MontgomeryCountyMD.GOV

Go4Life: Exercise videos via  Go4Life videos

Let's Go For a Swim! 
Although there are safety restrictions, County pools are open. In fact, outdoor pools are open until October 4. Go here for more details: Pool info. 

Montgomery County Rec Room: This virtual recreation hub provides fitness videos and virtual classes. Click on the "Free Activities" tab where you can find many fun things to do!  For help navigating the site, call the Seniors Team at 240-777-4925.

Walk with a Doc seeks to educate and empower communities, especially through exercise. Walking was recently recognized by the Surgeon General of the United States of America as one of the single most important things we can do for our health. During the COVID emergency, you can join virtual "walks with a doc":  https://walkwithadoc.org/join-a-walk/virtual-walk-with-a-doc-events/

Summer Road Trip
The Smithsonian has put together a fantastic virtual road trip that promises to entertain the entire family. “Summer Road Trip” is a  new 40-page activity guide that uses collections and expertise of the Smithsonian to take learners on their own summer “road trip” of discovery. Through hands-on activities, puzzles and games, students will explore topics in STEM, history, and the arts. The guide features bilingual Spanish/English language content.  Have fun cruising!  

Visit Montgomery offers a range of activities on its website. Check out  MoCo at Home
From virtual events to online activities, there are many ways to discover Montgomery County from the comfort of your own home.  

CultureSpotMC
CultureSpotMC.com features events and stories on Montgomery County’s visual, performing, and cultural arts communities. Its calendar includes activities you can enjoy from home. Go to  https://www.culturespotmc.com. Go to Events calendar, click on "Online/Virtual"

Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks online programs and activities allow you to experience gardens, nature centers, parks, trails, historic and cultural sites, from your computer or smartphone.  

Museums

• American Museum of Natural History: Virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device. Visitors can also access select collections and research areas at our satellite support and research stations as well as past exhibits no longer on display.
• British Museum:  An interactive experience through time, continents and cultures, featuring some of the most fascinating objects in human history.
• Natural History Museum - London: Delve into stories about the Museum's collections, scientists and research. Uncover the history of life on Earth, from the smallest insects to the largest mammals.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: Award-winning series of six short videos invites viewers around the world to virtually visit The Met's art and architecture in a fresh, immersive way. Created using spherical 360° technology, it allows viewers to explore some of the Museum's iconic spaces
  as never before.
• Musée du Louvre: Visit the museum's exhibition rooms and galleries.
• Museum of Science: A collection of STEM resources designed to bring the Museum — to you!
• National Gallery of Art: Offers learning resources and programs for audiences of all ages.
• San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Dive into the museum’s collection and exhibitions or take a look at our family-friendly offerings.
• The Vatican Museum: You can get 360 looks at nine rooms in the Vatican — including the magnificent Sistine Chapel.
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: Take a virtual tour of the art museum that is a work of art itself. Located in New York City, the Guggenheim is known for its six floors of incredible architecture along with its amazing collection of art. You can even project the pieces of art into your own room with the mobile app.
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: With every exhibition in the museum offered in a 360-degree virtual format, there’s plenty of natural history to explore.
• Frida Kahlo Museum: With its 360-degree views, you can explore every corner of Frida Kahlo’s home and her artwork throughout the brightly colored “Casa Azul” (Blue House).
• National Constitution Center: This virtual museum experience allows you to explore both present and past exhibitions on topics like Alexander Hamilton and the constitutional conflicts of the Civil War.
• National Baseball Hall of Fame: Fans of all ages will appreciate this Safe at Home virtual content that allows them to learn baseball’s history and explore the museum from afar. You can register for one of their free virtual field trips through their website.
• The National Museum of Computing: Explore the world's largest collection of working historic computers through 3D and virtual curated tours. This online experience strives to be interactive, educational, and engaging for the whole family.
• Boston Children’s Museum: Your children can go on a virtual “walking” tour of all three floors of the museum to see all of their fun exhibits here.
• Google Arts & Culture: This compendium of virtual art galleries, artful activities, and fun with augmented reality is as much a field trip as it is an art class. Children and adults alike will have fun using their imagination to give famous works of art and landmarks their own creative spin and taking a tour of some of the most well-known pieces of art in the world.
• Museo Galileo Institute and Museum of the History of Science: The Online Catalogue of the museum presents the more than 1,200 objects on permanent exhibition through color images and detailed descriptions.
• Holocaust Museum Tour: Find pictures, video, and art from the Holcaust Museum.
• Tour The Museum of Unnatural Mystery: Tour the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, learn about geology, and some strange things.
• Manhattan Project Electronic Field Trip: Join The National WWII Museum for a cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb. Student reporters examine the revolutionary science of nuclear energy in the Museum’s exhibits and the race to produce an atomic weapon in complete secrecy.  

