoo’s.

Atlanta Zoo

Atlanta Zoo: This Georgia institution has a dedicated panda cam sure to put a smile on kids’ — and grown-ups’ — faces.

Panda

The panda, with its distinctive black and white coat, is adored by the world and considered a national treasure in China. (World Wildlife Federation) https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/giant-panda

13 Interesting Facts About Giant Pandas

A giant panda is much bigger than your teddy bear. An adult panda weight more than 45 kilos (100 pounds) and can be about 1.5 meters (5 feet) long!
Giant pandas are good at climbing trees and can also swim.
Pandas go from pink to white and black (or brown). Pandas are born looking like baby badgers — fur-less, pink, and blind. The iconic black and white color comes later, after about three weeks. Not all giant pandas are black and white! A few are brown and white, but these are very rare.
Pandas are “lazy” — eating and sleeping make their day. They spend as long as 14 hours eating per day and spend the rest of their time in sleeping. In the wild, the giant pandas sleep for 2 to 4 hours between its two meals.
An adult can eat 12–38 kilos of bamboo per day! A 45-kilo adult (and pandas can reach 150 kg in captivity) spends as long as 14 hours eating. And it can eat 12 to 38 kilos of bamboo a day. Pandas’ favorite food is bamboo shoots.
A panda can poop 28 Kilos per day! Pandas can poop as much as 28 kilos/day.
Pandas have carnivorous teeth, but they eat bamboo and fruit.
You can see panda babies in August. Pandas are usually born in August, because the panda’s mating months are March to May and gestation is 3 to 5 months. Females mainly produce two offspring, but only the stronger one survives in the wild.
Giant pandas like being alone. Panda families don’t live together. They are solitary, each female having a well-defined range. Males generally live apart, except for in the short breeding season (March to May), when they compete for female attention. Females raise the cubs alone.
Pandas do not hibernate.
Prehistoric pandas lived up to 2 million years ago. Fossils of pandas have been dated between 1 and 2 million years old. Once pandas were widely distributed across the whole of China. Now they only live in the wild in remote areas of China’s Tibetan foothills.
Pandas have 6 toes to grasp bamboo. Pandas have a 6th “digit” on the heels of their fore paws. With their extra “thumbs” they can maneuver the bamboo into fat cigar shapes for efficient eating.
Strange behavior! Pandas like to lick copper and iron. (China Highlights) https://www.chinahighlights.com/giant-panda/interesting-facts.htm

Panda Cam

Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/

Zoo Atlanta video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/ZooAtlanta1889/playlists

Learn from the Zoo https://zooatlanta.org/learn/

Cincinnati Zoo

Every day, this zoo is hosting “Home Safari Facebook Lives” showcasing one of their animals and offering a fun, educational activity you can do at home. Pull up the zoo’s Facebook page every day at 3 p.m. EST. All of the safaris will also be posted to the zoo’s website and on their YouTube page for later viewing.

Fiona

Fiona Cam

Fiona live video feed https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/photos/a.96076385478/10158043842200479/?type=3&theater

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/CincinnatiZooTube/playlists

See what it’s like going no-cage diving with a school of Great White Sharks

Georgia Aquarium

Georgia Aquarium: Have a soothing look under the Sea with live cams of Beluga whales, African Penguins, Jellyfish and more.

Georgia Aquarium Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/GeorgiaAquarium/playlists

Learn from the Georgia Aquarium https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/at-home-learning-with-georgia-aquarium/

Live Cams

Beluga live cam https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/beluga-whale-webcam/

Beluga whales are small, white whales that live in the cold waters throughout the Arctic and some subarctic locations. They can be found in a variety of habitats, from deep offshore to shallow bays. Some even swim far up rivers. Belugas are social, and form groups called pods.(Georgia Aquarium) https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/animal/beluga-whale/

Fun Facts About Beluga Whales

1. Beluga whales grow up to 16 feet (4.8 m) long and weigh 3,150 pounds (1.4 metric tons) on average.

2. Beluga whales can live up to 50 years.

3. Beluga whales are born dark gray and get lighter as they age, eventually becoming white once they’ve reached sexual maturity.

4. Beluga whales can dive more than 3,280 feet (1,000 m) and stay under for up to 25 minutes at a time.

5. Beluga whales live in Arctic waters and sometimes venture into freshwater rivers.

6. Beluga whales shed their skin each summer by rubbing against coarse gravel.

7. Beluga whales do not have fused neck vertebrae like other whales, which allows them to move their heads up, down and side to side.

8. Beluga whales have bulbous, flexible foreheads called “melons” that help them produce sound and make facial expressions.

9. Beluga whales are often called the “canaries of the sea” because they vocalize many different sounds, including clicks, whistles, chirps and squeals. (Oceana) https://oceana.org/marine-life/marine-mammals/beluga-whale

Jelly Fish

Jellyfish, any planktonic marine member of the class Scyphozoa (phylum Cnidaria), a group of invertebrate animals composed of about 200 described species, or of the class Cubozoa (approximately 20 species). The term is also frequently applied to certain other cnidarians (such as members of the class Hydrozoa) that have a medusoid (bell- or saucer-shaped) body form, as, for example, the hydromedusae and the siphonophores (including the Portuguese man-of-war). Unrelated forms such as comb jellies (phylum Ctenophora) and salps (phylum Chordata) are also referred to as jellyfish. Scyphozoan jellyfish can be divided into two types, those that are free-swimming medusae and those that are sessile (i.e., stem animals that are attached to seaweed and other objects by a stalk). The sessile polyplike forms constitute the order Stauromedusae. (Britannica) https://www.britannica.com/animal/jellyfish

There are 2,000 different types of Jellyfish. (Fact Retriever) https://www.factretriever.com/jellyfish-facts

blue jellyfish with black background; Shutterstock ID 493931380; Purchase Order: –

10 extraordinary jellyfish species https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/extraordinary-jellyfish-species

Jelly Fish Live Cam

Georgia Aquarium Live Jellyfish Camera feed https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/jelly-webcam/

Ocean Voyager Live Cam

Georgia Aquarium Ocean Voyager Live camera Feed https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/

Sea Lions

There are seven known Sea Lion species that have been identified.

Sea Lion Species

California Sea Lion
Steller Sea Lion
Australian Sea Lion
Galapagos Sea Lion
New Zealand Sea Lion
South American Sea Lion
Japanese Sea Lion

California Sea Lions

California sea lions are “eared seals” native to the West Coast of North America. They live in coastal waters and on beaches, docks, buoys, and jetties. They are easily trained and intelligent and are commonly seen in zoos and aquariums. California sea lions are playful, intelligent, and very vocal (sounding like barking dogs). (Fisheries NOAA) https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/california-sea-lion

Stellar Sea Lion

The Steller (or northern) sea lion is the largest member of the family Otariidae, the “eared seals,” which includes all sea lions and fur seals. Steller sea lions are named for Georg Wilhelm Steller, the German surgeon and naturalist on the Bering expedition who first described and wrote about the species in 1742. While they are the only living member of their genus, they share parts of their range with a smaller related species, California sea lions. Steller sea lions’ impressive low-frequency vocalizations sound more like roars than California sea lions’ barks. They also share parts of their range with another otariid: northern fur seal. (Fisheries NOAA) https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/steller-sea-lion

Australian Sea Lion

Quick Facts about Australian Sea Lions

Sea lions typically live for 8 to 9 years
Breeding cycles happen only once every 18 months and female will only breed at the site where they were born
Breeding colonies are located only on remote areas of the coastline or islands and only 66 breeding colonies are known
Estimated known population of sea lions is between 9900 to 12,500
Population numbers are not growing and Australia sea lions are not expanding their range of colonies
Typically fewer than 25 sea lion pups are produced annually and this number continues to decline
Each sea lion colony is genetically distinct from neighbouring colonies and other populations
The death of even a single female can have a negative impact on a colony’s survival, especially if the colony has a very low population. (Marine Conservation ) https://www.marineconservation.org.au/australian-sea-lions/

Galapagos Sea Lions

The Galapagos sea lion is a species that primarily breeds in the Galapagos Islands, although some breeding colonies also occur on Isla de la Plata just off of mainland Ecuador. They are one of two types of seal found in Galapagos and are part of the eared seal family – having external ear pinnae. They are not ‘true’ seals, as they are able to rotate their hind flipper under their pelvic girdle and lack the characteristic long, finger-like claws of true seals. The configuration of their pelvic girdle allows them to ‘gallop’ across land, reaching speeds exceeding that of a running person on rocky terrain. (Galapagos Conservation) https://galapagosconservation.org.uk/wildlife/galapagos-sea-lion/

New Zealand Sea Lions

The New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) is distinguished from other New Zealand otariids by their blunt nose and short whiskers. They have sexual dimorphism, ie males and females are physically different.

Adult females (rāpoko):

length 180–200 cm
weight 85–160 kg

lighter in colour, predominantly creamy grey with darker pigmentation around their flippers.

The age of maturity for females is 3–4 years and the gestation period around 10 months. The average estimated reproductive rate of adult female New Zealand sea lions is 65% per year.

Adult males (whakahao):

length 240–350 cm
weight 320–450 kg

brown to black in colour with well-developed manes reaching to the shoulders.

Males are sexually mature when 5 years old, but they can’t sire their first pup until they are strong enough to hold their own territory, at about 8-9 years old.

Pups:

length: approximately 70–100 cm
weight: 8–10 kg.

both sexes are dark brown with paler areas around the head. Juvenile males can resemble adult females in colour and size.

Their maximum lifespan is 23 years. (Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawbai) https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/seals/new-zealand-sea-lion/species/biology/

South American Sea Lion

Amongst pinnipeds, the winged-footed family, there are eared seals and true seals. The former are also known as fur seals and sea lions. The South American sea lion’s technical name is the Patagonian sea lion but this name is rarely used. When full grown the male sea lions are twice the weight of females and around their large heads is a patch of short hair similar to the beginnings of a lion’s mane. Males have a neck that is more muscled than that of females. ( Animalia) http://animalia.bio/south-american-sea-lion

https://youtu.be/otORPg_nuwE

Sea Lion web cam

Georgia Aquarium Sea Lion Live camera feed https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/california-sea-lion-cam/

https://youtu.be/52tBMfyldGY

Indo Pacific Cam https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/indo-pacific-barrier-reef/

Alligators

An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The two living species are the American alligator (A. mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (A. sinensis). Additionally, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the Oligocene epoch about 37 million years ago. (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator

Both males and females have an “armored” body with a muscular, flat tail. The skin on their back is armored with embedded bony plates called osteoderms or scutes. They have four short legs; the front legs have five toes while the back legs have only four toes. Alligators have a long, rounded snout that has upward facing nostrils at the end; this allows breathing to occur while the rest of the body is underwater. The young have bright yellow stripes on the tail; adults have dark stripes on the tail. (Smithsonian National Zoo) https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/american-alligator

Chinese Alligator

The critically endangered Chinese alligator differs from its American counterpart in subtle ways. It’s smaller, the head is more robust and its snout is slightly upturned. The eyelids of the Chinese alligator have a bony plate that is missing in the American alligator. The American alligator also lacks the bony belly plates, or osteoderms, of the Chinese alligator. (Smithsonian National Zoo) https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/chinese-alligator

11 Amazing Facts About Alligators https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56093/11-terrifying-and-amazing-facts-about-alligators

Gator crossing Live Feed video from Georgia Aquarium https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/gator-crossing/

Southern Sea Otters

Sea otters have a narrow skull with a wide rostrum and long nasal bones. They have pronounced canine teeth. Their facial vibrissae (whiskers) may reach 10.2 cm (4 in) in length but are usually worn down to about 5 cm (2 in). Their dexterous front paws have retractile claws while the claws on their flat, webbed hind feet that act as flippers do not retract. They have a flat, blunt tail that can be about one-fourth their total body length.

An otter’s dense fur can be brown, black, blonde, and even silver in coloration and facial hair may turn white with age. (Aquarium of Pacific)https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/southern_sea_otter

Sea Otter live video from Georgia Aquarium https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/southern-sea-otter-webcam/

To learn more about Southern Sea Otters, click this link https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/sea-otter

African Penguins

While the African penguin may not be found in freezing temperatures, they are covered in an array of black, white, and gray dense, waterproof feathers that keep them dry and warm in the cold waters off the African coast. They also have a number of dot-like markings flecked across their white chests. These flecks help to individualize each penguin, as each penguin’s feather pattern is as individual as a human’s fingerprints. The animal has a distinct, sharply pointed beak and black feet. The African penguin is one of the smallest species. Males are generally slightly larger than their female counterparts. (San Diego Zoo) https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/african-penguin

https://youtu.be/64ikDTBIkNw

African Penguins live video feed from Georgia Aquarium https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/african-penguin-cam/

Puffin

A sharply dressed black-and-white seabird with a huge, multicolored bill, the Atlantic Puffin is often called the clown of the sea. It breeds in burrows on islands in the North Atlantic, and winters at sea. In flight, puffins flap their small wings frantically to stay aloft—but underwater those wings become powerful flippers that allow the birds to catch small fish one by one until they have a beak full. This long-lived bird, once widely hunted, is reestablishing its small range in the U.S., although warming ocean waters are causing breeding failures in other parts of the North Atlantic. (All about Birds) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Atlantic_Puffin/overview

Learn more about Puffins, please follow this link https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/a/atlantic-puffin/

Under water Puffin Cam https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/puffin-cam/

Georgia Aquarium Web cams main page

Live video’s https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/

Houston Zoo

This Texas zoo has webcams focused on gorillas, giraffes, rhinos, elephants, leafcutter ants and more for your viewing pleasure.

Houston Zoo webcams https://www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/

Houston Zoo Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/houstonzoo/playlists

Loggerhead Marine life Center

While the Florida marine center is closed to the public, they’re continuing to take care of their sea turtle patients behind the scenes. Monday through Friday they will be streaming live from the sea turtle hospital and teaching viewers about ocean conservation. https://marinelife.org/homelearn/

Loggerhead Marine life Center Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/loggerheadmc/playlists

Sea Turtles

Leatherback Turtle

Named for smooth, rubbery shell
Feed on jellyfish
Weigh 700 – 1500 pounds and are 4 – 8 feet in length
Nest in Florida March – July

Leatherback turtles are named for their shell, which is leather-like rather than hard, like other turtles.

They are the largest sea turtle species and also one of the most migratory, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Pacific leatherbacks migrate from nesting beaches in the Coral Triangle all the way to the California coast to feed on the abundant jellyfish every summer and fall.

Although their distribution is wide, numbers of leatherback turtles have seriously declined during the last century as a result of intense egg collection and fisheries bycatch. Globally, leatherback status according to IUCN is listed as Vulnerable, but many subpopulations (such as in the Pacific and Southwest Atlantic) are Critically Endangered. (WWF) https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/leatherback-turtle

Loggerhead

Named for large head
Feed on crabs, mollusks, encrusting animals attached to reefs and rocks
Weigh 200 – 400 pounds and are approximately 3 feet
Nest in Florida April – Sept

Loggerhead turtles are named for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles, allowing them to crush hard-shelled prey like clams and sea urchins. They are less likely to be hunted for their meat or shell compared to other sea turtles. Bycatch, the accidental capture of marine animals in fishing gear, is a serious problem for loggerhead turtles because they frequently come in contact with fisheries.

Loggerheads are the most common turtle in the Mediterranean, nesting on beaches from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya. Many of their nesting beaches are under threat from tourism development. Sea turtles are the living representatives of a group of reptiles that has existed on Earth and travelled our seas for the last 100 million years. They are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and sea grass beds. (WWF) https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/loggerhead-turtle

Green Sea Turtle

Named for greenish color of body fat
Feeds on seagrass & seaweed
Females weigh up to 600 pounds and are 3 – 4 feet in length
Nest in Florida May – September

The green turtle is one of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivore among the different species. Green turtles are in fact named for the greenish color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells. In the Eastern Pacific, a group of green turtles that have darker shells are called black turtles by the local community. Green turtles are found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. Like other sea turtles, they migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches from where they hatched. Classified as endangered, green turtles are threatened by overharvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear and loss of nesting beach sites. (WWF) https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/green-turtle

Hawksbill

Named for hawk-like beak
Feed on sponges
Weigh 100 – 150 pounds and are 25 – 35 inches in length
Very few, if any, nest in Palm Beach County
Primary nesting beaches in the Caribbean, very few, if any, nest in Palm Beach County

Hawksbills are named for their narrow, pointed beak. They also have a distinctive pattern of overlapping scales on their shells that form a serrated-look on the edges. These colored and patterned shells make them highly-valuable and commonly sold as “tortoiseshell” in markets.

Hawksbills are found mainly throughout the world’s tropical oceans, predominantly in coral reefs. They feed mainly on sponges by using their narrow pointed beaks to extract them from crevices on the reef, but also eat sea anemones and jellyfish. Sea turtles are the living representatives of a group of reptiles that has existed on Earth and travelled our seas for the last 100 million years. They are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and sea grass beds. (WWF) https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/hawksbill-turtle

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium: Dive under water with livestreams of sharks, sea otters, jellyfish, and turtles. A live cam of the crashing waves in the Monterey Bay itself is particularly calming. https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams

Monterey Bay Aquarium Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/MontereyBayAquarium/playlists

National Aquarium

National Aquarium: Explore winding, sea life-filled floors with this virtual tour of the Baltimore-based aquarium. https://aqua.org/media/virtualtours/baltimore/index.html

At Home Activities https://www.aqua.org/activities

National Aquarium Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/nataquarium/playlists

New England Aquarium

New England Aquarium: This Boston-based aquarium is serving up a schedule of animal feedings, tours and behind-the-scenes content on their Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/pg/NewEnglandAquarium/posts/?ref=page_internal

Learn with the Aquarium https://www.neaq.org/learn/

New England Aquarium Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/NewEnglandAquarium/playlists

Ocean Ramsey IGTV

Ocean Ramsey IGTV: Often described as a “sharfluencer,” this diving expert swam with one of the largest Great Whites ever recorded. Now, she’s sharing her adventures on her IGTV channel. https://www.instagram.com/oceanramsey/channel/?hl=en

https://youtu.be/YNTBL39PZOo

https://youtu.be/HOJLIWhP77U

Oregon zoo

Oregon Zoo: This zoo is sharing daily video updates on their Facebook page of different animals during their temporary closure. https://www.facebook.com/pg/oregonzoo/videos/

Oregon Zoo Video Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/oregonzoo/playlists

San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo: This zoo has a number of different live cams monitoring their furry and feathered friends, including penguins, pandas, koalas and elephants. https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos

Learn more about the Animals and Plants at the Zoo https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/animals-plants

San Diego Zoo Video Playlist https://www.youtube.com/user/SDZoo/playlists

The Secret Life of the Zoo

71 videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLezFqA7wz0TEG1-JNMeFahoQRxmhfWsS1

Wildlife at the Zoo

Wildlife at the Zoo Youtube Channel Playlists https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX4ObI81exAqEYkXiWXcVgA/videos

The Butchart Gardens

Dubai Miracle Garden

Every year from mid-November to mid-May, a 72,000 sqm space full of scents and colours comes to life. This incredible experience is one of Cityland’s signature creations – Dubai Miracle Garden. It was launched on Valentine’s Day, 2013, and is set in the heart of Dubailand.
Seeing the garden in full bloom with its 150 million flowers arranged in colourful arches and patterns, and the myriad shapes they form, is truly magnificent. https://www.dubaimiraclegarden.com/

Dubai Miracle Garden Pictures

Dubai Miracle Garden 2020 (Day Tour)

Exbury Gardens – England

Exbury Gardens – England

Exbury Gardens Steam Railway 21/4/19

Exbury Gardens Steam Railway Diver’s Eye View

Great Gardens of England

Colorful Woodland Garden, Berea, USA

Thanks for strolling through the Zoo’s , Aquariums, and Gardens with me today! I hope you enjoyed your visit. If you did like the post please feel free to; Like, Comment, Share, and Subscribe. I look forward to seeing you here again soon.

Free Virtual Museum Tours

Welcome! I am Happy to see you! Today we will be exploring the exciting World of Virtual Trips. We will take you inside 30 different Museums. So set back, relax and enjoy the Tours.

The Louvre Paris

Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip. https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne

The Great Wall of China

This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life. https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china

National Geographic – The Great Wall of China – Documentary

British Museum

This iconic museum located in the heart of London allows virtual visitors to tour the Great Court and discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/

Ford Piquette Avenue Plant

3D virtual tour of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. https://www.fordpiquetteplant.org/virtual-tour/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsYb0BRCOARIsAHbLPhELqjdEKlMfyHpPGD3N8C3TG6bSkxK6kRP8DGfWKJQfJCiJAc3lw1MaAi1JEALw_wcB

Machu Picchu, Andes Mountains, Peru

Machu Picchu, Andes Mountains, Peru https://www.youvisit.com/tour/machupicchu

The National Museum of Computing, Milton Keynes, UK

The National Museum of Computing, Milton Keynes, UK https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=Vz8kCqGRjQA

Tokyo

BBC Documentary 2017 – Waterfront Cities of The World, Tokyo, Japan

The Vatican, Rome

Inside the Vatican – Full Documentary

Inside the Vatican Museums | EWTN Vaticano Special

The Vatican, Rome Virtual tour http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/tour-virtuali-elenco.html

Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Athens Acropolis, Athens

In Search Of History – Athens: Triumph And Tragedy (History Channel Documentary)

Athens Acropolis, Athens Virtual Tour http://www.yougoculture.com/virtual-tour/athens/myth/acropolis

The Royal Academy of Arts London

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2019 | Exhibitions | Showcase

Grayson Perry’s Summer Exhibition

The Royal Academy of Arts, London Virtual Tour https://www.eyerevolution.co.uk/tours/SensingSpaces/

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Guggenheim Museum Tour – New York (2017)

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: The works of Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Jeff Koons, and Franz Marc are just some of the 625 artists whose work are a part of the Guggenheim’s Collection Online. https://www.guggenheim.org/collection-online

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Move at your own pace through the 360-degree room-by-room tour of every exhibit in the museum. https://naturalhistory2.si.edu/vt3/NMNH/

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Playlists https://www.youtube.com/user/smithsonianNMNH/playlists

Fossil Elephants of Deep Time featuring Smithsonian Paleontologist Advait Jukar

Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam

The Great Masters: Vincent Van Gogh Museum Tour with John Leighton (1998)

Van Gogh Museum: You can get up close and personal with the impressionist painter’s most famous work thanks to Google Arts & Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/van-gogh-museum-groundfloor/2QHwyv_Y6gueAw?hl=en&sv_lng=4.8808198&sv_lat=52.3585336&sv_h=-19.92648221949179&sv_p=-14.958125813166376&sv_pid=T4EwMNbRYOhcEPF8T1I8xw&sv_z=1.0000000000000002

Getty Museum: Los Angeles’s

Explore the J. Paul Getty Museum of Los Angeles.

