Things to do during this time of Social Distancing
For all Ages
LITURGICAL SERVICES – LIVE STREAMED OR VIDEOS
St. John Antiochian Orthodox Church, Eagle River, Alaska
Live streaming
St. Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church, San Diego, CA
Live streaming
Holy Assumption Monastery
Live streaming
Liturgical Premiere of Benedict Sheehan's Liturgy of St. John Crysostom
St. Nicholas OCA Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
Fr. Alexis Kouri is reading through the Bible in one year. Each day’s reading includes an Old Testament reading from one of the books of Genesis through Maccabees, and also readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament. At the end of the daily readings, Fr. Alexis gives a 2-minute homily. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes.
Little Compline and Akathist to the Mother of God
Service text for Akathist on the first 4 Fridays of Great Lent, if you want to say it at home. Can be found at the top of the Resources page on our parish website.
For College Students
OCF at Home
Bringing an on campus-connection to your living room. Let your time at home be a time of reflection and growth with OCF. This Thursday, March 19 at 6 p.m. our time (9 p.m. EST), Fr. Michael Nasser will explain why you shouldn’t try to convince anyone of anything. For more info and to join the Zoom chat.
FOR KIDS (and the adults who must keep them busy!)
Storytime with Zuko & Jane (Meyer!) ON THE ANCIENT FAITH FACEBOOK PAGE
Let's share stories and prayers with our friends to keep us hopeful during this hard time. Jane G. Meyer is a beloved picture-book author and children's editor at Ancient Faith Publishing. Zuko is her adorable dog. He is large and fuzzy, and he is looking forward to reading you stories.
Zuko and Jane will be LIVE on the Ancient Faith Publishing Facebook Page, at 5:00 PM Pacific time, 8:00 PM Eastern time Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday night each week, always at the same time.
Suddenly: Your'e a Homeschooler!
A BLOG BY JANE MEYER
Art for Kids
All kinds of art lessons for kids, including how to draw for kids, even painting and origami for kids. -- Joanne Gish
Early Learning Academy
ABCmouse.com is offering free access with code “AOFLUNICEF” during the school closure.
Cool Progeny
Tons of ideas for kids and parents, including online story time--Joanne Gish
ST. ATHANASIUS ACADEMY OF ORTHODOX THEOLOGY
Online Homeschool Tutorial
Time Inc.
Free version of "TIME for Kids," its 25-year-old school-based publication. The package includes the entire TIME for Kids digital library.
Nickelodeon
A new website with free content and educational coronavirus resources, like videos of SpongeBob SquarePants teaching children how to wash their hands.
AUDIBLE (An Amazon company)
For as long as schools are closed, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids. All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.
Free Arts & Crafts for Home Learning (Recommended by our friends Sam and Jake!)
Did you know that students who study art are four times more likely to earn academic honors? Arts and crafts have been around for centuries, and there are many different ways that you can make art. From scrapbooking and sewing to painting, sculpting, and drawing, there are lots of different types of arts and crafts to enjoy, and you can explore many of them at home.
Seasonal Coloring/Puzzles
Celebrating different holidays and seasonal events throughout the year is a common part of any school year, so plenty of students have found themselves coloring in pictures of pumpkins or doing worksheets or puzzles about Earth Day. There's a reason these sheets are a schoolroom staple. People tend to categorize certain experiences with certain seasons and holidays. There are lots of printable puzzles, crafts, games and pictures to color at this link for a wide variety of holidays and for the seasons.
MOVIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Faith, Hope and Love (On Netflix)
is a heartwarming, romantic comedy about two vulnerable, lost souls who have each suffered deep losses and have their guards up, as a result. When they enter a dance contest, and become partners, they begin to discover new perspectives on life, love and faith. THE MALE LEAD CHARACTER IS GREEK ORTHODOX – BOTH IN THE MOVIE AND IN REAL LIFE! Lots of references to the Orthodox Faith, including the opening scene, which is a shot of the inside of the dome of an Orthodox church. – Valerie Y.
