As I write this, I have been teaching at home online for three weeks. My city issued a shelter-in-place mandate two weeks ago. My apartment isn’t terribly tiny, but when you’re constantly stuck in it, it starts to feel that way.
The kinda cool thing about all of this is we’re all in this same boat in some shape or form. All of our lives are changing in some way during this time.
I knew after a few days of sheltering-in-place that I would break down mentally if I didn’t do something new and exciting. Just changing up a few things each day or tweaking my scenery has made a big difference in my mood!
Today I wanted to share with you a list of ten things I’ve been doing during this time of sheltering-in-place- that does NOT include watching TV.
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1. Scrapbook
I LOVE scrapbooking! I find it super relaxing and it’s a great creative outlet. This year, I decided to document 2020 in a traditional scrapbook. In the past, I’ve used Chatbooks and Shutterfly as digital options.
Scrapbooking is great because it allows you to reflect on past memories and adventures. And while we’re all stuck at home, remembering the good times can be encouraging. Life hasn’t always been like this and it won’t always be like this either.
I realized earlier this week that I never finished my Pageant scrapbook from 3.5 years ago. Oops! So now I have the perfect time to catch up on that.
If you’ve never heard of Chatbooks, I have a review & tutorial you can read.
I also wrote a tutorial for Shutterfly and here is a link you can use to get a free 8×8 scrapbook!
If you want to make a traditional physical scrapbook, you can print pictures using Shutterfly and have them shipped to your house! Using the Shutterfly app you can get UNLIMITED free 4×6 or 4×4 prints! Whoo-hoo!
2. Play a New Game
Or play a game you haven’t played in a long time!
My roommate and I love playing board games together and since moving in with her I’ve been on a quest to find games that work well with two players.
In fact, I wrote a whole post about two-player board games you should definitely check out!
However, you might be stuck in a house with more than just one other person. So here are some games that can range in player-count from 2-6.
- Coup
- One of my favorite group games at the moment. It’s like a dystopian novel mixed with mafia.
- You can also play this game via Zoom if each person has their own game! I did that today and it was a blast!
- Villainous
A game where you get to play as Disney bad guys? Yes, please! I think the perfect number of players is 3 or 4, but I have played this with 6 people and with just 2.
- Ticket to Ride
- In my opinion, this is more fun with fewer people, but I have played with five people. It just took forever. But hey, we have more time on our hands now, right?
- Quirkle
- Scrabble but with shapes and colors!
- Clue
- A classic for a reason!
- The Resistance
- This game is great for 5-10 players. It’s a fun group game that isn’t similar to Apples to Apples, which is a huge plus in my book!
3. Learn a New Hobby
Now is the perfect time to start a new hobby or to pick one back up that you haven’t done in a while.
Here are some ideas to get you started…
- Learn how to croquet/ knit (I love Melanie Ham’s YouTube channel for tutorials)
- Start a bullet journal (Amanda Rach Lee is my go-to for this!)
- Learn a new instrument/practice one you haven’t played in a while (I’m relearning “Defying Gravity” on the piano presently)
- Practice painting or drawing
- Start a scrapbook (see above)
- Learn how to do cool designs on your nails with nail polish
- Color in a coloring book.
4. Build a Blanket Fort
It’s been rainy where I live lately, so the other day I commented to my roommate that I felt like building a blanket fort. She told me to go for it, and so I did! :)
There’s just something magical about a blanket fort!
I have electric candles from Amazon that I turned on in the fort to add even more of a cozy element to the fort :)
Today I taught my students via Zoom in my fort. ‘Twas quite fun! :) The lighting was kinda bad but totally worth it. 😎
I totally recommend this if your house or apartment is starting to feel small/boring due to being stuck in it. Having a fort totally changes the atmosphere.
Speaking of Zoom…
5. Connect With Friends Via Zoom!
Honestly, I had never heard of Zoom before all of this started.
But now I’ve used Zoom for staff meetings as well as to teach my students virtually.
Zoom is an online video calling system where you can create a meeting and share that link with your friends for them to join.
Zoom works really well and you can have a TON of people on there at once. Additionally, Zoom has extended the limit for how long you can have a video going for free, so that’s awesome!
My counselor told me the other day that social distancing is kinda a bad term for what we’re having to do right now. We need physical distancing and social connecting.
Otherwise, we’ll go crazy from a lack of human interaction!
6. Write a Letter
We are blessed with phones and computers and other ways to connect digitally with our friends during this time we’re apart. However, pretending we’re living back “in the good old days” and writing our friends a letter can be a great way to pass the time and it will make their day so much happier too!
Writing a letter to a friend isn’t complicated at all. If you don’t have cute stationery, you can just use a piece of notebook paper or printer paper and stuff it in a normal envelope.
I love decorating my envelopes with washi tape or stickers, but that’s totally optional, of course!
7. Go on a Walk
My roommate and another one of our friends who lives in our apartment complex took several walks together last week… while staying 6 feet apart and observing social distancing rules, of course ;)
We found a field of bluebonnets near our apartment and it was so happy seeing the classic Texas spring flower. It’s nice knowing that some things are normal during this weird time.
A few days later I walked down the street to a park and sat on a bench there and read on my Kindle for about 30 minutes.
If you’re starting to feel restless from being stuck inside, go outside and get some fresh air! Walk around! Read a book outside! Pick some wildflowers! Play frisbee with a friend! The possibilities are endless. Just be sure to follow any social distancing rules set by your city. :)
8. Watch a Church Service’s Livestream
Just because we can’t go to church doesn’t mean we should skip church altogether! Many churches have Livestreaming capabilities. If yours doesn’t, ask one of your friends if their church as a Livestream you can tune into.
My roommate and I have been watching my church’s service online via YouTube each Sunday and that’s been quite fun! I secretly kinda like being able to roll out of bed at 10:25 and then start church at 10:30.
9. Read a New Book
Last summer during the Amazon Prime Day sales I bought a Kindle. I think this is one of the best purchases I have ever made.
You can get this thing called “Kindle Unlimited” which costs $10 a month and then you can read an unlimited number of eBooks as long as they are enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program. (You can only have 10 Kindle Unlimited books on your device at a time. It’s kinda like a library you pay to be a part of.)
I have Kindle Unlimited and I have read several new books during these past few weeks!
If you want to try out Kindle Unlimited, you can click here to get one month FREE! And the best part is, you don’t even have to have a Kindle to use Kindle Unlimited! You can download the free Kindle app onto your phone or iPad! :) This is a fabulous way to read new books for free especially since libraries are closed now.
10. Journal
I decided after about 5 days of sheltering-in-place that I should journal every single day and write down what is happening in my community and in this country and even the world during this pandemic. Not necessarily because it’s pleasant, just because I think in five years I’m going to look back on this and wonder “Was the Coronavirus really that terrible??”
I want to have details recorded so that I’ll remember. I want to record how I’m spending my time and what it’s like teaching online.
Additionally, I’ve started keeping a gratitude log in my journal as well as writing down the good things I see happening in the world. The ways people are helping others. The ways companies are offering things for free for teachers.
In the past, I haven’t journaled every day. But lately, it’s been such a relaxing and stress-relieving activity that I don’t think I want to stop!
I totally recommend you start journaling during this time, if you haven’t already. :)
What have you been doing during this time for fun? Let me know in a comment!
Rodrygo
Great tips, will give these a go on the weekend!
Kara Beth
Awesome! Hope you have fun!