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Virtual Recreation Center
Welcome to the Tustin Parks and Recreation Department’s Virtual Recreation Center!
This is your place for fun and helpful resources during challenging and stressful times. We are committed to ensuring that Tustin community members have resources to maintain healthy lives, grow meaningful relationships, and continue to have extraordinary experiences.
Visit this page often or follow us on Instagram or Facebook for new updates and ideas to keep you and your loved ones healthy, entertained, and informed. Just so you know, we do not endorse or receive funds to advertise any third-party sites or services listed or referenced on this page.
Have a great idea or resource you’d like to share? Email us at Tustin Parks and Recreation.
Stay Active
As our daily lives are filled with more indoor time, there are many ways to stay healthy and active.
Indoor Activities
Here are a few ideas for staying active indoors.
Take a Virtual Fitness Class - There are plenty of FREE options online. Here are just a few:
- Do Yoga with Me - Free yoga videos
- Fitness Blender - Variety of free fitness videos
- Nike Training Club - App filled with free fitness videos
- BarBend - Bodyweight workouts to build strength
- Mobility Exercises - Baylor University's Mobility Exercise Guide
For the Kids
- Fitness Blender for Kids - Free fitness videos
- Cosmic Kids Yoga - Kid friendly videos
- Sworkit - Kid friendly workouts
Outdoor Activities
Did you know that the current guidelines allow for individuals to engage in outdoor activity, provided the individuals comply with the Social Distancing Requirements...such as, by way of example and without limitation, walking, hiking, and running.
Here’s a few ideas (don’t forget your Social Distance rules!).
- Bounce house sumo wrestling or a super soaker battle? Check out more backyard activities with Backyartisan.
- Stay active with Skyhawks or The Powerful Playground.
- Visit a local park. Our parks are free and have great walking trails and open space to maintain Social Distance. Walk or bike through your local park to get a little Vitamin D. Don’t forget to tag us on social media.
- Walk/run around your neighborhood and say hi (from a distance) to all of your neighbors who are getting outside too.
- Look for rocks. Have you heard of "Tustin Rocks!"? People hide ’kindness rocks’ all around the City; be on the lookout for one or paint some and leave them for others to find.
- DIY activities and more help kids get outside and make the most of their early learning years thanks to Tinkergarten.
- Go for a drive.
Stay Connected
Although we’re all social distancing physically, as humans we need to stay connected emotionally. Try one or two of these out every day.
- Call a friend or relative you haven’t spoken to in a while to check in.
- Write a letter ... the ol’ fashioned way, with a pen/pencil and paper.
- Facetime a friend or loved one to check on them.
- Support a local restaurant like Rutabegorz in Old Town Tustin. Many restaurants are still open for take out or delivery orders. Support your favorite joints and order food for pick up or try out Doordash or Ubereats and have it brought to you.
- Volunteer. There are many opportunities to volunteer to help those in our community. The Tustin Community Foundation would love to hear from you!
- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting.
- Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep. Make time to unwind.
- Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
- Work on Mindfulness. Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.
Exercise your Brain
- Visit Orange County Public Library online. The library has tons of free ebooks and audiobooks ready for your enjoyment.
- Learn a new language with Memrise.
- Test your math skills with Dads Worksheets.
- Learn to code with Code Academy.
- Code with Star Wars.
- Teach youngsters to read with Teach Your Monster to Read.
- STEAM, STEM, and educational activities for kids can be found at Raising Dragons.
For the Kids (or kids at heart)
- Feeling adventurous? Break out the art supplies and enjoy free craft resources!
- With the holidays right around the corner, baking with kids is a great way to incorporate math with food and fun. How to Cook has lots of kid-approved easy recipes. Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies?!
- Looking for help in the kitchen? America’s Test Kitchen is posting weekly kids’ cooking classroom recipes.
- Hold a virtual play date through Facetime.
- Plant a coneflower or grow your own peas. A guide to gardening for kids has the answers to your questions.
- Bop along with Jack Hartmann, his kids music channel teaches sign language, classic kid’s songs, and the alphabet.
- Want to learn about the moon phase or the weather of the day? Explore the Farmer’s Almanac for Kids.
- Teach a young person how to write and send a letter.
- Visit the Smithsonian National Zoo and all its adorable animals.
- Build your child’s confidence through play with Strategic Kids. They are teaching life strategies through games and fun activities.
- Play musical instruments online at Virtual Musical Instruments.
- Take a Virtual Vacation - Explore the world using Google Earth! Use Street View to see places like you’re actually there.
- Amazed by the questions your kids ask? How DO you explain the water cycle to a 4-year-old? Just ask Kids vs. Life.
- Want educational songs for teaching young minds? Scratch Garden has you covered!
- Activities for all ages at the Busy Toddler. Their motto: Making it to Naps, One Activity at a Time!
- The Magic Tree House has interactive games based on the adventures of Jack and Annie.
- Randomly generate a story starter. The possibilities are endless!
- Fish and bears and looms, oh my! Alaskan Wildlife Viewing webcams let you watch them all.
- Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover.
- The San Diego Zoo has games, videos, and activities for kids.
- Head to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach through their webcams.
- Fairy tales and classic stories are brought back to life through Little Fox.
- Learn to knit, sew, or make your own jewelry with fun fashion activities.
- Visit one of many museums around the world through their virtual tours.
- Watch Pig Cam courtesy of Centennial Farm in Costa Mesa.
- Tour Yellowstone National Park!
- Daily Doodle lessons by Mo Willems.
- Explore animals and geography with National Geographic Kids.
- Take a virtual trip to the Great Wall of China and see history come to life.
- Learn about the benefits of arts education.
- Travel to Paris, France and see artwork at The Louvre on a virtual field trip.
- Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
- Learn about our national parks.
- Educational Resources for the little ones
- Toddler and preschool ideas at Preschool Inspirations
- Crafts, projects, recipes, and more for young children at Funology
- Starfall Phonics Skills
- Fun games, recipes, activities, and crafts with Highlights Kids
- Crafts, activities, mazes, and dot-to-dot worksheets
- Printable worksheets for toddlers
- Read, play games, or hang out with Dr. Seuss
Stay Informed
Be in the Know
Visit these sites for the latest local information regarding COVID-19.
- City of Tustin - Visit the City’s dedicated page for COVID-19 for up-to-date and bilingual information
- Tustin Unified School District - This link will take you to TUSD’s dedicated page on COVID-19 info
- Orange County Public Health - This is the lead agency in Orange County directing our community’s response to COVID-19
- California Department of Public Health - State of California COVID-19 updates
- Centers for Disease Control - CDC’s COVID-19 site
Be Well
Visit these sites for information on community resources.
- Tustin Community Foundation - Let's look after one another
- Tustin Unified School District Nutrition - Grab-and-Go meals available to youth under 18 years of age
- Meals on Wheels - Meal delivery for older adults
- Orange County Office on Aging - Resources and information for older adults