FOR ADULTS
PODCASTS
Encouragement during the Corona Virus Pandemic
Here is a compilation of Ancient Faith Radio podcast episodes featuring content related to the coronavirus pandemic. Check back as more episodes are added.
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Fr. Andrew-Stephen Damick presents much of his research for the book published by Ancient Faith of the same title. It's a comprehensive comparison/explanation of Christian denominations and other religions as compared to Orthodoxy. It's great for people who want long-form podcasts as opposed to podcasts that are less than 20 mins. an episode. -- Nancy Gilbert
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
Really cool concerts from a huge variety of artists. You can find anyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Coldplay to Jacob Collier on here. Cool way to explore new artists.
One of Terrell Armstrong’s favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIFz8wRvMs
Jun’s Kitchen
Really aesthetically pleasing Japanese home cooking.
You Suck at Cooking
Satirical, short, easy cooking videos. Even has a few vegan recipes that you could check out!
Oprah Winfrey's 2020 Vision Tour
Inspiring interviews with celebrities, authors, and leaders about their vision for this year.
This one is Oprah sharing her own personal story of forgiveness and transformation. “Everything that has happened TO you has happened FOR you.”
YOUTUBE VIDEOS on Orthodox Christianity
Father Thomas Hopko – Greatest Challenge for Orthodoxy
Talks about adjusting and not holding on rigidly to the past just for the past’s sake. – Terrell A.
Fr. Thomas Hopko | From Shadow to Reality: The Biblical Foundations of Christian Liturgical Worship
Really just an incredible lecture. During the whole talk Fr Tom is just doling out wisdom. – Terrell A.
Trisagion Films
This is a very engaging and edifying channel for kids and adults. The short to mid-length videos are retelling stories of the lives of the saints and some videos are rich commentary on Orthodox teachings. The pictures and videos are lovely, lively and colorful. – Lisa Ballew
MOVIES & SERIES
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was based on the novel These Foolish Things written by Deborah Moggach. Moggach’s novel made some serious points about caring for an increasingly elderly population by describing a current economic environment in which retiring has become an expensive feat. Additionally, in a society riddled with ageism, it’s empowering to see a cast full of fantastic actors who are well-respected and actively casted in Hollywood films well into their early 80’s. Along with publishing novels, Deborah Moggach has written multiple screenplays, including contributing to the screenplay of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Madden’s interest in the Marigold story is driven by a desire to examine the pink elephant in the room: the elderly. “In the world of cinema, you don’t see it very often,” says Madden. “You don’t often see the challenges of that point in your life dealt with as a subject.”
Crash Landing on You (On Netflix)
I highly recommend this series. Probably the best love story I have seen. Great mix of comedy, action & romance. This series has 16 episodes most running about 90 minutes.
This series was the #2 watched series in Korea of all time. It is Korean with subtitles. You will quickly forget the subtitles once you are wrapped up into this show. Enjoy, and be sure to have tissue near by. – Chuck Sasala
Sideways
The movie Sideways launched the world's discovery of the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara's wine region. This is a road movie. I've always found that in difficult times films that take us on a journey can be a wonderful form of distraction and wonder. Savor this funny, subtle and deeply compassionate film – and I'd recommend opening a nice bottle of wine as you watch... Roger Durling –SB International Film Festival
OTHER RESOURCES
Stuck at Home? (A video)
These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch -- Jim Morrison
Metropolitan Opera: Free ‘Nightly Met Opera Streams’
In an effort to continue providing opera to its audience members, the Met Opera will host “Nightly Met Opera Streams” on its official website to audiences worldwide.
These free streams will present encores of past performances from its famed Live in HD series. The encore presentations will begin at 7:30 p.m. EST each night on the company’s official website and will then be available for an additional 20 hours thereafter. Each showcase will also be viewable on the Met Opera on demand apps.
Cincinnati Zoo – Live Streaming on Facebook
The Cincinnati Zoo will be live-streaming different animals and exhibits at 3 p.m. EST from Monday to Friday on Facebook. Kids will have the opportunity to learn about new animals.-- Judy Braun