Wednesday, May 6 2020 9:23

Stay-at-Home

Written by Mercedes Thomas

 

If you’re running out of ways to pass the time and keep the kids occupied, then you’re in luck! We’ve put together another list of ideas for kids and adults alike to spice up your time at home. What are you going to do first?

 

Keep it Local

  • Make greeting cards for seniors. The Coatesville Area Senior Center is asking for community members to make “Thinking of You” greeting cards for seniors who come through their Drive-Thru meal service. Cards can be dropped off at the drop box at the Center’s front doors.
  • Join a craft live stream. Narberth’s Handwork Studio offers weekday craft live streams for you to enjoy. Each project uses items commonly found at home, so you don’t even need to leave the house. Miss the live stream? Watch them later at Facebook or YouTube.
  • Help local businesses. We’ve said it before, but buy gift cards, shop online or over the phone, maintain your regular subscriptions, create a directory of all the nearby businesses and more. Read more ways on how to support local businesses here.
  • Donate food and goods to nearby hospitals. Face masks, safety goggles, hand sanitizer, wipes—local hospitals, like the Chester County Hospital, are in need of these items. If you’ve got extra to spare, donate! Make sure you follow all the drop-off rules set by the hospital.

 

For the Kids

  • Put all those toilet paper and paper towel rolls to use! You probably have an overabundance of these cardboard tubes, so use them for fun crafts and activities for the kiddos. For some good ideas, click here.
  • Take a virtual field trip. The Smithsonian, zoos and aquariums, planetariums, art museums and more, there’s field trips for kids with any interests. Find great virtual trips here.
  • Enjoy a virtual storytime. The Brooklyn Public Library has dozens of virtual events for all ages, and their storytimes is great for your young children to enjoy. Tune in throughout the week.
  • And you’ll want to make sure you have all the educational resources you need. com has free accounts that give you access to tons of lessons, study packets and more for all your in-home teaching needs.
  • Create your very own bedtime story. Scholastic makes it easy to make your own personalized bedtime story. Pick a theme, enter your name and grade, spin the wheel for story prompts, and write the best bedtime story ever.

 

Family Fun

  • Have a sweet tooth? Learn how to make your own candy! There’s so many tasty recipes to try, like this strawberry hard candy from com, easy homemade lollipops from JustATaste.com, and chewy Starburst-like candy from ChefSteps.com.
  • Stream a concert. com has gathered up a list of virtual concerts with everything from country and acoustic to pop and dance music. Keith Urban, Miley Cyrus and the Indigo Girls are just a handful of the musicians available to listen to now.
  • Or start your own band at home. com has tutorials on how to create more than 40 instruments with items that can be found at home. Make your instruments, film your family playing your own song and put it up on Facebook and YouTube for everyone to enjoy.
  • Visit national historic sites and treasures, or go on a virtual road tour. Take a virtual trip through the Bears Ears National Monument, virtual tours of Lyndhurst and many more at the National Trust for Historical Preservation Or use Google Street view and take a road trip to nearly anywhere in the world. Read this article for inspiration.

 

Fun for Adults, too

  • Watch a TED Listen while you work, while you’re taking a break, while you go on a walk—there’s a talk for every person and situation. Here’s one we enjoyed and suggest, Embrace The Shake.
  • Read historical letters. Do you enjoy history? Check out Letters of Note for an archive of old letters. Browse by date, subject, people and more.
  • Join a digital book club. The Independent is running a book club, and you’re invited to join. Every other Tuesday Twitter users can vote on which book they’d like to read next, and the winner will be announced the following day. After you finish, email your thoughts to The Independent.
  • Start a podcast. It’s true, podcasts are really popular now. And if you’ve thought about making your own, now’s the time. Comedy, politics, true crime, self help—whatever you enjoy, there’s a niche for that. For some help getting started, read this article at ThePodcastHost.com.

 

Have even more ideas? Share them on our Facebook page or email them to [email protected]. We’re all in this together—and all looking for ways to make our stay-at-home memorable.


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