A mecca for art aficionados, The Getty Museum houses an impressive masterpiece collection of European paintings including Vincent van Gogh’s most recognized work – Irises. Manet’s impressionist masterpiece – “Spring” – recently purchased for $65 million, is also on display. There are also drawings, sculpture, decorative arts as well as European and American photographs.

The collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum comprises Greek, Roman, and Etruscan art from the Neolithic to Late Antiquity; European art—including illuminated manuscripts, paintings, drawings, sculpture, and decorative arts—from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century; and international photography from its inception to the present day.

J. Paul Getty started acquiring antiquities in Rome in 1939 and subsequently built an important collection concentrating on Greek and Roman marble statues and reliefs, bronze statuettes, and mosaics. These works were kept in his Malibu ranch house and made available for public viewing beginning in 1954, but the growth of the collection called for a larger space, leading him to design and construct a full-scale replica of the Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum. The new museum opened in 1974, and Getty felt the need to expand the scope of its displays, adding ancient Roman frescoes, Greek painted pottery, and other objects. After his death in 1976, museum curators added significantly to the collection, which now includes important Greek vases, engraved gems, Romano-Egyptian mummy portraits, ancient glass, carved ambers, silver vessels, and gold jewelry.

The earliest objects are Neolithic clay figurines, dating back to the sixth millennium BC, and marble vessels and figurines from the Cycladic islands and Cyprus, dating from the Bronze Age. There are also significant holdings of Greek bronzework, sculpture from southern Italy, and an original Greek bronze statue of the Hellenistic period known as The Victorious Youth.

LOS ANGELES – The Getty Center Museum, Los Angeles, California, USA, Travel, 4K UHD

Getty Museum: Los Angeles’s premiere gallery has two virtual tours, including “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry,” which is a closer look at food in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-j-paul-getty-museum?hl=en

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum: Madrid

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum: Madrid’s must-see art museum has the works of some of the continent’s most celebrated artists like Rembrandt and Dali available online. https://www.museothyssen.org/en/thyssenmultimedia

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life in Art

Georgia O’Keeffe: A collection of 294 paintings (HD)

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum: Six virtual exhibits are available online from this museum named for the “Mother of American modernism.” https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/georgia-o-keeffe-museum?hl=en

National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

Mexico City: National Museum of Anthropology

National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City: Dive into the pre-Hispanic history of Mexico with 23 exhibit rooms full of Mayan artifacts. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-national-museum-of-anthropology-mexico-city-ziko-van-dijk-wikimedia-commons/bAGSHRdlzSRcdQ?hl=en

British Museum, London

The Rosetta Stone – Professor Richard Parkinson

Curator’s tour of the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery

British Museum London Real Mummies and Ancient History in British museum England U.K Virtual Tour

British Museum, London: The Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies are just a couple of things that you’re able to see on a virtual tour of the museum. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/

Langley Research Center

Celebrating 100 Years of NASA Langley: A Storied Legacy, A Soaring Future

Virginia’s Langley Research Center Tour https://oh.larc.nasa.gov/oh/

Ohio’s Glenn Research Center

NASA Glenn Facilities and Capabilities

Powering Flight Innovation | NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Glenn Virtual Tours https://www.nasa.gov/glennvirtualtours

National Women’s History Museum

National Women’s History Museum: Have a late International Women’s Day celebration with online exhibits and oral histories from the Virginia museum.

Online Exhibit https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/online-exhibits

Oral History https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/general/rosie-riveter-oral-histories

Metropolitan Museum of Art

A World of Art: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: A Behind-the-scenes Tour with the Director

China: West Meets East at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

High Museum of Art, Atlanta

An Afternoon at the High Museum of Art | Atlanta Georgia

High Museum of Art, Atlanta: This museum’s popular online exhibits include “Civil Rights Photography” — photos that capture moments of social protest like the Freedom Rides and Rosa Park’s arrest. https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/civil-rights-photography/9wISPkiyouv-Lw?hl=en

Detroit Institute of Arts

Detroit Art City: The Detroit Institute of Arts Story [Documentary]

Detroit Institute of Arts Virtual Field Trip | Digital Adventure | Detroit PBS KIDS

Detroit Institute of Arts: Mexican art icon Frida Kahlo is the focal point of two of the four available online exhibits. https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/detroit-institute-of-arts?hl=en

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s best art museum, the Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam: The Golden Age of Dutch art is highlighted in this museum which includes the work of Vermeer and Rembrandt. https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/rijksmuseum/iwH5aYGoPwSf7g?hl=en&sv_lng=4.885283712508563&sv_lat=52.35984312584405&sv_h=291.1699875145569&sv_p=-5.924133903625474&sv_pid=fOVcUXQW2wpRf33iUmxEfg&sv_z=1.0000000000000002

National Museum of the United States Air Force

A Walk Through the National Museum of the US Air Force – PART 1

PART 2

National Museum of the United States Air Force: You can’t take a ride in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidential airplane, but you can check it out, in addition to other military weapons and aircraft, online in the Air Force’s official museum. https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Virtual-Tour/

The Museum of Modern Art

In Our Time: The Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art Play lists https://www.youtube.com/user/MoMAvideos/playlists

MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art): New York’s extensive collection is available for view online. https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/sophie-taeuber-arp/swKioHNhYqZoLw?hl=en

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

“THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ART” PART ONE

PART TWO

Well, that concludes the Museums Virtual Tours. I hope you enjoyed walking through Histories best Art. If you enjoyed this Post, please feel free to; Like, Comment, Share, and Subscribe. My next Post will be on Zoo’s and Aquariums. We will dig into the best Zoos and Aquariums in the World from the comfort of our own Homes. As always, Thanks for Hanging out with me. See you Soon!

Relaxation 101

I know that we are all freaking out right now with every passing news store. Heck, we can’t even look at Social Media or Video streaming sites with being reminded of the Virus. So Naturally, we are all tense and Frustrated. We are Stressed! Just take a deep breath and exhale. This post will help you out. Today we will be learning about Relaxation. We will examine the symptoms of Stress, learn how to relieve stress, and be soothed to a state of complete Relaxation. We will start with defining Relaxation.

Stress

Stress is a normal reaction the body has when changes occur. It can respond to these changes physically, mentally, or emotionally. (Mayo Clinic)

What is Stress?

Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. Even positive life changes such as a promotion, a mortgage, or the birth of a child produce stress. The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated, and ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between stressors. As a result, the person becomes overworked, and stress-related tension builds. The body’s autonomic nervous system has a built-in stress response that causes physiological changes to allow the body to combat stressful situations. This stress response, also known as the “fight or flight response”, is activated in case of an emergency. However, this response can become chronically activated during prolonged periods of stress. Prolonged activation of the stress response causes wear and tear on the body – both physical and emotional. (Mayo Clinic)

Symptoms of Stress

Headaches
Tension in the Neck and Shoulders
Dizziness
Fatigue
Poor Sleep

All these symptoms are a result of stress overload. Stress can affect our mental state too as it elevates levels of cortisol; a hormone that affects the function of the brain. This can result in worrying, poor concentration, difficulty in making decisions and uncontrollable thoughts. And to add to the list, emotional symptoms can present as irritability, feelings of being overwhelmed, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression. A person in a high state of stress can cause aggressive or defensive behavior, avoiding situations, poor communication, drinking too much alcohol and smoking. It can exacerbate mood disorders too. (Well Being People)

De-Stress

De-Stress: to release bodily or mental tension : UNWIND
Dictionary

Step Away from The Screen

Uninterrupted computer use has been associated with stress, lost sleep and depression in women, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. In the same study, late night computer use was also associated with stress — in both men and women. Huffington Post

Get a Plant

Plants aren’t just pleasing. They help change your environment and that can help with your stress levels. If you find that you get headaches by the end of the workday, it might not be those fluorescent lights. Prevention Magazine sites that studies show people who work near plants are less likely to suffer from fatigue and headaches. Plants are natural air purifiers, why not try it out at your office? (CBC)

Seven Plants that Help Relieve Stress

For more Plant Ideas, please visit this site. https://completehomespa.com/plants-for-anxiety/

Play with Animals/Pets

Any of us who have pets know they make us feel good. (CBC)

Pucker Up

Kissing relieves stress by helping your brain to release endorphins, reports WebMD. And that has real-life implications: In a study of 2,000 couples, Northwestern University researcher Laura Berman, Ph.D., found that those who only kissed when they had sex were eight times more likely to report feeling chronically stressed or depressed. (Huffington Post)

Treat Yourself! Eat One (ONE!) Candy

Eating or drinking something sweet is soothing because it stems the production of the stress hormone, glucocorticoid (which helps explain why we find ourselves staring down the barrel of an empty cookie package when things go haywire). While not an excuse to unleash your emotional eating on the office vending machine, a Hershey’s Kiss, peppermint candy or other reasonably-sized treat, can help. (Huffington Post)

Chew A Piece of Gum

Chewing gum doesn’t just make your breath better — it can relieve anxiety, improve alertness and reduce stress during episodes of multitasking, according to a 2008 study. ( Huffington Post)

Watch A Viral Video

A good laugh is a fine relaxation technique. “Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain,” explains the Mayo Clinic. (Huffington Post)

https://youtu.be/VnQ3roDum68

Eat A Banana (Or A Potato!)

Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure, which rises during times of stress. Some people find that eating a banana when they’re feeling stressed can help improve energy and recovery. And research shows that it can protect your body from the negative effects of stress, like increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The American Psychological Association recommends it to stave off the physical detriments of stress as well. (Huffington Post)

Coloring

Coloring has the ability to relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind. This generates mindfulness and quietness, which allows your mind to get some rest after a long day at work. (Health Essentials)

Relaxation is defined as; the state of being free from tension and anxiety.

The Following are six relaxation techniques that can help you evoke the relaxation response and reduce stress.

Breath focus. In this simple, powerful technique, you take long, slow, deep breaths (also known as abdominal or belly breathing). As you breathe, you gently disengage your mind from distracting thoughts and sensations. Breath focus can be especially helpful for people with eating disorders to help them focus on their bodies in a more positive way. However, this technique may not be appropriate for those with health problems that make breathing difficult, such as respiratory ailments or heart failure.

