5 Ways to Make the Most of Staying Home
As we adjust to spending more time at home, especially if you are now working at home remotely, we offer some ideas to make the most of being at home.
Cook with what’s on hand.
From the sight of so many empty shelves at our grocery stores, at some point, the items in our well-stocked pantries will diminish and we’ll find ourselves looking in the pantry or refrigerator and asking, “What can I fix tonight?.” Well, here are several websites where you can input the ingredients and find recipes using what you have on hand:
If you happen to have a child at home who is interested in cooking, check out this website from America’s Test Kitchen for Kids.
Stay connected.
Being confined to your home can be very isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. Keep up with your friends and family! Make a phone call, send a text, or an email. Pull out all the stops and send a handwritten note. You will probably make that person’s day!
You can also use Google Hangout, Zoom, or FaceTime to virtually play a game with others near and far. Our two favorites are Codenames, and Charades. Click here to watch the rules of Codenames if you’ve never played before.
It doesn’t take much to stay connected and you’ll benefit from your actions as much as your friends and family will.
Spend time outside.
Currently, it is recommended that people take a walk, visit a park, or go on a hike as long as they practice safe social distancing (stay six feet apart) and do not gather in groups. If you live near a national park and it is still open, which the vast majority of them are, the entrance fees are being waived to encourage people to get outside. You can check here to see if a national park near you is open.
Learn something new.
Many online learning sites are now available for free. While some were created with students in mind, they have expanded the curriculum for adult learning on a wide variety of subject matter. Here are some recommendations:
If you’re interested in a cultural learning experience, Google Arts and Culture partnered with 2,500 museums and galleries around the globe to showcase the world’s finest art with virtual tours.
For children, a host of online learning sites cater to all ages. Here are just a few:
Free science lessons – Mystery Science
Animated kid videos - TedEd
Pre-K - ninth grade - Scholastic Learn At-Home
For high school students - Fiveable
And let’s not leave out your local library. While many are closing, their online resources remain available.
Tackle a project.
Clear out the clutter, paint a room, or organize your endless digital photo files. Now is the time. There has to be something around your home that you have put off doing, maybe for years. Take this opportunity to finally get it gone. The sense of accomplishment when you complete it will be gratifying and possibly inspirational to tackle another project.