Virtual Events & Activities

Are you missing your friends and classes from U3A? Are you looking for ways to connect and keep busy? Listed below are a number of virtual events and things you can do to help you fill the gaps.

 

Watch online

Jug Band Music – U3A Knox Music Muster

Members of the U3A Knox Music Muster perform Jug Band Music by the Memphis Jugs. The video was made remotely during level 4 lock-down. 

MTC NOW Theatre Anywhere­­

Melbourne Theatre Company brings you weekly updates on MTC NOW. You can find out what’s on now or coming up soon. There are interviews, a virtual tour, digital theatre and more.

Watch a movie or video

  • Virtual Cinématique and ACMI have joined forces to present classic and contemporary films you can watch from the comfort of your own home. Click here for more information and to view their program.
  • Why not check out Ted Talks and watch “…influential videos from expert speakers”?
  • If you’re a sports nut, have a look at these sport films and documentaries.
  • For foodies, some food documentaries may be more to your taste.
  • For those who like to connect with nature, there are some nature documentaries.

 

Explore online

Phillip Island virtual experiences

Explore the world of conservation through virtual experiences offered by Phillip Island Nature Parks. You can rewatch previously live-streamed Penguin Parades, go behind-the-scenes with Phillip Island conservation staff, contribute to vital seal research or take a peek into the burrow of a penguin.

National Gallery of Victoria

The NGV offers interactive virtual self-guided tours of their exhibitions.

National Museum of Australia

The National Museum offers free, live virtual tours of their collection and exhibitions. This is a fully interactive experience — see the exhibitions, ask questions and engage in conversation.

Melbourne Zoos – Animal House

Melbourne Zoos are live streaming so you can enjoy seeing their animals from the comfort of your own home.

 

Listen to music

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Watch and listen to past performances from the MSO archives on the MSO YouTube channel.

Discover new music or listen to your old favourites

Consider using Spotify or Soundcloud to explore and listen to music from various genres.

You can also find your favourite kinds of music by using YouTube’s search function. Just type in the genre of music that you want to explore, then listen to your heart’s content.

 

Be creative

  • National Gallery Victoria’s NGV Learn provides online activities for children and families, so join your families in these activities or have a go yourself. After all, we’re big kids at heart!
  • Explore collections from around the world on Google Arts & Culture
  • Do you like Van Gogh’s art or want to learn more about it? Visit the Van Gogh Museum
  • London’s The National Gallery is holding a number of free online events to help you explore the world of art.
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has much to fuel your creative juices, including its latest videos
  • Be inspired to get creative at home by searching YouTube for tutorials and inspiration.

 

Exercise your body and mind

Online puzzles

Check out this website for a wide range of online puzzles. You may also like to try a word search or two.

Brainteasers, optical illusions, mind games and more

Stimulate your brain activity at home with these free mind games and puzzles, designed for little kids and big kids alike. Thanks to Austin and Lane for finding it for us.

Staying healthy at home

The Queensland Government website Healthier.Happier offers a toolkit of advice and practical ideas for Staying healthy at home, including an over 60’s workout.

Yoga

Annie Belcher offers free audio yoga classes.

Healthy and active ageing

The Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel offers advice on healthy and active ageing.

 

Learn new things

Online learning

How to Acquire New Skills During Lockdown offers insights into online learning, with suggestions on what to look for in selecting a course and examples of some courses currently on offer.

YouTube videos offer a vast array of tutorials. Why not search for something that interests you? Line dancing, quilting, painting or drawing tutorials are the tip of the iceberg of what you can find.

Join Coursera for free online learning. “Build skills with courses from top universities like Yale, Michigan, Stanford, and leading companies like Google and IBM.”

Another site for online learning is futurelearn.com which offers free courses from universities around the world. 

Then there’s Be Connected which offers “…free courses on everything from how to access the internet, using your device and keeping in touch with others online.”

 

Stay in touch

The Knox Bright Ideas Network

The Knox Bright Ideas Network has been developed to bring together older Knox residents and community groups who support older people, to discuss matters which are important to seniors in the Knox community.

If you’d like to be kept up to date on matters relating to seniors within Knox, you can find them in the Bright Ideas Newsletter. To subscribe, visit Bright Ideas Network and follow the subscribe link.

Social media

Utilise social media such as Zoom, WhatsApp, Facetime (Mac users) and Skype to connect with family and friends.

Host your own event

There are many ways to connect — for example, use social media to share a glass of wine or cup of coffee (virtually), or arrange an online chat session with friends or neighbours.

Phone a friend or neighbour

If you have a U3A friend, but don’t know how to  contact them, send an email to the U3A Office. They’ll contact the person concerned. With your friend’s permission, the Office will email you the details you need.

 

Check out these websites

 

Share your ideas

If you have more ideas, why not post them on our Facebook page, or email the Events Committee?