Breathing Techniques to Help You Relax

Reducing Stress Through Deep Breathing

Body scan

2. Body scan. This technique blends breath focus with progressive muscle relaxation. After a few minutes of deep breathing, you focus on one part of the body or group of muscles at a time and mentally releasing any physical tension you feel there. A body scan can help boost your awareness of the mind-body connection. If you have had a recent surgery that affects your body image or other difficulties with body image, this technique may be less helpful for you.

In the body scan, you methodically bring attention to the body, beginning with the left foot and ending at the top of the head.

You may notice a wide range of physical feelings:

pain
aches
itches
tingles
firmness
lightness
heaviness
warmth & cold
as well as neutrality

Some of these sensations may be accompanied by thoughts or emotions. As you practice the body scan, this multitude of sensations and internal experiences can be boiled down to three basic feelings:

Neutral
Pleasant
Unpleasant

Since the body is a dynamic organism that’s always changing, no two body scans will ever be completely alike.

Body Scan: Ohio Health Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

https://youtu.be/hAvrhxZ5Zvc

Guided Imagery

3. Guided imagery. For this technique, you conjure up soothing scenes, places, or experiences in your mind to help you relax and focus. You can find free apps and online recordings of calming scenes—just make sure to choose imagery you find soothing and that has personal significance. Guided imagery may help you reinforce a positive vision of yourself, but it can be difficult for those who have intrusive thoughts or find it hard to conjure up mental images.

Guided Imagery 15 minutes

Guided Meditation for Children | Your Magical Island | Kids Relaxation

Guided Meditation for Children | Your Secret Treehouse | Relaxation for Kids

Mindfulness Meditation

4. Mindfulness meditation. This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your mind’s attention to the present moment without drifting into concerns about the past or the future. This form of meditation has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. Research suggests it may be helpful for people with anxiety, depression, and pain.

Meditation for Anxiety – Yoga with Adriene

Guided Meditation For Deep Relaxation, Anxiety, Sleep or Depression – Beginners Yoga Meditation

Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong

5. Yoga, tai chi, and qigong. These three ancient arts combine rhythmic breathing with a series of postures or flowing movements. The physical aspects of these practices offer a mental focus that can help distract you from racing thoughts. They can also enhance your flexibility and balance. But if you are not normally active, have health problems, or a painful or disabling condition, these relaxation techniques might be too challenging. Check with your doctor before starting them.

Yoga for Complete Beginners – 20 Minute Home Yoga Workout!

Yoga for Seniors | Slow and Gentle Yoga

Tai Chi for Beginners Video | Dr Paul Lam | Free Lesson and Introduction

Qigong for Beginners

Repetitive Prayer

6. Repetitive prayer. For this technique, you silently repeat a short prayer or phrase from a prayer while practicing breath focus. This method may be especially appealing if religion or spirituality is meaningful to you. (Harvard University)

CALMING Scripture: Affirmations and Verse, Soft Music ( Anxiety, Stress, Insomnia)

Reach Out

Your social network is one of your best tools for handling stress. Talk to others — preferably face to face, or at least on the phone. Share what’s going on. You can get a fresh perspective while keeping your connection strong.

Listening to Music

The Power of Music to Reduce Stress

Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, especially slow, quiet classical music. This type of music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones. Music, in short, can act as a powerful stress management tool in our lives. (Psych Central)

As music can absorb our attention, it acts as a distraction at the same time it helps to explore emotions. This means it can be a great aid to meditation, helping to prevent the mind wandering. (Psych Central)

The 10 Most Relaxing Songs In The World, According To Science

A study conducted by neuroscientists from Mindlab International recorded participants’ physiological responses to specific songs while solving complex puzzles. Based on the results, the scientists came up with the 10 most relaxing songs.

Marconi Union, “Weightless”

The reason for this, as explained by Lyz Cooper of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, is that the song utilizes a biomusicological phenomenon called “entrainment.” Cooper reports, “The song contains a sustaining rhythm that starts at 60 beats per minute and gradually slows to around 50. While listening, your heart rate gradually comes to match that beat.” (Study Breaks)

Airstream, “Electra”

This relaxing song has similarities to “Weightless.” The tempo matches the optimal resting heart rate of 60 to 65 beats per minute. The mid-range frequencies and absence of a low, heavy bass is less taxing on the nervous system. (Study Breaks)

https://youtu.be/YbHZ8VVhb94

DJ Shah, “Mellomaniac (Chillout Mix)”

What makes this song relaxing is the reverb guitar above the ostinato, which is a repetitive musical pattern. The repetition frees the mind to feel the music rather than analyze it.

As the title of the song suggests, the beat is mellow and even a little bit sensual. The rainstick and the conga-like drum conjure visions of sipping something frozen on a tropical island. (Study Breaks)

Enya, “Watermark”

“Watermark” has a simple yet lovely piano arrangement, with a subtle chorus of human voices. Layered with the chorus is a synthesizer accompaniment that creates white noise, which has been proven to induce tranquility. Save yourself the money on a white noise machine and just listen to this song. (Study Breaks)

Coldplay, “Strawberry Swing”

This is the first relaxing song on the list with lyrics, which proves that music does not have to be instrumental to be soothing. It has a slightly higher tempo and does not really promote relaxation so much as a feeling of contentment.

The lyrics themselves contribute to the carefree vibe, and even the video is fun to watch. (Study Breaks)

Barcelona, “Please Don’t Go”

Just like in “Electra,” the second song on this list, “Please Don’t Go” lacks a heavy bass and uses high and mid-range frequencies in the piano and the strings. It is also written in minor key, which is commonly found in sad songs. (Study Breaks)

All Saints, “Pure Shores”

You can be alert and relaxed at the same time, which is the optimal state according to yoga practitioners. So even though it is uplifting and groovy, “Pure Shores” for shore deserves a spot on the most relaxing songs list. (Study Breaks)

Adele, “Someone Like You”

According to scientists, almost everything about this song is arranged to reduce the audience to tears.

“When the chorus breaks, Adele’s voice jumps an octave and belts out the notes with increasing volume,” a writer from The Daily Mail wrote. “At the same time, the harmony shifts and the lyrics become more dramatic.” Maybe at first you cannot see why this song is relaxing, but someone who is highly stressed just needs to let it all out with a good cry. (Study Breaks)

Mozart, “Canzonetta Sull’aria”

Mozart’s hallmark mathematical precision, coupled with the angelic female voices, is aurally pleasing. It is light, it is uncomplicated, and it does not ask much of the listener beyond simply enjoying the music. (Study Breaks)

Cafe Del Mar, “We Can Fly”

The mid-tempo beat invokes images of traveling to far-off exotic lands. It is almost a requirement for an ambient song to incorporate white noise, but because it is effective, we will give it a pass. (Study Breaks)

While these songs each have distinctive styles, they share common elements such as white noise, low to mid-tempo and simple arrangements. If you find yourself feeling stressed, consider adding a song or two (or maybe all of them!) to your chillout playlist. (Study Breaks)

For your Listening Conveyance, I have put them all on one playlist that can be found here.

Playlist

Go to lunch and don’t rush

Take a long lunch break at least three times a week. Don’t do business during lunch. Read a novel over a cup of tea. Go to a museum. Sit quietly by a stream. Eat slowly. Try a new restaurant. Go out with a good friend and agree not to discuss problems or business.

Walk every day

Walk by yourself or with a friend. Talk about possibilities, not problems.

Exercise more

Join an aerobics class, go to the gym, play tennis, ride a bike, hike on weekends, go to a fitness resort, or jog with friends. Exercise will do more to reduce stress hormones and chemicals in our body than any other activity.

30 minute fat burning home workout for beginners. Achievable, low impact results.

30-Minute Cardio Latin Dance Workout

30-Minute Low-Impact Dance Grooves Workout

Dance Off The Inches – Country – Line Dance Party (41:40min)

Dance Off The Inches – Tummy Tone Party (38:56min)

The Best Scents for Relaxation and Sleep

Lavender: Long thought to contain a calming fragrance, this plant has been used to quell anxiety and agitation for ages. Its scent may slow down the nervous system, which relaxes the body and mind to improve sleep quality. Incorporating the scent into a relaxing massage by using a lavender-infused massage oil may have even more pronounced sleep-promoting effects.

Vanilla: This fragrance is famous for being a potent relaxer. In fact, people who smelled vanilla while completing a stress test had more stable heart rates and better blood pressure readings than those who took the stress test in an unscented room.

Valerian: It’s well known for its anxiety-reducing effects when taken orally. But the scent of valerian may further aid in helping you sleep: Rats who sniffed the pungent herb fell asleep faster and slept longer than those who didn’t. (Truth be told, valerian’s odor is reported to be less-than-fresh smelling. In the study with rats, the fragrance of roses gave a similar, though not quite as impactful, outcome. So if you can’t stand the smell of valerian, try the smell of roses!)

Jasmine: With delicate white petals, this flower’s sweet smell packs a surprising sleep punch. People who inhaled the scent while they slept experienced greater sleep efficiency, less movement during slumber, and overall better quality sleep. Surprisingly, its effects were even more powerful than those of lavender!

Any scent you love Simply put, any fragrance that makes you happy can promote sleep. Your olfactory system is directly linked to the emotional center in your brain—so when you sniff something that brings back a good memory (like pumpkin pie) or makes you feel excited and full of anticipation (such as the smell of sunscreen), your body releases feel-good, relaxing chemicals that can set the stage for great sleep. Once you’ve found your sleep-enhancing scent, bring it into your bedroom. Buying a fragrant candle is an easy way to add fragrance to your space (just be sure to blow it out before your head hits the pillow!). You could also put a few drops of essential oil into a spray bottle with water and gently mist your pillow before bed, or sprinkle a few drops of scent onto a cloth or handkerchief and tuck it under your pillow. Sweet dreams!

Videos to help you Relax

Instrumental Music

https://youtu.be/K_5lwkQ4qzs

Disney Instrumental

Meditation

Meditation for Anxiety – Yoga With Adriene

Guided Meditation For Deep Relaxation, Anxiety, Sleep or Depression – Beginners Yoga Meditation

Meditation Music

https://youtu.be/EpAyaAyWl-M

Breathing Techniques

Virtual Aquariums

https://youtu.be/dOU32ygnHac

Virtual Fireplace

Relaxing Snowfall

Relaxing Sound of Rain

References used for this Topic:

Well Being People https://www.wellbeingpeople.com/2019/04/15/why-relaxation-is-so-important/

Harvard University https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress

Psych Central https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/

Study Breaks https://studybreaks.com/culture/music/relaxing-songs/

Sleep Organization https://www.sleep.org/articles/scents-for-relaxation/

Health Essentials https://health.clevelandclinic.org/3-reasons-adult-coloring-can-actually-relax-brain/

Huffington Post https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stress-relief-that-works_n_3842511

Mayo Clinic https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11874-stress

CBC https://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/m_health/5-easy-proven-ways-to-de-stress

I hope this post has helped you relax! I know I experienced total relaxation from the experience. If you benefited from this Post, please feel free to; Like, comment, Share, and Subscribe. See you soon!

