With school closures across the country because of the coronavirus pandemic, children's stuck indoors means boredom is inevitably knocking at the door (constantly)!

Although finding creative activities to keep kids entertained proves to be a rather challenging task, luckily there are numerous fun online programs to fill your time while in family house quarantine! 

Drawing Programs

Lunch Doodles: Author and artist Mo Williams, invites kids into his studio and shows them how to draw some of his iconic characters, which translates to 30 minutes of your kid quietly drawing. Learners worldwide can draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing by visiting Mo’s studio virtually once a day for the next few weeks. Watch the first episode here

Quick Draw: Can Google guess your drawing? Quick Draw is an online game developed by Google that challenges players to draw a picture of an object or idea and then uses a neural network artificial intelligence to guess what the drawings represent. The AI learns from each drawing, increasing its ability to guess correctly in the future. You can start playing here

Tux Paint is a free, award-winning software for children ages 3 to 12. It combines an easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects, and an encouraging cartoon mascot who guides children as they use the program. Kids are presented with a blank canvas and a variety of drawing tools to help them be creative. You can download it here

 

Educational Programs

Met Kids: The Metropolitan Museum of Art gives children across the globe the opportunity to explore The Met using an interactive map, travel through more than 5,000 years of art, discover fun facts about works of art, and try out creative projects. Start learning from a kid-friendly explanation!

Crossword Labs: Crossword Labs is a simple way to build, print, share and solve crossword puzzles online for free. It is ideal both for younger and older kids and helps them enhance their linguistic skills. Create your first crossword puzzle here!

Jigsaw Planet: If puzzles are your thing, this is the ultimate website for you. Not only kids can solve numerous puzzles but they can also create puzzles and compete with other users. Start your puzzle-solving journey here!

Plastelina Logic Games: You can find numerous challenging games including classic constrained "crossing" problems, pattern-matching puzzles, and memory games that will help kids keep their brains sharp. Start playing now!

Brain Pop: This educational website features more than 1,000 short animated movies for students in grades K-12, together with quizzes and related materials covering the subjects of science, social studies, English, math, engineering and technology, health, and arts and music. Get free access now!

 

Computer Science & Programs

Code: While schools are closed, Code makes it possible to continue learning at home. Children of all ages can try out fun computer science tutorials, watch videos about computer science concepts, and even build their projects. Let the learning begin!

ScratchJr: With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) can program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. Download it here!

 

Fitness Programs

Cosmic Kids Yoga: Cosmic Kids Yoga provides healthy screentime for 21st-century kids by uploading brilliantly fun videos that teach kids how to do yoga. Parents and teachers report significant improvements in self-regulation, focus, and empathy. Discover interactive adventures that build strength, balance, and confidence! 

GoNoodle: GoNoodle helps kids stay active, focused, and calm through yoga, mindfulness videos, and downloadable curricular activities. Get kids moving now! 

Kids Workout: YouTuber Moe Jones teaches children how to get in shape through fun and healthy exercises. Join in now! 

Family Fun Cardio Workout: Get your heart rate up in your living room with this fun workout from Class FitSugar host Anna Renderer. Featuring cardio moves that feel like games and challenges where the winner gets prizes this workout is the perfect way for the family to get active together. Let the fun begin!

As more and more businesses practice social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, millions of employees across the globe are working from home (WFH) for the first time. At the same time, schools and daycare centers are rapidly closing their doors for the same reasons. While the challenges during this time are real, so are the solutions. If you are looking for ways to create healthy habits during coronavirus self-isolation, Thrive Global has gathered some productivity tips to help you out!

Define a new morning routine. According to a recent study, children have greater energy levels than well-trained adult endurance athletes, so, staying home all-day must be a rather boring experience for your kids. The days can feel very long and unstructured. Spending your mornings together, whether it’s a family breakfast, reading a book together, or choosing their clothes, can help them feel like they’re more secure.

Set up your workspace. Even if you don’t have a home office, it’s important to establish a defined work area at home and make your kids understand that when you’re in work mode, you’re not to be disturbed. You can also create an "office" for your children, a designated space for play, reading, and drawing while you are working.

Help your kids stay connected. Technology isn't all bad! Setting up a virtual playdate, using FaceTime or Skype, can help your children connect with their friends. This is extremely important, especially if you're raising an only child. You don't want your children to stop socializing with other kids since this will worsen the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. 

Make a schedule for the next day. Every family member can share what is going on in their day, and your children can add in activities like watering the plants, art projects, and reading, as well as their meals and snack breaks. This replicates the structure they’re used to at school and helps you plan ahead at the same time.

Concert halls and music venues in Greece and all across Europe are remaining closed as part of the collective efforts to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

 

Music and art will always find their way into our hearts and lives; it's our fellow Italians singing in their balconies or famous artists performing live from their homes to bring comfort and joy to all of who need it during these trying times. As a member of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO), Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall has joined the collective effort to bring enchanting music, from some of Europe's best concert halls, right to your home!