Landmarks

• Athens Acropolis: The Virtual Tour consists of high-resolution gigapixel images and panoramas of the most prominent monuments - the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike - as well as detailed photographic displays of selected views from the outer surface of the ancient walls surrounding the hill.
• Buckingham Palace: These virtual tours allow you to explore the history of the most iconic rooms in Buckingham Palace, including the White Drawing Room, the Blue Drawing Room, the Throne Room, and even the Grand Staircase.
• Ellis Island: You'll hear first-hand stories told by people who came through Ellis Island; see historical photographs and films; read fascinating facts; and discover the central role this station played in the story of American immigration.
• Machu Picchu: With 360-degree views of the ruins of Inca settlements and lush green landscapes, you can visit every popular vantage point and learn more about the history of the famous site thanks to a helpful voice narrator.
• Virtual Gettysburg National Military Park: Experience the battlefield no matter where you are!
• Colonial Williamsburg: See restorations of paintings, examine types of currency, and explore colonial maps.
• Mount Vernon: Take a look inside George Washington's home the same way you would click through Street View on a Google Map.
• Mount Rushmore: Get up close and personal with the four American presidents who are carved into Mount Rushmore with this virtual tour that offers 360-degree views from various viewpoints around the landmark, including one that puts you directly underneath Teddy Roosevelt’s chin.
• The White House: Take a virtual tour of the Eisenhower Executive Building and the art and décor of the White House.
• The Lincoln Memorial: Tour the memorial to this highly regarded President who presided during the Civil War.
• ​Plimoth Plantation: These virtual field trip videos are great for students of all ages and show what life was like for both Pilgrims and indigenous people. You can also explore a replica of the Mayflower, which carried the Pilgrims on their voyage across the ocean.
• Ancient Egypt: Discover the history of ancient Egypt through a 3D temple reconstruction. Explore pyramids and temples, hear stories of the pharaohs of Egypt, and learn about mummification here.
• The Great Wall of China: Take a virtual tour of one of the wonders of the world and explore the more than 3,000 miles through northern China that make up the Great Wall of China.
• Easter Island: Explore the sights and sounds of the island that these mysterious megaliths are located on, learn about the first inhabitants, and see how people were able to move these stone giants.
• HistoryView Virtual Tours: Bring historical sites and museums from around the world right to your home with this HistoryView VR collection of virtual field trips. A VR headset is not required to use this program; it will also work on a tablet or Chromebook.

Zoos & Aquariums Animal Adventure Atlanta Zoo Bronx Zoo Cincinnati Zoo Georgia Aquarium Houston Zoo Maritime Aquarium Monterey Bay Aquarium National Aquarium Reid Park Zoo San Diego Zoo Sea World Seattle Aquarium Shedd Aquarium Smithsonian National Zoo Wapusk National Park Polar Bears

Farms

• American Egg Board: Join America’s egg farmers in exploring their farms! They offer field trips designed for students in K-5 and 6-8 or anyone who is interested in learning more about how egg farms operate.
• Bonnie Plants: These multi-part virtual field trips to Bonnie Plants, along with a variety of kids’ workshops, are being offered by Home Depot in the hopes of getting more kids interested in gardening.
• Bright Farms: An interactive tour that's designed to teach kids, parents and teachers about indoor farming and how food goes from the field to the grocery store.
• Farm Food 360: Immerse yourself in Canadian farm and food. See see 11 different sorts of farm and food plants, including dairy cow farms, egg processing facilities, and an apple orchard.

Parks and Nature

• Mount Everest: Explore and learn about what it’s like to scale the highest peak in the world.
• ​The Giant’s Causeway: A unique rock formation found in Ireland, this 360° experience is controlled by you.
• The Virtual Rainforest: A visual experience that shows up close the abundant life of the largest rainforest in the world.
• Hang Son Doong: Visit the world’s largest cave, located in Vietnam, through this 360-degree virtual tour offered by National Geographic. This tour becomes even more immersive as it includes the sounds you would hear if you were actually there.
• Volcano Hazards: Click on and learn about any of the 169 potentially active volcanoes through this interactive map brought to you by the USGS Volcano Hazards Program.
• Nature Lab: Offered by the Nature Conservancy, this program was researched and designed for a young audience and classroom use. Their program has content geared toward those from ages 5 to 18 and has ten virtual field trips to choose from.
• Yellowstone National Park: You’ll get the chance to tour the main attractions in America’s oldest national park on this virtual field trip. You’ll get the chance to virtually explore sites like the Mammoth Hot Springs and the Mud Volcano. The Old Faithful live cam is always a fun part of the park to view.
• The Great Lakes: Choose from three different virtual field trips to learn more about the lakes’ coastal wetlands, algae that grows in them, and the oldest and largest residents of the Great Lakes region, the lake sturgeon.