March 25th

Today we Celebrate two great Events! The First Is J.R.R. Tolkien Day and the Second is MANATEE APPRECIATION DAY. Please join me as we discover what makes these days special.

TOLKIEN READING DAY

Celebrated around the world on March 25th, Tolkien Reading Day is a favorite among fans of the renowned author. The day encourages readers of all ages to explore the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and learn more about the author. With over 30 published works, he had a lot to say and not just about hobbits, though many are on medieval order.

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biographical Sketch

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973) was a major scholar of the English language, specialising in Old and Middle English. Twice Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at the University of Oxford, he also wrote a number of stories, including most famously The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955), which are set in a pre-historic era in an invented version of our world which he called by the Middle English name of Middle-earth. This was peopled by Men (and women), Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, Orcs (or Goblins) and of course Hobbits. He has regularly been condemned by the Eng. Lit. establishment, with honourable exceptions, but loved by literally millions of readers worldwide.

In the 1960s he was taken up by many members of the nascent “counter-culture” largely because of his concern with environmental issues. In 1997 he came top of three British polls, organised respectively by Channel 4 / Waterstone’s, the Folio Society, and SFX, the UK’s leading science fiction media magazine, amongst discerning readers asked to vote for the greatest book of the 20th century. Please note also that his name is spelt Tolkien (there is no “Tolkein”). (Tolkien Society)

Books Written by Tolkien

Books by Tolkien

The following list, compiled by Charles E. Noad and updated by Ian Collier and Daniel Helen, includes all of Tolkien’s major publications. It is ordered by date of publication. Taken from The Tolkien Society

A Middle English Vocabulary. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1922. (This is presently bound in with Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose, ed. Kenneth Sisam, from Oxford University Press.) A glossary of Middle English words for students.
Sir Gawain & The Green Knight. Ed. J.R.R. Tolkien and E.V. Gordon. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1925. (Now available in a second edition edited by Norman Davis.) A modern translation of the Middle English romance from the stories of King Arthur.
The Hobbit: or There and Back Again. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1937. (There was a second edition in 1951, and a third in 1966. Reprinted many times.) The bedtime story for his children famously begun on the blank page of an exam script that tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves in their quest to take back the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon.
Farmer Giles of Ham. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1949. A faux-medieval tale of a farmer and his adventures with giants, dragons, and the machinations of courtly life.
The Fellowship of the Ring: being the first part of The Lord of the Rings. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1954. second edition, 1966. One of the world’s most famous books that continues the tale of the ring Bilbo found in The Hobbit and what comes next for it, him, and his nephew Frodo.
The Two Towers: being the second part of The Lord of the Rings. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1954. Second edition, 1966. The continuation of the story begun in The Fellowship of the Ring as Frodo and his companions continue their various journeys.
The Return of the King: being the third part of The Lord of the Rings. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1955. Second edition, 1966. The conclusion to the story that we began in The Fellowship of the Ring and the perils faced by Frodo et al.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1962. A collection of sixteen ‘hobbit’ verses and poems taken from ‘The Red Book of Westmarch’.
Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle. Early English Text Society, Original Series No. 249. Oxford University Press, London, 1962. An edition of the Rule for a female medieval religious order.
Tree and Leaf. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1964. New edition, incorporating “Mythopoeia”, Unwin Hyman, London, 1988. Reprints Tolkien’s lecture “On Fairy-Stories” and his short story “Leaf by Niggle”.
Smith of Wootton Major. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1967. A short story of a small English village and its customs, its Smith, and his journeys into Faery.
The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1967; George Allen and Unwin, London, 1968. (Second edition in 1978.) A collection of eight songs, 7 from The Lord of the Rings, set to music by Donald Swann.
Bilbo’s Last Song. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1974. Originally produced as a poster image illustrated by Pauline Baynes, reprinted several times. First published as a hardback with new illustrations by Baynes by Unwin Hyman in 1990.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1975. Tolkien’s translations of these Middle English poems collected together.
The Father Christmas Letters. Ed. Baillie Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1976. A collection of Tolkien’s own illustrated letters from Father Christmas to his children.
The Silmarillion. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1977. Tolkien’s own mythological tales, collected together by his son and literary executor, of the beginnings of Middle-earth (and the tales of the High Elves and the First Ages) which he worked on and rewrote over more than 50 years.
Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1979. Revised edition, HarperCollins, London, 1992. A collection of Tolkien’s various illustrations and pictures.
Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1980. More tales from Tolkien’s notes and drafts of the First, Second, and Third Ages of Middle-earth giving readers more background on parts of The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.
Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Ed. Humphrey Carpenter with Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1981. Tolkien wrote many letters and kept copies or drafts of them, giving readers all sorts of insights into his literary creations.
The Old English ‘Exodus’. Ed. Joan Turville-Petre. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981. Tolkien’s translation with notes and commentary of the Old English poem.
Mr. Bliss. George Allen & Unwin, London, 1982. A delightful illustrated story for children of a man’s misadventures.
Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode. Ed. Alan Bliss. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1982. Tolkien’s translations and commentaries on the Old English texts for lectures he delivered in the 1920s.
The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1983. A collection of seven lectures or essays by Tolkien covering Beowulf, Gawain, and ‘On Fairy Stories’.
The Book of Lost Tales, Part I. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 1. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1983.
The Book of Lost Tales, Part II. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 2. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1984.
The Lays of Beleriand. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 3. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1985.
The Shaping of Middle-earth. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 4. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1986.
The Lost Road and Other Writings. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 5. Unwin Hyman, London, 1987.
The Return of the Shadow. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 6. Unwin Hyman, London, 1988.
The Treason of Isengard. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 7. Unwin Hyman, London, 1989.
The War of the Ring. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 8. Unwin Hyman, London, 1990.
Sauron Defeated. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 9. HarperCollins, London, 1992.
Morgoth’s Ring. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 10. HarperCollins, London, 1993.
The War of the Jewels. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 11. HarperCollins, London, 1994.
The Peoples of Middle-earth. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. The History of Middle-earth: Vol. 12. HarperCollins, London, 1996.
Roverandom. Ed. Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond. HarperCollins, London, 1998. In the 1920s a toy dog was lost on a seaside holiday, to cheer his son up Tolkien created a story of the dog’s adventures.
Tales from the Perilous Realm. HarperCollins, London, 1997. (Contains: Farmer Giles of Ham, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, “Leaf by Niggle” and Smith of Wootton Major.)
The Children of Húrin. Ed. Christopher Tolkien with illustrations by Alan Lee. HarperCollins, London, 2007. Christopher Tolkien’s collation of the various versions his father wrote of the story of Túrin Turambar into one seamless novel.
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London 2009. Tolkien’s own versions of the story of Sigurd and his wife Gudrún, one of the great legends of northern antiquity.
The Fall of Arthur. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London 2013. A collation of Tolkien’s versions of the tale of the end of the Arthurian cycle wherein Arthur’s realm is destroyed by Mordred’s treachery, featuring commentaries and essays by Christopher Tolkien.
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London, 2014.
The Story of Kullervo. Ed. Verlyn Flieger. HarperCollins, London, 2015.
A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages. Ed. Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins. HarperCollins, London, 2016.
The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun. Ed. Verlyn Flieger. HarperCollins, London, 2016.
Beren and Lúthien. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London, 2017.
The Fall of Gondolin. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. HarperCollins, London, 2018.

Top 10 Epic Facts About J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit – 1977 – Rankin/Bass – Complete Original Soundtrack Record (LP)

The Hobbit – By J R R Tolkien Book Playlist (20 Chapters)

https://youtu.be/wvg00vLiaaU

The Hobbit (1977) Full Movie

https://archive.org/details/TheHobbit1977Version

References used in this Article

Tolkien Society https://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/biography/

Watch Mojo https://watchmojo.com/video/id/27744

Tolkien Society Books https://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/books-by-tolkien/

MANATEE APPRECIATION DAY

Manatee Appreciation Day is Celebrated on the Last Wednesday in March.This day focuses the world’s attention on an herbivore with no known natural enemy. Let’s Learn about this Beautiful Creature!

Manatee Facts

The manatee is a large marine mammal with an egg-shaped head, flippers and a flat tail. (Live Science)
They are also called sea cows. This name is apt, due to their large stature; slow, lolling nature; and propensity to be eaten by other animals. (Live Science)
Manatees are related to the elephant. (Live Science)
Manatees range in size from 8 to 13 feet (2.4 to 4 meters) and can weigh 440 to 1,300 lbs. (200 to 590 kilograms). (Live Science)
They have large, strong tails that power their swimming. Manatees usually swim about 5 mph (8 km/h), but they can swim up to 15 mph (24 km/h) in short bursts when they feel a need for speed, according to National Geographic.
Despite their massive bulk, they are graceful swimmers in coastal waters and rivers. (National Geographic)
manatees typically glide along at 5 miles an hour but can swim 15 miles an hour in short bursts. (National Geographic)

There are three species of manatee, distinguished primarily by where they live. The West Indian manatee ranges along the North American east coast from Florida to Brazil. The Amazonian manatee species inhabit the Amazon River and the African manatee swims along the west coast and rivers of Africa. (National Geographic)
Typically, manatees stay in rivers, seas and oceans along the coast of several countries. (Live Science)

Manatees are born underwater. (National Geographic)
Mothers must help their calves to the surface so that they can take their first breath, but the infants can typically swim on their own only an hour later. (National Geographic)

Manatee calves drink their mothers’ milk, but adults are voracious grazers. (National Geographic)
They eat water grasses, weeds, and algae—and lots of them. A manatee can eat a tenth of its own massive weight in just 24 hours. (National Geographic)

Manatees often swim alone or in pairs. They are not territorial, so they have no need for a leader or followers. When manatees are seen in a group, it is either a mating herd or an informal meeting of the species simply sharing a warm area that has a large food supply. A group of manatees is called an aggregation. An aggregation usually never grows larger than about six individuals, according to the Save the Manatee Club. (Live Science)

Due to their immense size, (some weigh up to 1,200 pounds) they graze up to 8 hours a day. (Live Science)
Manatees continually replace their teeth. A new set is always growing behind the current set of teeth. (Live Science)
As a migratory species, the American manatee inhabits the Florida waters during the winter and move as far north as Virginia and as far west as Texas in the summer months. (Live Science)
The most significant challenge manatees face today is the loss of habitat. Currently, there are approximately 3,200 manatees living in the United States. (Live Science)

Manatees Are the “Sea Cows” of the Coasts | Nat Geo Wild

Oldest Manatee – Meet The Record Breakers

If you would like to help Save the Manatees, you can do so at this link. h ttps://www.savethemanatee.org/manatees/

The References used for this article are:

National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/manatees/

Live Science https://www.livescience.com/27405-manatees.html

I hope you have enjoyed learning about these two great days. I know I enjoyed researching these topics. If you liked this Post please feel free to; Like, Share, Comment, and Subscribe. I look forward to seeing you here again real soon!

