COOKING TIME With no dining out options, now is the perfect time for you and your family to learn how to cook together. In Edible Schoolyard’s home classroom, you can start with the basics like the science of smell and how to read a recipe. Their website provides both student and parent/teacher resources, (all of it free), so it can be a fun and interactive learning experience. Then test out your new skills by inputting whatever ingredients you have in your fridge into this online recipe algorithm to find a new dish to make with what you have. Bon appétit and good luck.
CRIP CAMP Couldn’t we all use a little hope right now? Jim Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham’s documentary about the disability rights movement in Berkeley, executive produced by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, is now streaming on Netflix. The film follows the members of Camp Jened, a summer program in upstate New York in the seventies for kids and teenagers with disabilities, who later move to the Bay Area during a time of spirited activism. If you’re looking for some other quality content like Crip Camp or if you’re simply overwhelmed by the myriad options on Netflix, Amazon, and Disney, check out some of these small screen options curated by Berkeleyside film writer John Seal.
HOME SWEET HOME Let’s show a little love and gratitude to the homes that are sheltering us. Local author Freeman Ng has written a cumulative poem, that is a story that builds upon and repeats previous verses, and an accompanying picture book titled The House We Sheltered In. The poem references the reality of sheltering-at-home like persistent hand washing, video chats, cooking and story times in a comforting and cozy way. You can download and print out the picture book in either color or black and white for free on Ng’s website.
MUSEUM FROM HOME While exploring a museum exhibit is fun in real life, museum-ing from home can be just as exciting. On the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology’s digital portal, you can interact with their collection of 3.8 million objects from around the world including Japanese netsuke, tiny sculptures invented in 17th-century Japan, and feathered baskets from early 20th century California. Families can also learn together with the museum’s teaching kits that encompass California Indian, Chinese, Mexican and Yoruban cultures. If you’re still wanting more, check out their recorded lectures, online exhibits, and their language and films archives. Free. Visit Hearst from Home at Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology’s website.
FEMALE CODE Let’s pay homage to all the women coders, makers and creators staying strong in the Bay Area. In this fresh play by the City Lights Theatre Company in San Jose, a female coder attempts to disrupt the tech boys’ club until she’s digitally assaulted by a band of internet trolls set on her by a competitor. The play has an all-female cast and was chosen to be a part of the Bay Area Women’s Theatre Festival. Due to COVID-19, the play had to close right before opening night, but you can watch a recording online for free, though donations are appreciated.