• Virtual Nature: Virtual field trips focusing on a variety of plants and botany. Carnivorous plants are included!

Space

• NASA Space Center Houston: An interactive, 360° experience where you control what you are viewing.
• Mars: Kids and adults alike will be wowed as they explore the surface of Mars with this 360-degree experience recorded by NASA’s Curiosity rover.
• Tour of the Moon: NASA also created a virtual tour of the moon, which visits a number of sites that were chosen to show off different lunar terrain features. This virtual tour was filmed in 2011 by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and has been re-created in 4K resolution for a truly amazing visual experience.
• International Space Station: Discover what life is really like living in space on these International Space Station tours, another great virtual field trip option brought to you by NASA. The European Space Agency also offers a narrated 3D tour of the ISS.
• Johnson Space Center: Boeing and Discover Education teamed up to offer this exclusive virtual field trip that goes behind the scenes at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
• Stellarium Web: Learn about stars near and far with this mobile app that allows you to explore thousands of stars, find planets, and watch natural wonders like a solar eclipse. Using your location, it can even show the constellations in the night sky above you.
• Slime in Space: Kids are sure to enjoy this virtual field trip to the space station to see how slime reacts to being in space. The astronauts even play a game of slime ping-pong!

Miscellaneous

While these virtual tours didn’t fit in one of the previous categories, they’re too interesting not to share! From music to history to even seeing how candy is made, there’s something for everyone here.

• Discovery Education: These virtual field trips are a great way for educators to share incredible experiences and places with students, from learning more about the history of the White House to a behind-the-scenes look at the Tech for Global Good event and even a Body Positivity virtual field trip.
• 360 Cities: As the world’s largest collection of stock 360-degree images and videos, created by a worldwide community of expert VR photographers, 360 Cities can take you on a virtual field trip to every corner of the world and everywhere in between.
• M&Ms Factory Tour: Kids will love watching how one of their favorite candies is made with this virtual tour of the M&M factory, hosted by the Food Network.
• Recycling Simplified: These virtual field trips are a great way to teach students about the importance of recycling by seeing how a recycling center and a modern landfill operate. There are lessons designed for students from third through 12th grades.
• Birthplaces of Music: This interactive virtual field trip through the history of music puts a focus on four of the most popular music genres: classical, jazz, rock ’n’ roll, and country. It examines the birthplace of each and how it played a part in shaping music history.
• Turn Back the Clock: Originally a museum display at Chicago’s Museum of Science, Turn Back the Clock is now for anyone across the world to explore. This virtual tour will take you through the past seven decades to the dawn of the nuclear age.
• The United States Constitution: Learn about what is considered the most important document this country has ever written.
• Fun with Geography: Play through different parts of the world while you try to guess where you are.

Lifelong Learning in Montgomery County
Five lifelong learning centers offer classes, typically as single sessions - now available virtually. Subjects include: computer training, fitness, topical events, languages, history, music, health, guidance on aging well and caregiver support.

Oasis Everywhere is a new website offering live online courses led by top instructors from across the country, making it possible for anyone in the world to participate in courses exclusively curated by Oasis Centers for Oasis Everywhere regardless of geographic location, mobility or travel constraints. 
www.oasiseverywhere.org

GetSetup
https://www.getsetup.io/schedule/browse
These Small Group Classes are meant to introduce you to the topics and learn with a community of seniors. 

Discover how you can help our community. Check out the Montgomery County Volunteer Center’s website
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/

AARP Community Connections to join or start a mutual aid group

Volunteer Match is another sites that offers opportunities, including virtual. Go to:  www.volunteermatch.org

Senior Connection Telephone Reassurance Program for seniors 60 and older. Call 301 962-0892 for more information. 

Toll Free Friendship Line: Call 1-800-971-0016 to reach the only accredited line in the country for people aged 60 years and older and adults living with disabilities. Staff and volunteers trained by the Institute on Aging specialize in offering a caring ear and having a friendly conversation.

Seniors’ Services at Affiliated Sante Group provides short term mental health counseling for home-bound older adults for free in Montgomery County. Please call 301-572-6585 ext. 2104 for more information.