Corona Virus Need to Knows

I was really hoping that I could skip this topic, but with people disregarding advice, I will have to address the Topic Myself. Ok Guys, COVID 19 is a Serious Virus! It is Spreading like Wildflowers and must be contained. If we don’t take this Virus seriously, it will continue to Kill people, Maybe even a Loved one. My Family and I are taking the Recommendations and in some cases Mandates seriously. Our State (Oklahoma) is under a 15 day Stay Home Mandate. This means that we are only allowed to go to work and get Medicines or Groceries. I strongly encourage everyone to do this. You can help Curve the spread of the Virus by doing the Right Things. This blog post will tell you the Right things you should be doing. We will start with what we know, then go into what you should be doing to Curb the spread, and then how to survive being in Quarantine.

What is a Corona Virus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several Corona Viruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered Coronavirus causes Coronavirus Disease COVID-19.

Symptoms of Corona Virus

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are; fever, tiredness, and dry cough.

Some patients may have; aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, Loss of sense of Taste and smell, sore throat or diarrhea.

These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment.

Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

How it is Spread

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales. These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person.

Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with COVID-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets. This is why it is important to stay more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick.

Can CoVID-19 be caught from a person who has no symptoms?

The main way the disease spreads is through respiratory droplets expelled by someone who is coughing. The risk of catching COVID-19 from someone with no symptoms at all is very low. However, many people with COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms. This is particularly true at the early stages of the disease. It is therefore possible to catch COVID-19 from someone who has, for example, just a mild cough and does not feel ill. WHO is assessing ongoing research on the period of transmission of COVID-19 and will continue to share updated findings.

WHO is assessing ongoing research on the ways COVID-19 is spread and will continue to share updated findings.

Protection Measures for Everyone

You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions:

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.

Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.

How soap kills the Coronavirus

10 songs for your coronavirus hand-washing routine that aren’t ‘Happy Birthday’ https://ew.com/music/coronavirus-covid-19-hand-wash-songs/

20-Second Parodies for Handwashing

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Why? When someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Why 6 feet away? The science behind “social distancing” | ABC7

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.

Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

Wellness 101 Show Quick Tip – Stop Touching Your Face

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.

Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.

Stay Home Vogue (Vogue Corona Parody by Chris Mann)

Stay at Home Frozen Version

Keep up to date on the latest COVID-19 hotspots (cities or local areas where COVID-19 is spreading widely). If possible, avoid traveling to places – especially if you are an older person or have diabetes, heart or lung disease.

Why? You have a higher chance of catching COVID-19 in one of these areas.

Should I wear a mask to protect myself?

A surgical mask and an N95 respirator. Officials in China are urging citizens to wear masks in public to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But can a mask really keep you from catching the virus?

Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19. Disposable face mask can only be used once. If you are not ill or looking after someone who is ill then you are wasting a mask. There is a world-wide shortage of masks, so WHO urges people to use masks wisely.

How long is the incubation period for COVID-19?

The “incubation period” means the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around five days. (World Health Organization) https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses#:~:text=symptoms

Allergy Symptoms VS COVID-19 Symptoms

What are Allergies?

Allergies are caused by a response in the immune system and are not contagious. Medications can treat your symptoms, and immunotherapy can help those with allergies find relief.

Symptoms of Allergies

Symptoms of seasonal allergies range from mild to severe and occur seasonally. The most common include:

sneezing
runny or stuffy nose
watery and itchy eyes
itchy sinuses, throat, or ear canals
ear congestion
postnasal drainage

Less Common Symptoms of Allergies Include:

headache
shortness of breath
wheezing
coughing

The Symptoms of The Coronavirus

Fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) for children and adults).
Dry Cough ( that you feel in your chest)
Shortness of breath (If your chest becomes tight or you begin to feel as if you cannot breathe deeply enough to get a good breath, that’s a sign to act)
muscle pain
fatigue

Less Common Symptoms of Corona Virus Include:

Loss of sense of Smell
Loss of sense of Taste

Anosmia is the loss of smell.

Dysgeusia is an altered sense of taste.

To Beat COVID-19, Social Distancing is a Must

Many have wondered if we couldn’t simply protect ourselves by avoiding people with symptoms of respiratory illness. Unfortunately, the answer is no. A new study shows that simply avoiding symptomatic people will not go far enough to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s because researchers have discovered that many individuals can carry the novel coronavirus without showing any of the typical symptoms of COVID-19: fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. But these asymptomatic or only mildly ill individuals can still shed virus and infect others. (National Institute of Health) https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/19/to-beat-covid-19-social-distancing-is-a-must/

What is Social Distancing?

Social distancing is deliberately increasing the physical space between people to avoid spreading illness. Staying at least six feet away from other people lessens your chances of catching COVID-19.

Working from home instead of at the office
Closing schools or switching to online classes
Visiting loved ones by electronic devices instead of in person
Cancelling or postponing conferences and large meetings

What is Self-Quarantine?

People who have been exposed to the new coronavirus and who are at risk for coming down with COVID-19 might practice self-quarantine. Health experts recommend that self-quarantine lasts 14 days. Two weeks provides enough time for them to know whether or not they will become ill and be contagious to other people.

You might be asked to practice self-quarantine if you have recently returned from traveling to a part of the country or the world where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, or if you have knowingly been exposed to an infected person.

Self-Quarantine involves:

Using standard hygiene and washing hands frequently
Not sharing things like towels and utensils
Staying at home
Not having visitors
Staying at least 6 feet away from other people in your household

Take your shoes off at the door!

Now, science is backing up this hygienic practice and revealing that what you pick up on your shoes is not just a few germs and dirt, but rather nasty customers who should never be allowed into your home! Well, there will be a disgusting quantity of dust, bird droppings, dog poop, leafy debris and other unwanted matter. The leafy stuff acts as a breeding ground for bacteria.

The University of Arizona decided to assess the quantity of bacteria and they were not disappointed – they found 421,000 different units! These can be categorized into 9 different strains. They are the cause of infections in the eyes, lungs and stomach. Two of these are certainly worth mentioning so you can reach for your slippers the moment you get home.

The first one is known as E.coli (a pathogenic organism) and it makes up about a third of all bacteria so it is a heavyweight. E.coli strains are mostly harmless, thank goodness, but the nasty ones (like E.coli 0157:H7) are not. They often cause severe stomach and intestinal problems leading to vomiting and diarrhea. Now, you might think the risk of contacting the E.coli bacteria from your shoes is minimal. But let me ask you a question: How many times did you visit the restrooms at work today?

Another type of bacteria the researchers found was the Klebsiella pneumoniae which is known to cause severe damage to the lungs and lead to pneumonia. The death rate from this bacteria is high at 50% and can reach 100% when people are suffering from alcoholism. https://www.lifehack.org/317735/scientists-discover-why-you-should-take-off-your-shoes-before-entering-your-home

This Is How Dirty the Bottom of Your Shoes Are

Wearing Shoes in the House? Don’t!

Cleaning your Home

Know the difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing

Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.

Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfecting works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.

Clean and Disinfect Surfaces and objects that are touched often

Follow your Regular standard procedures for routine cleaning and disinfecting. Typically, this means daily sanitizing surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, hands-on learning items, faucet handles, phones, and toys. Some homes may also require daily disinfecting these items. Standard procedures often call for disinfecting specific areas of the Home, like bathrooms.

Immediately clean surfaces and objects that are visibly soiled. If surfaces or objects are soiled with body fluids or blood, use gloves and other standard precautions to avoid coming into contact with the fluid. Remove the spill, and then clean and disinfect the surface.

Simply do routine cleaning and disinfecting

It is important to match your cleaning and disinfecting activities to the types of germs you want to remove or kill. Most studies have shown that the virus can live and potentially infect a person for up to 48 hours after being deposited on a surface. Viruses are relatively fragile, so standard cleaning and disinfecting practices are sufficient to remove or kill them.

If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

For disinfection, diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.

Diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.

Prepare a Bleach Solution by mixing:

5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water or

4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

Clothing, Towels, Linens and other items that go in the laundry

Wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry from an ill person and then discard after each use. If using reusable gloves, those gloves should be dedicated for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces for COVID-19 and should not be used for other household purposes. Clean hands immediately after gloves are removed.

If no gloves are used when handling dirty laundry, be sure to wash hands afterwards.

If possible, do not shake dirty laundry. This will minimize the possibility of dispersing virus through the air.

Launder items as appropriate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.

Clean and disinfect clothes hampers according to guidance above for surfaces. If possible, consider placing a bag liner that is either disposable (can be thrown away) or can be laundered. (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/cleaning-disinfection.html

When you need to go shopping for Groceries

Don’t Panic! Plan ahead ( write down essential items you are looking for) you may need to change your meal plans based on food supply, and only purchase what your household will use for the 15 days. Make sure that you are Social distancing while shopping. Please don’t touch produce and items that you do not intend on buying. You could leave your Germs on the items. When you get home, wash the produce under water. Wipe down the canned goods, packages, and boxes that you purchased. Wipe down all surfaces that the items touched prior to you cleaning them. Wash your hands up to your elbows and then change into clean clothing. You could even shower for good measure.

What to do if you are concerned you have COVID-19, according to State Health Departments

If you suspect that you have Covid 19 please call your local offices for what you should do. You can find your starts protocol at this website. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-testing-information-covid-19-tests-according-state-health-departments-n1158041

There it is! That is what you need to know, do, and look for with Corona Virus. I hope this post helps clear up some questions you have had regarding the Corona Virus. Please do the Right Thing and Stay Home! If you have to go out, Please practice Social Distancing, Hand-washing, and Don’t Panic Buy! If we all buy what we need and not way more than what we need, we will all be alright and no one will go hungry or not have the items that they truly need. If you found this post to be useful, please feel free to; Like, Comment, Share it, and Subscribe to my blog. I hope to see you soon!

National Puppy Day

Today is National Puppy Day!

National Puppy Day is observed each year on March 23rd, National Puppy Day celebrates the unconditional love and affection puppies bring to our lives. Their cuddles and wiggles make us smile and without a doubt, there are squeals of delight when there are puppies around!

The day also brings awareness to the need for care of and homes for orphaned pups as well as to educate people about the horrors of puppy mills across the country. Puppies are a big responsibility. Be sure to consider everything involved and adopt from a shelter. The puppies there need love and a home just as much as any other and they grow into loyal pets, too!

According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs enter shelters every year. Some of these dogs come with litters of puppies. If you’re seeking a puppy to start your furry family, check the shelters first. When these abandoned and abused animals find their way to a shelter, each one needs a forever home and their potential is limitless. (National Day Calander) https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-puppy-day-march-23/

All Dog Breeds In The World (A to Z)

https://youtu.be/HlhVtw6K4k8

101 Facts About Dogs

Famous Dogs in History

Toto, the Cairn Terrier

Many of us know the line from the beloved film, The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy laments to her canine friend, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” But what others may not know is the story behind this famous doggie actress, even though this is easily one of the most famous dogs in history. Toto, whose real name was Terry, was abandoned as a puppy. Luckily, for her, however, she was adopted by German immigrant, Carl Spitz, who was the unofficial dog-trainer of Hollywood.

With his help, she was trained to become one of the most coveted canine actresses of her generation, starring alongside some of the time’s biggest stars, including Judy Garland. Before her close up in The Wizard of Oz, Terry was already well-versed in the ways of the silver screen. By the end of her career, she had been casted in 17 films, living to be 11-years old.

