I completely understand–and agree with!–the principle of social distancing.

But I also keep forgetting that I’m doing it.

My regular workweek includes a lot of time spent alone in my home office, reading and typing and generally being alone.

So, maybe I can be forgiven for thinking about a dozen times a day, “Hey! I don’t have anything else on the calendar! This would be a great weekend to see the Degas exhibit at the National Gallery of Art!” (Or any number of other exhibits I’ve been looking forward to.)

At least I can fill some of that time by browsing through the (US) National Gallery of Art’s “Lessons and Activities” page. They’ve got great projects for people of all ages, including art projects for pre-K kids and entire lesson plans for graduate students. Some of the units (especially for younger kids) are basically craft projects. Some of the units explore philosophical questions—such as what is the nature of art? Some focus on learning English as a second language or applying math, or, or, or…

I could easily spend days here. Which is great for social distancing, but not so great for getting work done! 

A lot of us are spending a lot more time at home right now, with fewer diversions at hand than we’re accustomed to. So, I figured I’d share some of my favorite websites—places to drop in for a few minutes (or a few hours), to get away, in a virtual sense, even when it’s not possible to get away in real life.

First up?

The Oskar Fischinger Google Doodle! 

As you almost certainly know, Google creates playful new graphics on a regular basis. Sometimes, those graphics are animated. Sometimes, they have music. Sometimes, there’s an interactive element. The Oskar Fischinger Doodle is all of those things!

You can compose your own music, even if you don’t know a treble clef from a sixteenth note. The Doodle allows you to create an electronic “song” with graphic elements, one that repeats until you change it.

One warning, though: the site is completely addictive. (I used to compose one Fischinger Doodle each morning before I started to work, but I found that I put off my work by fifteen minutes, then half an hour, then an hour…) Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself!

Ready?

Set…

Go!