 

Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall invites you to travel virtually to some of the most historic concert venues in Europe, through a series of exceptional performances that will be streamed via Facebook from March 23 to March 27 at 21:00. All you need to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the music!

The Museum of Cycladic Art has launched an excellent online program for children of all ages!

Although the museum remains closed, through a series of online activities they invite us on a creative journey through time. The online programs aim to familiarize kids with how children in ancient Greece had fun and challenge them to try and recreate some of the most iconic ancient Greek toys and games. 

Since ancient times the pedagogical value and significance of toys has been well established. Children used to play with rattles, dolls, wheeled toys, spinning tops, carved wooden animals and more, and although most of these toys sound pretty boring today, they enjoyed their toys just as much as children do today. Team games were also quite popular as many ancient Greek vases show images of children playing games together. Hide and seek, blind man’s buff, statues, hopscotch, puzzles, and riddles are some of the games played in ancient Greece just as they still are today! 

The museum invites kids to have fun online and get them excited about ancient culture by digging deep into Greek history and culture! Discover the Museum of Cycladic Art's online repository here.

The Foundation of the Hellenic World supports the Ministry of Digital Governance's initiative #DigitalSolidarityGR and invites us on an educational and entertaining journey through a series of free online documentaries (in Greek) and their Digital Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World (in English), both with archaeological, historical and cultural content.

These resources provide thorough insight into Greek history covering as many aspects of Greek culture as possible. You may also like to explore "Hellenic History on the Internet" which is an educational program that has been produced by the Foundation of the Hellenic World and is available in its entirety online. "Hellenic History on the Internet" is an innovative way, regarding both its extent and method, to present Greek history to people all over the world. This significant project has been made possible by distinguished Greek historians, researchers, archaeologists, and information technology experts. It is worth mentioning that it refers to all aspects of Greek activity such as politics, military, history, literature, culture, private life, society, economy, from Prehistory to the present day. It is also accompanied by an extensive bibliography, timelines, and photographic material.

Outlined below are some of the documentaries available on the FHW website (in Greek):

Miletus...A City in Four Dimensions

This 30-minute documentary won 1st prize at the 5th Archaeological Film Festival of Amiens in France. With the use of three-dimensional models, dramatized scenarios, and shots taken in the natural surroundings of Miletus, the ancient city has been restored to its former vigor.

Asia Minor...Echoes of Memory

"Asia Minor...Echoes of Memory" is a visual journey into Asia Minor with a series of 4 half-hour documentaries. Each documentary follows the dramatic dialogue of two voices that travel through time and space in search of their roots. As they move from city to city, they uncover the rich cultural mosaic that forms the history of Asia Minor. 3D reconstructions of monuments complement all 4 documentaries.

The Ever-burning Candle...On the Tracks of Christianity of Asia Minor

CContinuing the Asia Minor theme, this half-hour documentary looks at the history of the church in Asia Minor, from its beginnings until the early 20th century. Of particular significance is the documentary's 3D presentation of the church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Bithynia, destroyed in 1922.

Sea Routes - Cyprus

Cyprus, with its natural ports and diachronic presence of the Greek element, is the subject of the Foundation's last film production. The myths of Cyprus, its history, its natural resources, its people, and the power of the sea that surrounds it create the portrait of an island with strong traditions and its people who are famous for their tremendous inner strength.

Royal Purple Harbors

The documentary brings to life the travels of the Greeks, already from the Minoan period to Lebanon, the land of the Phoenicians, one of the most important commercial centers of the Mediterranean, and reveals the influence of Hellenic culture there.

The House Of Hermogenes

"The House of Hermogenes" is an animated 3d reconstruction of a typical house of Priene based on the research of Prof. Dr. Wolfram Hoepfner. Its subject is to demonstrate the arrangement and the functionality of a residence of the classical period. It has won an Honorable Mention in the Use of Animation category in "The Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival."

Originally posted in Greek on Skai.gr

Translated by Codico Lab

 

 

As local authorities ramp up their coronavirus preparations, the Regional Governor of Attica, in collaboration with the Crisis Management Team and members of EDSNA, has issued a set of guidelines for the proper disposal of waste during the COVID-19 outbreak for the protection of citizens and workers in the waste management sector.

During this challenging time, Greece's first responders, police officers, doctors, nurses, and more are all to be commended. In this list, we should also remember garbage collectors and other sanitation workers who, despite the dangers imposed by the novel coronavirus, continue to provide their service. We should also take into account that due to the closure of schools and the introduction of "special-purpose leaves" for working parents, the sector has seen the number of employees decrease, experiencing additional pressure.

Citizens are expected to comply with the following rules:

• Put all used personal protective equipment, such as gloves, antibacterial wipes, and face masks in non-recyclable bags.
• Each bag must be hand-tied by gathering and twisting the neck of the bag and using a tie or hand knot to seal the bag properly.
• Make sure that the dustbin lid closes properly and don't place excess bags on top of the garbage bin.
• Avoid putting out large and bulky items.
• Municipalities are required to disinfect garbage bins, and citizens are advised to open the garbage bins by the step-on mechanism or using gloves.