How Terry the Terrier Became Toto. https://www.npr.org/2014/08/25/343145247/from-carpet-wetter-to-film-icon-how-terry-the-terrier-became-toto

5 Little-Known Facts About The Wizard of Oz https://www.dailymotion.com/us/topic/x45gf

Rin Tin Tin, the German Shepherd

Perhaps not only one of the most famous dogs in history but also the most famous of his breed, Rin Tin Tin was found in war-ravaged France during WWI and adopted by an American soldier named Lee Duncan. The rest of Rinty’s – an affectionate nickname he would come to be called – litter, sadly, didn’t make it. In his new life in Los Angeles, Rin Tin Tin was catapulted to stardom when he caught the eye of a filmmaker at a dog show where he reportedly jumped 12-feet high.

Shortly thereafter, Rin Tin Tin came to star in nearly 30 films, many of which were written specifically for him. Before his sudden death – which left his owner devastated – Rinty was the unofficial doggie mascot of Warner Bros. Studios, effectively saving the small studio from bankruptcy.

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Season 1 (32 videos)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1WabSkaxPm77UexpJMrPQJnDlDAwnaf0

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Season 2 (19 videos)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1WabSkaxPm54rPmsraY-JSLU0pvQrQUR

Lassie, the Rough Collie

This long-coated, unique dog was of the most popular canine movie stars of the ‘40’s and ‘50’s, solidifying his name as one of the most famous dogs in history. Of course, there have been many other canine characters – Shiloh, Wishbone, Benji – but none endure quite like Lassie. Even up to the recent 40 years, Lassie has been re-envisioned by a ‘90’s TV Series and 2005 full-length film being made about the famous Collie.

Although Lassie’s character is female, the part has always been given to male Collies. The original was a Rough Collie named Pal. Since Pal’s death in 1958, all Lassie roles have been held by pups of his bloodline. And it’s quite the lucrative family business to go into, as reports show Pal made twice what his human co-star, Elizabeth Taylor, made in Lassie Come Home.

LASSIE, THE PAINTED HILLS (1951)

https://youtu.be/z5exGgLvlgM

To learn more about Famous dogs in movies, please click the link. https://topdogtips.com/most-famous-dogs-in-history/

Famous Cartoon Dogs

Pluto

Pluto, also called Pluto the Pup, is a cartoon dog created in 1930 at Walt Disney Productions. He is a yellow-orange color, medium-sized, short-haired dog with black ears. Unlike most Disney characters, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression.

He is Mickey Mouse’s pet. Officially a mixed-breed dog, he made his debut as a bloodhound in the Mickey Mouse cartoon The Chain Gang.

Black and white version, The chain Gang

Color version, The chain Gang

The Best Pluto Cartoons Full Episodes – 2 Hours

https://youtu.be/52TpWoqi1bs

Scooby Doo

Scoobert Scooby-Doo is the eponymous character and protagonist of the animated television franchise of the same name created in 1969 by the American animation company Hanna-Barbera. He is a male Great Dane and lifelong companion of amateur detective Shaggy Rogers, with whom he shares many personality traits. He features a mix of both canine and human behaviors (reminiscent of other funny animals in Hanna-Barbera’s series), and is treated by his friends more or less as an equal. He speaks in a famous, and much parodied, dog-like voice. His catchphrase is “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!”

SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU!

SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU! 1969 PLAYLIST (95 Videos)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhuNmCiKv7E&list=PLZs0gQed9tMTOkzd5Y_Y-Y4INdoCvIRwJ

The Pound Puppies

The Pound Puppies is an animated television special, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, based on the popular toy line from Tonka, which aired in syndication on October 26, 1985, paired with Star Fairies. Characters in the special included the Fonzie-styled leader Cooler (voiced by Dan Gilvezan), the cheerleader Bright Eyes (voiced by Adrienne Alexander), and a dog with a very nasal like New York accent known only as “The Nose” (voiced by Joanne Worley), and the goofy inventor aptly named Howler (voiced by Frank Welker), who can only howl.

The Pound Puppies (26 Videos)

Humans being Dogs

https://youtu.be/uM_t_RN9pgA

https://youtu.be/66bP1s9Hm7k

Songs about Dogs

https://youtu.be/2AkLE4X-bbU

I hope this post has helped you Smile! If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to; Like, Comment, Share, and Subsrcibe! I look forward to seeing you again real soon!

What to do when you are bored

We have all been there. Looking around the house trying to find something to do. Of course, we could clean the house, LOL, but that is Boring! Don’t worry, I have you covered. This post will give you Ideas and websites to go to when you are bored out of your mind.

Learn simple phrases in another language. Search YouTube for videos that teach you how to say common phrases in other parts of the world and impress your friends.
Do a puzzle. You can find cheap jigsaw puzzles at Goodwill, or if jigsaw puzzles aren’t your thing, search online for Sudoku puzzles, word searches, or mazes to print off.

Color. There are tons of adult coloring books out there, but you can also find and print off coloring pages online, or grab a kids’ coloring book at a dollar store.

Study another culture. Have you always been interested in a particular country? Find out all you can about the way of life there by utilizing the internet or your local library.
Write a letter to your future self. Spend some time reflecting and write an encouraging note to yourself to open up again later down the road.

Catch up with an old friend. Pick someone you haven’t talked to in a while and write them an email, send them a Facebook message, or give them a call.

Make a family tree. Whether on paper or on a computer, map out your family history in visual form. You can even make a home decoration out of it!

Organize part of your home. It could be a room, a closet, a drawer, or the garage. Pick a room that could use some TLC and look online for organizing ideas.

Listen to new music. YouTube and apps like Pandora are great places to discover new songs and genres of music you may really like.

Follow a podcast. There are podcasts about everything these days. Search online for podcasts on a given topic, or see if blogs you follow host podcasts as well.
Test out a new hairstyle. This goes for guys, too! Check out YouTube for hair style tutorials, hair styling ideas, and hair product recommendations.

Start a journal. Pick up a cheap notebook and keep a journal. Handwriting your thoughts on paper can help you slow down and process your thoughts better.

Set up a blog. Start a blog for free on sites like Blogger or WordPress. You can blog about anything—food & recipes, parenting, hobbies, travel, and more.

Write down what you love. Take time make a list of all the things that make you happy, whether that’s trips to the lake or eating chocolate. Put your list in noticeable place and read through it on days when you’re feeling down.

Make a list of personal goals. Think about what you’d like to accomplish in the next week, month, year, or few years. Write your goals down, along with practical action steps you can begin taking today to make them happen.

Train for Jeopardy Sporcle’s trivia quizzes are a great place to start. https://www.sporcle.com/

Play Jeopardy online https://playclassic.games/games/puzzle-solving-dos-games-online/play-jeopardy-online/

Read a funny story
Clean your phone. Literally — that Phone is super dirty.

Change your ringtone. Better yet, make one yourself. https://www.thrillist.com/tech/nation/how-to-make-ringtones-for-iphone-on-itunes-for-free

Download a few mobile games. We’ve laid out the best ones you can play. https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-android-iphone-games-2016

Watch the best stuff on streaming Devices. VUDU, TUBI, HULU, Crackle, Roku Channel, Youtube

The Best Free Movie Streaming Services You Can Watch Right Now https://collider.com/free-movies-online-streaming/

Delete your browser history. Because no one needs to know you’re looking at weird stuff all day!

Look at Gorgeous photos

It’s easy to find Breath taking photos! All you do is search for what you want to see. Here are a few categories to get you started. These are a few;Landscape, Animals, Black and white, abstract, computer wall papers, and Oceans.

Cute Animal videos

https://youtu.be/C9OMAX91oyw

Watch a quick funny video. These are all under a minute, and they’re hilarious. https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/best-funniest-internet-videos-under-a-minute

FREE VIRTUAL NATIONAL PARkS WEBSITES

There’s a reason the National Parks are America’s best idea. https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/national-parks/virtual-national-parks-tours

22 ways to leave home without actually leaving the couch, from virtual zoo exhibits to museum gallery tours https://www.insider.com/museums-theme-parks-offer-virtual-tours-ideal-for-social-distancing-2020-3

3D virtual tour of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant. https://www.fordpiquetteplant.org/virtual-tour/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw09HzBRDrARIsAG60GP9W-9RiKLhI6CBnYYad5rQubxsBQA2kw9nsB8eebyE6EwZF-5r_FScaAjeZEALw_wcB

These Sites present over 300 Museums, Exhibits, Points of Special Interest and Real-Time journeys which offer online multimedia guided tours on the Web. Most of the following offer text and pictures, others in addition transmit sound and an occasional movie. http://www.virtualfreesites.com/museums.museums.html

Paint all your cheap-o jewelry with clear nail polish.
Send your long-distance friends surprise postcards.

Attempt some intricate Nail Art.

Paint your different keys with nail polish.

Origami

Get into origami (Paper Folding) https://origami.me/diagrams/

Find your dream home with no budget limit

Click on to your fave property website (like Rightmove, The Modern House (for architecture buffs), Waterside Properties, (for, you guessed it, those seeking a waterside property) and slide that pricing scale right up. Money is no object. What will you choose?

Browse Music

Browse music across time and space with Radiooooo. http://radiooooo.com/

The Worst Things for Sale

Browse some useless items at The Worst Things for Sale. http://theworstthingsforsale.com/

Go to town on e-books

Go to town on e-books with Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/

Comic strips

Find your new favorite comic. https://comics.azcentral.com/

Go comics website https://www.gocomics.com/

Comics kingdom website https://www.comicskingdom.com/

Wikihole

Travel into a Wiki-hole. Just keep clicking, man. If you need some direction, here’s a good place to start. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Unusual_articles

Open Puppies

Never be bored again with Open Puppies. https://openpuppies.com/#2Gdl1u7

Ask Siri Questions

19 Things to Ask Siri When You’re Bored https://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/things-to-ask-siri-when-youre-bored?utm_term=.hoO5eWMll#.hmPOAayEE

100 questions to ask Siri https://turbofuture.com/cell-phones/100-Funny-Things-to-Say-to-Siri

Slither.io

Play an updated, multiplayer version of Snake with Slither.io. http://slither.io/

Petswitch

Put your face on your pet’s face. http://www.petswitch.com/

Face your Manga

Turn yourself into a Manga character. https://www.faceyourmanga.com/

Ted Ed

Watch all of the best and most interesting TED talks in a playlist. https://www.ted.com/playlists/239/the_most_jaw_dropping_ted_talk

The Wayback Machine

The Wayback machine allows you to see what websites use to look like from the beginning of the World wide web. http://web.archive.org/

Cafe Astrology

Look up your full natal chart to understand your astrological personality beyond just your sun sign. https://astro.cafeastrology.com/natal.php

Earth from the International Space Station

Watch Earth from the International Space Station http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-iss-stream

Earth From Space [ISS Time-lapse In 4K]

Birthday song the year you were born

Figure out your birthday song from the year you were born. https://playback.fm/birthday-song

Put on a show (fashion/music/gymnastics – whatever takes your fancy)

