Leisure and Learning at Home

Your efforts and creativity are cheered and applauded as you continue to spend time and plan for days at home. Knowing that it is so important to keep a daily schedule, while understanding the limits of being home, we've gathered resources for you. Here you'll find ideas for Cooking, Arts & Crafts, Exercise & Yoga, Music, Stories & Meditation, Travel, and more. While some sites and resources were created specifically for individuals with vision loss, others were not but can be adapted by use of description, textured materials, organization and creativity. The links below represent only part of the collection and are updated quarterly. To explore the entire collection, please join Leisure and Learning HUB Google Classroom. Together we can brighten each other’s days!

New!
Leisure and Learning HUB via Google Classroom
Interested to explore the entire collection of activity resources and/or share your ideas? Join the Leisure and Learning HUB Google Classroom. It's free, it's collaborative and user friendly. We hope you will connect with us!

Exercise & Yoga

Eyes-Free Fitness® Free Accessible Fitness
- Audio described exercises
Yoga with Ness – for the Visually Impaired / MetroBlindSport
- 30 minute described yoga routine for individuals with vision loss with Audio. MetroBlindSport is an organization in London, UK. Enjoy!
- Friendly note: This is a described, moderate-paced routine.
PBS / Comeback Yoga
- Chair Yoga Routine with Audio and Video
- Friendly note: This link for a yoga session is just one of many on the PBS site. Find many more by typing “yoga” or “chair yoga” in the search box.
Go 4 Life / National Institute On Aging
- Exercise routines for older adults with Audio and Video
- Friendly note: There are advertisements on this site. Please scroll past for the series of exercise videos.
Daily Caring
- 10 minute chair exercise routine
Seated Exercises/ Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Standing Exercises/Dartmouth Hitchcock
- Exercise routines for older adults with Audio and Video
- Friendly note: Seated is a 10 minute session and standing is 16 minutes.
7 Minute Yoga Routine for Older Adults / SilverSneakers
- Exercise routine for older adults with Audio and Video
- Friendly note: This is a described, quick-paced routine.

Arts and Crafts

The Spruce Crafts
- Written directions with photos of many craft ideas
  - Friendly note: There are advertisements on this site.
Martha Stewart Crafts
- Written directions with photos of many craft ideas
- There are advertisements on this site.
Instructables
- Written directions with photos of many craft ideas
Paths to Literacy / Arts and Crafts
- Written directions with photos of craft ideas
Making Herbal Greeting Cards / Perkins eLEARNING
- Click for written instructions of how to make the cards.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Audio
- Listen to artists, curators, and others speak about the Museum's collection and special exhibitions.
MoMA Visual Descriptions
- Hear detailed descriptions of 11 works of art.

Cooking

Food Network
- Written directions and videos of many recipes
  - This link for “no bake cookies” is just one of many on the Food Network site. Find many more recipes by typing your favorites in the search box.
  - There are advertisements on this site.
Betty Crocker
- Written directions and videos of many recipes
- Friendly note: There are advertisements on this site.
- “Broccoli-bacon salad” is just one of many on the Betty Crocker site. Find many more recipes by searching for your favorites.
PBS Food / Recipes
- Written directions for many recipes by course, cuisine, occasion or theme
- Friendly note: There are advertisements on this site.

Disney Recipes You Can Make at Home
- Written directions for many Disney World favorites!
- Friendly notes: There are advertisements on this site. These are mostly sweet treats.

Stories and Meditation

Storyline Online
- Famous actors reading stories of varying length (5-20 minutes), some with music clips sound effects, and illustrations.
- Friendly notes: Everyone loves a story – for the young at heart!
Daily Calm / YouTube
- Narrated meditation for body awareness and relaxation with nature sounds and pauses (10 minutes).
- Friendly notes: There are advertisements on this site.

Music

Boston Philharmonic
- Audio and Video Recordings of Concerts
Boston Pops
- Audio and Video Recordings of Concerts
Andrew Lloyd Webber / Musicals
- Audio and Video Recordings of Musicals
- Streams each Friday at 2:00pm and then available for 48 hours
Boston Children’s Chorus/ Virtual Choir
- Audio and Video Recordings
- Click, Listen, and be Inspired
North End music and Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC)
- Friday Evening Open Mic Nights
- Fridays at 6:00pm / Click, Listen, and be Inspired
Relaxing Nature Sounds / River and Birdsong
- Audio and Video Recording
- Friendly note: There are advertisements to click through.
The Cornell Lab – All About Birds
- Audio, Video and Photos of birds, habitat and songs
- Explore, listen and learn about birds and their songs.
Bird Sounds with Amazon Alexa
- Audio Recordings of Birds

News & Information

Audible Local Ledger
- Radio Reading Service for the Blind and Print Impaired
- Listen Live
- Schedule
Talking Information Center Network (TIC)
- Provides broadcasts of local news, articles, and items of interest to Individuals with Vision Impairment
- Listen Live
- Schedule
WCVB Chronicle
- Audio and Video: Click to choose from local New England stories, each 3-4 minutes in length.
- Friendly note: There are advertisements on this site.
Audio Journal
- Audio: Broadcasting to people who are blind including local news, specialty programming and general interest programming.
  Listen Live
  Schedule
National Federation for the Blind (NFB) Newsline
- Audio: News reading service with access to more than 500 publications
- A quick online application is needed for this service.
IN-SIGHT Radio
- Audio: Broadcasting from Rhode Island and offering daily reading of local and national newspapers, magazines, books, and other printed materials.
  Listen Live

Travel

Rick Steves’ Europe Audio Tours
- Audio tours of varying length with music clips and description of sites and landmarks
  - The first 3-6 minutes (depending on the tour) give directions for how to use the podcast for visitors at each site.
  - To listen from your computer:
    1. Click on the city you would like to visit.
    2. On the next page, scroll right past the #1-3 instructions.
    3. Find the city and tour of your choice and click “Listen or Download” (blue type) beside it.
    4. On the next page, click the play button. Enjoy!
National Geographic
- Video and audio of varying length with music clips and description of sites and landmarks from around the world
- Friendly note: There are advertisements on some of the videos.
NPR Postcards from the Road
- Audio podcasts of varying length (10–30 minutes), of stories from all walks of life and around the world…
- Friendly note: There is an introductory advertisement before the podcast(s) begin.
Art UK
- Audio podcasts of varying length (16–20 minutes) about art in the United Kingdom (UK). Enjoy the stories, music, and descriptions of art from across the pond!