For many of us, we’ve never had as much free time as we have now. Days spent at home in the ‘new normal’ can feel long and tiresome once you’ve been through the Netflix catalogue and your little ones have finished their home-schooling! Thankfully, the businesses of Herts that we’ve missed so much have returned to our lives virtually and given us lots of educational content so we can keep our minds and bodies active! Whether you discover a skill you never knew you had, or you finally get to achieve something you’ve always wanted to do, let's get learning in lockdown!
Bring the magic home
Our spectacular Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter is bringing Hogwarts to you with so many different tasks for you Potterheads to get involved in! Fancy becoming a filmmaker in your front room, or putting your Hogwarts knowledge to the test? Each week the Studio wil be releasing tasks from their Education programme with activity worksheets on costume design, set design and event pitching your idea for the next blockbuster movie. A must do for the future filmmakers in your life!
History heroes
The wonderful St Albans Musuem has uploaded thousands of images of their collections, created new online exhibitions and produced educational resources for us to use for free while we can’t visit them in person. 'Dig in' to some ancient history with their Ancient Rome exhibition which are perfect for families looking to learn together. From beautiful watercolour paintings to historic Roman jewellery and mosaics, you’ll be sure to have a fact-filled fun afternoon.
From the Hertfordshire Archives, discover Hertfordshire in 1945 with their online exhibtion commemorating the just-passed VE Day 75. The special audio recordings means life on the home front in Herts comes alive in your home, and there’s never been a better time to dedicate some time to learning about World War II. And you must hear the hilarious story of a pair of 'lumberjills' in charge of a huge lorry, but no idea how to drive it!
The Natural History Musuem in Tring is bringing us the #MuseumAtHome, with fun animal facts about the specimens at their galleries, from Zoology quizzes to 'guess the animal' social media posts. Our favourite activity is adding a skill to our reportorie via their Wednesday Makaton sign language lessons, teaching you how to sign the name of an animal every week – want to learn the Makaton sign for elephant? Make sure to head to their twitter to find out how!
Live at the zoo
For the budding zoo keeper in your life, Cedars Nature Reserve has got you sorted – from their Day in the Life of a Zookeeper vlog to answering all your animal questions, their informative youtube channel is sure to have your little ones learning new facts and getting invoved in the animal world in lockdown.
Arts in Herts
Searching for some art inspiration as you twiddle your pencil in the afternoon? Look no further than the Herfordshire Open 2020! As part of Hertfordshire Year of Culture, St Albans Museum and Gallery and UH Arts have launched a spectacular showcase which introduces 50 artists connected to Herts. From established artists to first-time exhibitors, explore the art gallery and see their amazing collection, including painting, sculpture, film and textiles.
From budding new artists to some of the worlds greats, The North Herts Museum in Hitchin has launched their youtube channel with a walk-through tour of the incredible Rembrandt exhibition. If you missed it in Febuary and March, it’s a must see – and a great way to discover one of the world’s greatest painters.
Get active
Staying active in lockdown is one of the best things you can do for your mind, body and soul, but why not take the opportunity to try something new? Some of Watford's best fitness businesses have provided free at home workouts, so whether you want to sweat out to a HIIT workout, get an at home personal trainer to teach you how to lift, or even get zen with the womens yoga company, there's something new for you to try.
Namasté… at home!