Disco

Have a Disco

disco playlist 100 songs

https://youtu.be/FfNy6mj0Lqo

Who can have Disco without “Saturday Night Fever”?

https://youtu.be/3mtP5TkCmQA

pillow fight
Object hide and seek (hide an object, get them to find it)
Make up your own reality show
Clean out your junk drawer or medicine cabinet
Make a list of things you love about your partner, child, or parent
Write the story of your life. Where you were born.
Memorize 5 new words from the dictionary
Organize your recipes
Make your Christmas wish list
Plan your 100th birthday party so it’s not boring
Make a list of things to do before you die
Give yourself a manicure or pedicure
Clean out your closet

Watch old movies

Great classic movies playlist 418 movies

If you need some different free movies in categories, check out Popcornflix. https://www.youtube.com/user/ScreenMediaPictures/playlists

Clean the Kitchen

Clean out your kitchen cupboards https://www.mollymaid.com/practically-spotless/2017/june/the-best-way-to-keep-your-cabinets-clean-inside-/

CDC Principles of Cleaning and Disinfecting Environmental Surfaces

What you NEED to KILL COVID 19 in your home

Resume

Update your resume https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/modernize-your-outdated-resume

Google old friends
Rearrange your living room or bedroom
Plan your next vacation
Take a bubble bath
Download your photos – maybe you’ll see you haven’t had such a boring life after all

Write a short Story

This website helps you out by Generating a story https://www.plot-generator.org.uk/story/

Story Idea Generators https://www.journalbuddies.com/creative-writing-2/story-ideas-generator/

Writing Prompt Generator https://thestoryshack.com/tools/writing-prompt-generator/

Clean out your old computer files and make room on your phone or tablet
Paint/draw a self portrait
Re-watch your favorite movie. Have you ever heard of movie therapy? It turns out that watching a favorite film can revitalize you.

List down the names of people who inspire you

Plan your life with Pinterest

Bored? Why not browse Pinterest and find ideas for planning your life. Meal plans. Vacation ideas. Funny quotes. DIY Ideas. Gift ideas and much more. You can find it all on Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/

My Personnal Pinterest Boards

Here is my Pinterest so you can see what I collect on my Boards. https://www.pinterest.com/flafirecracker/

Bullet Journal

what is a Bullet journal?

Bullet Journal is a method of personal organization developed by designer Ryder Carroll. The system organizes scheduling, reminders, to-do lists, brainstorming, and other organizational tasks into a single notebook. The name “Bullet Journal” comes from the use of abbreviated bullet points to log information, but it also partially comes from the use of dot journals, which are gridded using dots rather than lines. First shared with the public in 2013, it has become a popular method, garnering significant attention on Kickstarter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.

My Pinterest Bullet Journal Board

Here is my Bullet Journal Pinterst board. You can use this for more ideas. https://www.pinterest.com/flafirecracker/journal-questions/

Drawing

Learn How to Draw

Quizzes

33 Seriously Interesting Quizzes To Take When You’re Bored https://www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorbate/quizzes-to-cure-boredom?utm_term=.miGkNEwGG#.sbBmnQ0NN

Websites that will ease Boredom

Buzzfeed article with 17 stites. https://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/17-websites-for-when-youre-bored-out-of-your-mind?utm_term=.nrq4OoYvv#.rjdNvO722

Lifewire sites https://www.lifewire.com/cool-websites-to-look-at-when-bored-3486362

Bored Panda https://www.boredpanda.com/

Ted https://www.ted.com/

Laughing Squid https://laughingsquid.com/

Oddee https://www.oddee.com/

Mental Floss http://mentalfloss.com/

College Humor http://www.collegehumor.com/

Weave silk http://weavesilk.com/

The useless web http://www.theuselessweb.com/

Giphy https://giphy.com/

The Oatmeal http://theoatmeal.com/

Explosm http://explosm.net/

9 Gag https://9gag.com/

Engrish http://www.engrish.com/

Hyperbole and a Half http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Cracked http://www.cracked.com/

Cheezeburger http://failblog.cheezburger.com/

Damn you auto correct http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/

Akward Family Photos https://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

People of Walmart http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

There you have it! I have supplied you will Hundreds of Boredom Busting ideas. I hope that you will utilize these the next time you are Bored. If you liked this post, please feel free to; Like, Share, Comment, and Subscribe. I look forward to seeing again real soon. Take care of yourselves!

Quarantined Part 2! Free Websites for Educational fun

Welcome! This is Part 2 Of my Quarantined series. If you missed the first one, Here is the link https://angelikasworld.music.blog/2020/03/18/tips-to-keep-you-sane-while-under-quarantine-with-kids/

Today we will be giving you Free websites that can aide in the Education of your kids while they are home from school. These websites have material in the following subjects; Animals, History, Math, Art, Reading, Space science, Health, and General studies. I encourage you to look through the list and enjoy the great amount of information they hold.

Websites for Educational fun

The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour! https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/

San Diego Zoo – Full Day Tour

Yellowstone National Park

Tour Yellowstone National Park! https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm

Explore Mars

Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover. https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/

Farm food 360

This Canadian site Farm Food 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs. https://www.farmfood360.ca/

FARMFOOD360° Trailer: A Tour of a Voluntary Milking System

Busy Toddler

Indoor Activities for busy toddlers https://busytoddler.com/2020/03/indoor-activities/?fbclid=IwAR3tYXAqw7tJRAzLExpPcJo4rApLsKtgL0AwghzxgnhwOajc4auX6o12_xw

Switch Zoo

Play games and learn all about animals https://switchzoo.com/

PBS Kids

Play with your favorite show characters and learn too https://pbskids.org/

Paris France

Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip. https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne

101 Facts About France

The World Fact Book France https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html

The Great Wall of China

This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life. https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china

National Geographic – The Great Wall of China – Documentary

Fun Facts about Great Wall: 25 Things You didn’t Know https://www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/facts/

Fun Brain

Math and Reading games https://www.funbrain.com/

Star Fall

Phonics skills for Kindergarten through 3rd Graders https://www.starfall.com/h/

The British Museum

This iconic museum located in the heart of London allows virtual visitors to tour the Great Court and discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/

Their youtube channel also has great educational videos as well. https://www.youtube.com/user/britishmuseum

Seussville

Read, play games, and hang out with Dr. Seuss https://www.seussville.com/

The Lorax – Read Aloud Picture Book | Brightly Storytime

The Lorax (original) Dr. Seuss Film

Dr. Seuss The Cat in the Hat

https://youtu.be/4jK6l1WJKUU

The Cat In The Hat by Dr Seuss….HQ

Green Eggs And Ham

National Geographic

national geographic https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

Math Score

Math practice from counting to algebra and geometry http://www.mathscore.com/

Story Online

Favorite kid’s books read by famous people https://www.storylineonline.net/

All Kids Network

Crafts, activities, mazes, dot to dot, etc. https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/

123 home school 4 me

300,000+ FREE printable worksheets from Toddlers to Teens https://www.123homeschool4me.com/home-school-free-printables/

Chemistry Matters

High school chemistry topics https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/articles-by-topic.html

ABCYA

Math and reading games https://www.abcya.com/

Arcademics

Math and language games https://www.arcademics.com/

Highlights Kids

This website provides; Fun games, recipes, crafts, and activities. https://www.highlightskids.com/

Big History Project

Online history classes for all ages preteen through adults https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive

Biology Simulations

Biology Simulations helps students to learn about biology and practice data analysis skills. These simulations allow students to experiment with concepts that may take too much time or too many resources to complete in a traditional science lab setting. While simulations cannot replace real-world experiences, they are a useful tool in both scientific research and education. https://www.biologysimulations.com/

Bunk History

This website provides a Digital Archive of History https://www.bunkhistory.org/

BWS

This website provides you with; Test Prep for SAT, ACT, and Guidelines. https://www.bwseducationconsulting.com/handouts.php

Can figure it Geometry

This website provides Geometry help. https://www.canfigureit.com/

Chrome Music Lab

What is Chrome Music Lab? https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Experiments

Chrome Music Lab is a website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments.

What can it be used for?

Many teachers have been using Chrome Music Lab as a tool in their classrooms to explore music and its connections to science, math, art, and more. They’ve been combining it with dance and live instruments. Here’s a collection of some uses we’ve found on Twitter.

Can I use it to make my own songs?

Yes. Check out the Song Maker experiment, which lets you make and share your own songs.

Do I need to make an account?

Nope. Just open any experiment and start playing.

Hippo Campus

HippoCampus.org is a free, core academic web site that delivers rich multimedia content–videos, animations, and simulations–on general education subjects to middle-school and high-school teachers and college professors, and their students, free of charge. Teachers project HippoCampus content during classroom learning and assign it for computer labs and homework. Students use the site in the evenings for study and exam prep. Users do not need to register or log in to use the site.

As an open resource for personalized learning, HippoCampus.org was designed as part of a worldwide effort to improve access to quality education for everyone. HippoCampus is powered by The NROC Project, a non-profit, member-driven project focused on new models of digital content development, distribution, and use. NROC makes editorial and digital engineering investments in the content to prepare it for distribution by HippoCampus. https://hippocampus.org/

Carmen Sandiego

Carmen Sandiego provides; videos, stories, and lessons for all subject areas. You can even download the material in PDF’s to go over with your kids. https://www.carmensandiego.com/resources/

Shel Silverstein Poems

21 Short and Sweet Shel Silverstein Poems That’ll Bring You Back to Childhood. https://www.harpercollins.com/childrens/shel-silverstein-poems/

Free Yale Lectures

Yale Courses on youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/YaleCourses/playlists

Music Theory

Introductory and intermediate music theory lessons, exercises, ear trainers, and calculators. https://www.musictheory.net/

NPGF

Scads of free resources, games, learning resources, and lesson plans for teaching personal finance https://www.ngpf.org/

Nitro Type

Improve your typing skills while competing in fast-paced races with up to 5 typers from around the world. https://www.nitrotype.com/

Project Explorer

Free videos from around the world from grade 3-12 https://www.projectexplorer.org/

Science Education for Public understanding Program

SEPUP (The Science Education for Public Understanding Program) creates innovative science curriculum for use in 6-12 education. Issue-oriented science forms the core of SEPUP’s curriculum materials. Every unit uses personal and societal issues to provide thematic continuity for student investigations and observations. SEPUP is part of UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. Our materials are exclusively distributed by LAB-AIDS, INC. https://sepuplhs.org/

Code Academy

This website teaches you how to build Computer Code. https://www.codecademy.com/

Chemicool learn Periodic Table

Learn all about the periodic table. https://www.chemicool.com/

The Story Starter

The Story Starter randomly generates 356,300,262,144 story starters. This idea generator can be used by novelists, screenwriters, teachers, short story writers, and more. It has been used by writers of all ages. https://thestorystarter.com/

Bio Digital

A human visualization platform that allows students to explore the human body in really cool ways. https://human.biodigital.com/login?returnUrl=/dashboard

I hope this post has provided you with the Educational resources that you needed. If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to; Like, Share, Comment, and Subscribe. I hope to see you soon!