5 Activity Ideas During While at Home

The novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, has many Americans feeling trapped in their own homes. Across the nation, city governments have shut down all but the most essential services. Movies theaters have ceased operations, and most restaurants are only accepting take-out orders. As many families are being forced to stay home from work and school, they are struggling to find ways to occupy their time. Movies in bed are good for a while, but over the course of the coming weeks, people will need to find original ways to occupy their time. While the usual hangout spots may all be closed, there is plenty to do during the outbreak to kill some time, and maybe even make this forced stay-cation enjoyable.

1. Go outside

In Mississippi, we are finally on the turning point of the season. Warm weather and less rain have made the outdoors much more inviting than it has been during the last few months. Sunshine is the best medicine, if not for Covid-19, then at least for the boredom that comes from sitting inside for months on end. We don’t know how long we will have to stay home, so this is the perfect opportunity to go outdoors and get some fresh air. Just remember to keep any walking buddies at a safe distance!

2. Virtual tours

If the outdoors aren’t really your thing, but you still want something more stimulating to do than watch Netflix for the fourth day in a row, then try a virtual tour. Many major museums have their facilities mapped out and viewable through either google maps, or by going through their website. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s virtual tour can be found at this link: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour They have photos of all current and past exhibits. The Georgia Aquarium has live feeds of all their animals and exhibits available here: https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/

3. Board Games

Board games and similar family games are a great way to pass the time when you’re stuck at home. If you don’t own a board game, a good idea would be to get games that take longer to play such as monopoly or risk. These games require more strategy and can be replayed more than a simple game like UNO.

4. Home improvement

This is the perfect time to hammer out some of those old projects that have been planned for months but have never been started. Repairs and maintenance are the first projects that come to mind, but also try stretching those creative muscles and do some decorating. Painting is an excellent way to pass the time. New colors make the house interesting and fresh, which is important when you’re home all the time, and the act of painting can lead to inspiration for other projects.

5. Sleep

Experts agree that 8 hours of sleep is important for health and wellness, but during the workweek, most of us just don’t get that. This is the chance to catch up on some well-deserved rest. The weekly stresses that we all go through keep us so busy that most of the time we don’t realize how tired we are, which is why many experts are recommending that during this time of being stuck at home to catch up on sleep. Once you are rested, you may find yourself feeling like doing some of the other activities on this list, and lying in bed watching movies will probably seem a little less appealing.