JCA Phone Pals - Friendly Chat Program Service for men and women in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Phone calls made by trained volunteers and staff, offering specialized conversation. Call 202-735-3464 for more information or write [email protected]
 
JCA Kensington Clubs@Home Purposeful and stimulating online activities are available six days a week. Provide socialization and fun. Call 202-735-3464 or email [email protected] for information on program and monthly dues. https://accessjca.org/kensington-clubs-online/kensington-clubs/   

Virtual Friends Club Now online, this social therapeutic program is for men in the early to mid-stages of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. They meet Mondays and Thursdays from 1-2:30 on Zoom. Contact the Executive Director, Brooke Kenny, for more information: [email protected].

Alzheimer's Association "Memory Cafe" 
Alzheimer’s Association Memory Cafe offer a fun and relaxed way for people living with early-stage memory loss to get connected with one another through social events that promote interaction and companionship. Please note that all groups are meeting over the phone or online. Pre-registration is required, please contact Sheila Griffith at 240-844-3608 or [email protected].

Need a little spice for your conversations? Consider asking your loved one a “beautiful question.” Click here: ideas for beautiful questions.  
 
Free Global Online Sing-Alongs  
 
NPR Free Live and Recorded Concerts
 
Just Us at the National Gallery of Art provides interactive, discussion-based experiences for people with memory loss and their care partners. Participants explore two works of art during virtual sessions on Zoom, meeting weekly on Mondays from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. 
https://www.nga.gov/calendar/guided-tours/just-us.html. To register, please email [email protected].

See Me at the Smithsonian provides intellectual and social engagement in a relaxed setting for adults with dementia and their care partners. On scheduled weekdays, 8-10 pre-registered participants explore some of the Smithsonian’s most beloved objects in small group discussions and multi-sensory activities. Programs take place at the American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Freer Gallery of Art, National Museum of African Art, and National Museum of American History. To learn more, please contact Ashley Grady at [email protected] or visit See Me.

Montgomery County’s Caregiver Support program has a range of virtual platforms available for caregivers.

The MoCo Caregiver Blog is available 24/7, please visit: https://moco-caregiver.blogspot.com/
The blog features up-to-date listings of: support groups, lifelong learning opportunities, special events, a journal and much more. You can also subscribe and receive our monthly Caregiver eNewsletter.

The MoCo Caregiver Blog is a portal to a rich array of (now) virtual programming that caregivers and others will appreciate. Includes:

Engage@HOME – the County’s Area Agency on Aging YouTube channel

MoCo Caregiver Podcasts – audio interviews with local providers

Caregiver Support Program and direct links to County online range of local providers of support.

Holy Cross Hospital Caregiver Resource Center Take advantage of many services for caregivers including a helpline, support groups, classes, library and newsletter. Call 301-754-7152.

Seniors’ Services at Affiliated Sante Group provides free short term counseling for the full time caregivers of older adults in Montgomery County. Please call 301-572-6585 ext. 2104 for more information.

The Alzheimer’s Association provides free support 24/7, every day of the year.
Call the Helpline (800-272-3900) or go to www.alz.org/nca. 
Specialists and master’s-level clinicians offer confidential support, information and assistance.  
 
Care Consultation Services provides support in coping with dementia from before diagnosis through end-of-life. Phone calls with experts can help individuals and families understand the disease, manage care, and make more informed treatment decisions. Call the Alzheimer’s Association’s Helpline to access this service, 800-272-3900.
 
See also COVID-19 Help Center and Alzheimer's Association Stress Check for Caregivers 

Alzheimer's Association Programs in Montgomery County Also Include Support Groups, Memory Cafés, and Education Programs
Programs are conducted over the phone or online due to coronavirus precautions. This expands opportunities for caregivers to receive support across a broader geographic area. To learn more, contact Sheila Griffin at 240-844-3608 or via email, [email protected].

Want to Assist the Caregiver of a loved one with Alzheimer’s or Dementia?
The County’s Engage@HOME has an episode for you. Jennifer Brush, an award-winning Dementia Educator, presents valuable resources for family caregivers available on the website of the Ohio Council for Cognitive Health. To see the interview with Ms. Brush, go to https://youtu.be/7-GXyWH3ALI
 
Please also see two webinars developed with Jennifer Brush for Montgomery County’s Caregiver Support program
Part 1:  https://youtu.be/nKTIh0H3IZE
Part 2:  https://youtu.be/PBU8Y-elLak

Yoga for Anxiety

Free Mindfulness Meditation from Family Caregiver Alliance
 
Free Relaxation with Guided Imagery from Family Caregiver Alliance