As many people are staying at home these days, groups and individuals have organized ways for us all to stage engaged both physically and mentally. Here are some activities offered online by both local and national organizations.
Free eMakery events. The Makery at Hannaford Career Center continues to add online workshops and yoga to their eMakery offerings. 
Traditional Yoga Flow classes with Prem Prakash continue on Thursday, April 23, from 5-6 p.m. 
A Virtual Sewing Lab with Faith Daya and Wendy Shook will be held on Thursday, April 23, from 7-9 p.m. The ladies host a two-hour drop-in session where you can ask your sewing and project questions, and they’ll do their best to teach, explain, or demonstrate via Zoom. Faith has her favorite facemask pattern ready to share and demo to anyone who is interested.
An Instagram Q & A session will run on Thursday, April 30, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. If you have an Instagram account but aren’t using all the features, want to know how to put multiple pictures in a single post or update your profile with that important clickable link, or are curious about stories and highlights but it’s not clear what buttons to press, come ask your questions and Susan Shashok will virtually help you navigate your Instagram account. This is not a marketing workshop but Susan is happy to answer questions on how she has used the various ways to post on IG to influence sales, recruit followers and interact with community on the platform. 
Zoom Troubleshooting. Tried Zoom, but something isn’t quite working? Want to know how to use a specific feature? New to Zoom and need a quick tour? Drop in and get help at this Zoom troubleshooting workshop with Wendy Shook on Thursday, April 30, from 7-8 p.m. 
All eMakery events have a limit of 30 people and you must register to participate. Register here.
Armchair backpacking and more. The Green Mountain Club, Breadloaf Section, is providing a wide range of videos on hiking/backpacking, outdoor adventure storytelling, outdoor trivia, nature storytime, speaker series and more. Go to the GMC website.
Mister Chris Live. Keep kids and parents smiling and singing with Mister Chris and Friends. Vermont PBS is offering this new interactive show on their Facebook page Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. Grab the family and snuggle up for a 30-minute episode of learning, exploration, and fun. 
Zoom compost workshops. Learn how easy it is to turn the food scraps you already paid for — like peels, cores, and shells, into compost for growing healthy soil and food. Separating scraps for composting can even make your garbage less stinky, so you won’t have to take it out as often. Sign up now for this interactive online workshop offered by the Addison County Solid Waste Management District. Topics include: how to set up and manage a pile, benefits and uses of compost, troubleshooting tips, deterring wildlife, other options for managing food scraps, and Q&A. All experience levels are welcome. Go here for more info. If you can’t join the Zoom workshop, call the office at (802) 388-2333 or go to their website. 
Take the Virtual 19 Challenge. While closed for pandemic reasons, Ilsley Public Library is offering a chance to win $10 in Middlebury Money to anyone who borrows 19 different items from their digital resources. Read, listen or watch, then submit your 19 titles here. Winners will be announced on June 1. This challenge is open to everyone.
Environmental activities for kids. Environment America has compiled a list of 50 environmental activities kids can do at home as a resource for families across the country. The list, which links to further information on subjects throughout is broken down into six different areas: Solutions to climate change; reducing waste; plants; waterways, parks and conservation; protecting birds, bees and other wildlife; and creating a healthier home and community. Activities range from making your own solar oven from a pizza box to creating a bird feeder out of an apple, peanut butter and birdseed. Educational opportunities vary from calculating your family’s carbon footprint to taking a virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park. The site is here.
Celebrate COVID-19 heroes in an essay contest. The Vermont Holocaust Memorial is sponsoring a student essay contest to acknowledge the heroism and sacrifice of Vermont’s medical and service personnel in the fight against COVID-19. Themed “Rescuers in the Time of COVID-19,” the statewide contest challenges Vermont students to reflect on those neighbors and relatives on the front lines and how their values reflect those rescuers of the World War II Holocaust. For additional information and contest guidelines please visit holocaustmemorial-vt.org/2020essaycontest.