People with confirmed or possible Covid-19 should do the following:

Originally posted in Greek on Skai.gr

Translated by Codico Lab

In the spring of 2018, the Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos unveiled a new course, Psychology and the Good Life. The subject was happiness.

The course was launched in the US at one of the nation's most elite universities. The reaction was unexpected as Psychology and the Good Life became the most popular class ever taught at Yale and garnered national and international media attention as nearly a quarter of all Yale undergraduates had enrolled in the class.

After waves of people asked to access the course, Santos designed an iteration for the online learning platform Coursera, called The Science of Well-Being, available for free to non-Yale students. There's an optional fee of $49 (about €45) to receive a certificate of completion.

The course is a combination of positive psychology and real-life applications of behavioral science. It debunks popular notions of what makes people happy and helps students understand the habits they should build to lead more fulfilling lives. It teaches practical advice such as how to choose a career that you'll love, as well as how to distinguish satisfying pursuits from hollow ones.

Now that most of us have to stay at home with plenty of free time in our hands, we have the opportunity to get creative. Taking this online course is an excellent way to promote our mental health and arm ourselves with courage and hope.

• Misconceptions about happiness
• Why our expectations are so bad
• How we can overcome our biases
• Stuff that really makes us happy
• Putting strategies into practice

The online course features lectures by Santos on things that bring lasting life satisfaction, optional readings, and "rewirement" activities to do each day to build happier habits. Research suggests that if you do these rewirements as prescribed, you should get a boost in your mood and overall well-being.

What To Expect From The Class 

To make the class warm and inviting, it's shot in Santos' own home, with Yale students in the audience so you can see how the material lands with other people. It feels intimate, and Santos' tone is friendly and conversational.

You will be thrilled to know that there's absolutely no required reading. All the information you need to know is summarized in the lecture. If you do want a deeper context, Santos provides links to complementary readings. Also, there's no grade penalty for a missed assignment deadline. 

However, just because it’s free it doesn’t mean it will be a piece of cake. While you can take the class at your own pace, you're encouraged to implement the rewiring techniques on a weekly schedule, since research has found that improving your well-being takes daily, intentional effort over long periods. Also, you will get 180 days from the time you sign up for the class to complete all of the work: quizzes, tests, and a peer-graded paper.

To join the Psychology and the Good Life course, please click HERE.
Article source: Business Insider

In response to the need to quickly map the spread of the new coronavirus in Greece, post-graduate students from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens have created an application for the general public to quickly and easily report their symptoms.

If You Have Symptoms - Here's What To Do

Only complete this online survey if you have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms and allow your device to share your location. The process takes less than a minute and your responsible response can help map confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Greece. 

The tracking system was developed as part of the MSc program "Environmental, Disaster, and Crisis Management Strategies."

With the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, factories were shut down, the streets were cleared, and the authorities ordered residents to stay home to stop the spread of the virus. As it appears, the lockdown had an unexpected and unintended advantage–blue skies.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment, 'Good Quality Air Days' have increased by 21.5% in February 2020 compared to February 2019–and not only in Hubei.

Satellite images released by NASA and the European Space Agency show a significant reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions in major Chinese cities between January and February while the visible cloud of toxic gas hovering over industrial areas has almost dissappeared.

In Hong Kong, air quality has also improved since the city went into partial shutdown mode as a measure to stop the spreading of the coronavirus.  Key air pollutants have dropped by nearly a third, according to data released by the Hong Kong University School of Public Health, which was analyzed by the environmental organization Clean Air Network.

Similarly in Venice residents are noticing a great improvement in the city's famous canals. The usually murky waters are running clear to the extent that fish can be seen for the first time in a very long time! The lockdown in Italy has left Venice streets empty while the drop in water traffic has allowed the sediment in the canals has been able to settle.

Article sources: CNN & BBC

A new campaign by Marketing Greece urges international travelers to '#StaySafe' during the coronavirus pandemic—while continuing to dream and plan a future escape to Greece.

 

With its main motto 'Till Then, #StaySafe,' the campaign aims is to share the message with aspiring travelers worldwide that better days are coming while prompting them to stay safe in the meantime.

 

The new, innovative campaign uses stunning photographs accompanied by the caption 'When the time is right, we'll be there for you. Till then, #StaySafe', using the unique light of Greece to bring hope to all the people who are experiencing unprecedented social distancing.

 

Marketing Greece's announcement states, "In our times, humanity is called upon to rise to a shocking challenge, with messages of hope and optimism being more imperative than ever. Greek tourism, fully identifying with the sense of freedom and escape from the everyday grind, sends its own message for the next day."

To read this article in full, please visit: GreekReporter.com