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Here is a selection of physical and print-out activities from the Two Oceans Aquarium's I&J Children's Play Centre, to keep the minds of young ocean lovers-active. These activities have been designed for children aged 3 to 10, and have interactive elements to keep parents and guardians involved too.

This is a time not only about keeping our physical distance and living in lockdown, but also about community, sharing and caring for others – there are examples around the world of communities and neighbours coming together to support one another in different ways. The Italians singing from their balconies is just one example of many. For some people this time has opened up opportunities to think about others, to share and to break down some of the barriers, some physical and some not, which exist between people. In South Africa, many people already live with a community spirit and there is much to be learned from them. How has your community or neighbourhood come together in unexpected ways… any act big or small? One of my neighbours made chilli chutney and left a bottle at each gate in our street.

This is an unusual time for many of us as we remain in our homes, taking refuge from the outside world and the dreaded coronavirus. Some are finding the home-stay easy, being comfortable with their surroundings, while others are quickly feeling the ever-dreaded “cabin fever”, a hankering for something else, something outside.Eventually, we will all experience this. And eventually, we will be able to satisfy our longing for something other than the four walls that surround us, when it is once again safe to venture out. In the meantime, we stay put and we learn from this experience. For some animals in the marine environment, “home” is more often than not, a loosely defined term.

The annual FET Marine Biology course, run by the team of teachers of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and sponsored by I&J, has always been popular with students who have an interest in studying Marine Biology and wish to continue their studies at a tertiary level. The course introduces them to terminology and greater detail about organisms they will learn about in their future studies and careers.

To our visitors, the Two Oceans Aquarium is a wonderous place to go for adventures. While you explore the exhibits and everything that the Aquarium has to offer, behind the scenes a whole team of people is constantly at work to ensure that each and every visitor has an amazing experience. Just like any other business, the Aquarium team consists of various departments – finance, marketing, curatorial and a whole lot more. With the Aquarium temporarily closed to the public, the majority of this team is working from home, with only the core, essential staff looking after the animals onsite. But, as anyone who works at the Aquarium will tell you, being away from the Aquarium, is an adjustment of note. What do those who are working from home miss most about the Aquarium?

We're looking for Marine Masterminds! Read our blogs, take the quizzes and climb the Marine Masterminds leaderboard - if you're on top of the leaderboard when lockdown ends, you'll be a winner!You could win a year of unlimited Two Oceans Aquarium access for your family, have the chance to meet the too-cute rockhopper penguins in person, or win tickets for Aquarium visits for two. Only South African citizens and residents are eligible for these prizes, but anyone is welcome to climb the leaderboard and show why they are the best of our Marine Masterminds.

Missing the Two Oceans Aquarium? Even though we are closed to the public during the COVID-19 lockdown, you can still take a peek at the beautiful I&J Ocean Exhibit via this live stream provided by VOX Telecom.

When Marius Scholtz climbed onto the roof of a double story factory in St Francis to install a maritime radio antenna on the afternoon of Thursday 2 April, he did not know he was about to become a turtle rescue hero!Marius's quick thinking, together with the guidance from our Turtle Rescue Network Coordinator Tracy Whitehead and the team at Port Elizabeth's Bayworl Aquarium, resulted in what has certainly been the most incredible hatchling rescue story we've ever had - and proof that even during the COVID-19 lockdown, everyday heroes get the chance to step-up and become turtle rescuers.

What an interesting season we have had so far in our turtle rehabilitation programme!The 2020 stranding season started pretty quickly, with March seeing the arrival of 24 rescued turtles, adding to the four that we had already received in February. Interestingly, 18 of these turtles came from Struisbaai - a real hotspot when it comes to turtle strandings.

Amy Davis is a third-year photography student at City Varsity. Late last year, she entered a photography competition hosted by the World Photography Organisation. Amy was selected as a finalist, and chose to feature the story of Bob, the beloved green sea turtle in long-term rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium, to suit the theme of "sustainability now."

Of all the things we miss during lockdown, human contact is one of the things we are best able to cope without - probably because of all our modern technology! Whether you're keeping touch with fibre internet at home, using an app like Zoom or Houseparty to interact with friends, calling your gogo or even (gasp) accessing 5G, we're fairly sure you've found some way to chat with the people you love, but are apart from.Animals don't have the internet, but they do have some other tricks for long-distance communication - these are some of our favourites:

If the beginning of the lockdown here in South Africa, and in other countries where long periods of isolation have been encouraged, proved anything, its that we humans are terrible at planning ahead for how much food we need! We tend to either hoard far too much or are severely underprepared. How to sea creatures facing harsh environments and food shortages cope?Here are five ocean animals that have their rainy day food situations sorted: