Bubble Life

Wild Dunedin - 'Your Wild Bubble'

As a result of COVID-19 so many of our community groups have been forced to cancel or postpone their events and / or festivals. While the Wild Dunedin Festival has been postponed until April 2021, they are committed to sharing their stories, images and fun things to do in isolation with an online publication 'Your Wild Bubble'. Please check it out and share with colleagues, family and friends in isolation.

Wild Dunedin is encouraging everyone to download the iNaturalist.nz app and take part in the City Nature Challenge 2020. This is an international competition and citizen science project running from 24th to 27th of April.

https://hail.to/wild-dunedin/publication/K5iuzrG

Otago Museum 

Since the lockdown period began, Otago Museum staff have been spending their days creating a collection of digital content to bring Otago Museum to you right at home!

Material currently available includes blogs, jigsaw puzzles, crafts, science experiments with many more soon.

@hOMe is now available at: otagomuseum.nz/athome with more content to be added regularly throughout the next month!

Keep it local Otago, check out the great material Otago Museum has to offer. 

Sticks 'n Stones 

Spread kindness across Aotearoa with the #ourdoor2yours campaign. 

Work with your family to create a message to brighten someone's day or lift their spirits.

Put it on your gate, on your fence, in your window, somewhere it can be seen by essential workers.

Take a photo and share it with the hashtag #ourdoor2yours or send Sticks 'n Stones a copy so they can create an interactive map showing all of the messages from across the country and share them virtually.

https://www.facebook.com/nzsticksnstones/

Snow Sports NZ - Tips for Healthy Eating During Lockdown 

We all know working from home has its hazards, is lockdown causing you to live in your pantry?

Snow Sports NZ asked Carolyn Cruden, Nutritionist for their High Performance Programme, for a few tips to help keep those extra snacks at bay. Here's some tips:

• Are you actually hungry?...Grab a drink instead.

Often having a drink distracts us enough to stop boredom eating and it helps us stay hydrated. Water is best but why not mix it up a little with a new type of herbal tea.

• Are you actually hungry again?....Listen to your stomach.

Ask yourself do I have the feeling of hunger (have I forgotten what that feels like) OR am I boredom eating?

• Make sure if you do need a snack it is healthy. Fresh fruit and vegies, low sugar muesli bars, low fat dips, nuts, popcorn…
• Create structure in your day, especially with mealtimes. If breakfast falls off the wagon, then the rest of the day is catch up and often it is much harder to eat healthy.
• Stay active and sleep well. This will aid a positive frame of mind, remove stress and reduce temptation from the pantry.

If all the above fails then check out this cool little video from Mary Lee from the Snow Farm. 'Lockdown Cross Country Ski Training' might just burn off some of those extra calories.

New Zealand International Science Festival

Like so many of our event organisers, the New Zealand International Science Festival had to postpone the 2020 Science Festival until 2021 in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, to help get us through they have reinvented the festival to become an online resource kit this year. Click across to their facebook page to see great inspirational daily updates of fun activities and resources. 

https://www.facebook.com/nzscifest/

Inside Out Photo Competition

As quarantine life slowly sets in, Otago Museum have also decided to add an additional (social media only) category to the 2020 Otago Wildlife Photography Competition called "Inside Out".

They want to see what you see from your isolation bubble! It may be of a nice sunset from across the peninsula, or a curious pīwakawaka fluttering around your kōwhai.

The rules are simple! Take a photo of the outside world from within you isolation bubble, and tag it with #InsideOutOM

Artsenta Dunedin

Artsenta Dunedin are focused on improving mental health and well-being through creativity and community engagement. During the lockdown Artsenta have been posting a range of creative ideas to help local artists and the community keep busy.   

The Mini Floral Doodles that offer flower drawing tutorials are worth checking out, as are the projects inspired by the changing colours of Autumn.

Click across to Artsenta Dunedin facebook page here - https://www.facebook.com/artsenta/