By: Dustyn Thompson

I recognize that this is an extremely challenging time and that many of us are anxious in response to this pandemic and its impacts on the most vulnerable among us. Across Delaware, and the rest of the nation, families are having to stay home in an effort to help “flatten the curve.” For those with children, it can open a new area of complications as they become more isolated and, frankly, bored. Even adults can begin to feel a little cabin fever-ish after a few days. I know I am. 

That’s why I thought it would be a cool idea to create a list of some creative things, and some standard classics, that you can do to fill in the time and help combat the boredom while remaining physically distant from others. (Some of these are geared specifically for families with children):

1. Have an “around the house” scavenger hunt.

How fun was it as a kid to hunt for Easter eggs around a park or the house? Well, no need to wait for Easter to take part in the hunt! Find some random objects in your house, or use some of your kids’ toys, and hide them around the house or yard with some well-crafted clues to help guide them to the appropriate location. For example, you could hide a Wolverine action figure in the produce drawer and the clue could be, “This X-man could really slice some carrots.” or something fun like that.

2. Learn a new skill, or expand on an old one. 

This is a great time to get back into the groove of a skill that you fell off of a while ago. Maybe try to write that novel that you have been putting off for years (or start with a short story ;) ). Or perhaps you have always wanted to learn how to draw or paint. Of course, it’s a little tough to get the paint right now, but anyone can pick up a pen or pencil and take some of these free online drawing lessons. For those with paint, there is always good ole’ Bob Ross!

3. Sew some masks for our heroes and heroines in healthcare.

For those that do not know how to sew, now is a great time to learn, as there is a concerted effort right now to sew masks for healthcare workers. Once you have them completed, or if you need a pattern and info on materials, reach out to Help for Healthcare Workers Delaware on Facebook to get involved. If you are not on Facebook, please reach out to Kristin Short at Kristinebshort@gmail.com. She is helping lead the effort to develop masks for healthcare workers in Delaware and get them to where they need to go.

4. Join or start a Podcast club.

I’ll be the first to admit. I’m not a great millennial. I do not buy the new gadgets all the time, I yell at kids to get off my lawn already, and I don’t listen to podcasts. But that doesn’t mean you have to be like me. Podcasts are great (from what I hear), and you can totally start a podcast club that listens to different podcasts each week and then gets together on Zoom or another virtual meeting space and talks about them over wine or beer, or water, any beverage really. Camille from Sierra Club Delaware Chapter is getting ready to start a Podcast Club, focusing on environmental themes, so be sure to sign up for that here. Our first series is a playlist developed by Camille featuring the role of Fossil Fuels in our society.

5. Join or start a Book Club.

Much like the aforementioned podcast option above, but for those who refuse to get with the times, you can always start or join a book club. Delaware Sierra Club just started our first book club, and we will have another in May. You can still join our April club by signing up for our second meeting here. But anyone with a Zoom account can start a book club for free by using books from the Delaware libraries’ virtual set up through Hoopla.com. 

6. Play a game with your family.

It’s time to bust out those board games! If you are really daring and want to test the strength of your relationships, and want to be busy all day, we recommend Monopoly. If you do not have any board games, there are online gaming platforms like Poki.com that offer limited online board games. One other creative option is to get crafty! You can make a new board game with an old cardboard box or some paper. Make markers, cards or other pieces by hand. Grab some dice from another game or make a spinner. The best part about that is you can make up the rules as you go to keep the kids on their toes!

7. Build that pillow fort you’ve always dreamed of!

Every person who was ever a child should have, at one point in their lives, built a massive pillow fort. If you have not yet done so… It is time! Rip those pillow cushions off the couch, grab all the sheets in your house, and get to creating the best pillow fort in all the lands! P.S. You do not need kids to enjoy this activity!

8.  Tell a story as a family. 

This one is super fun. One person starts with a phrase or sentence, the next one continues with an added phrase/sentence, and so on. Continue until a logical place to end. Make it a funny or scary story, or whatever your group enjoys. The best part about this is the laughs that it will be guaranteed to bring about. Even if your little brother does nothing but add the word “fart” every time it’s his turn, it is still gold!

9. Do more science!

There are tons of science projects that you can do at home with kids, and kids love science! Alright, maybe not all kids love science. But when you start making a mess in the kitchen, I promise they will love that! Here are a couple of ideas on some great home science projects you can do with the stuff in your house, and one throwback that I may just do, DIY Shrinky-Dinks (remember those!). One reviewer said you may want to use a toaster oven outside or open a window for the Shrinky-Dinks. As I remember, those didn't smell to great back in the day either...

10. Who doesn’t love to color?

There are a ton of both adult and kid coloring pages that could be printed out, and even some click to color websites, if that is your thing. There are a ton of different places to download and print free coloring pages that are mostly geared for kids (but we won’t judge you for using them too). Here are a few different options to choose from (Hint: each link is a different page. See I knew you loved scavenger hunts!). JustColor.net has a ton of adult coloring pages that you can download as well. Kids or adults can submit the coloring pages back to me and I will share them on our Instagram and Facebook account so everyone can see your magnificent works of art.

11. Write a friendly note to our service industry workers still helping life move forward.

Time to get real, y'all. There are people out there still working and making sure that our society is still functional. We need to thank these unsung heroines and heroes. So, get out your pen and paper and write a little thank you note to your sanitation service people, your mail person, the delivery man, or whoever or all of them (even if it is literally the words “thank you”). Just leave it taped to your garbage can, your mailbox, or wrapped in the generous tip you give. You can also write a thank you and post it on social media thanking the nurses and people working in the grocery stores. These people are the most at risk now, and they deserve our praise. 

I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy, safe, and adjusting as well as you can to this unprecedented and unsettling moment. I hope that this top eleven (I couldn’t decide on just ten, #SorryNotSorry) list will give you some ideas of what you can do while stuck inside. I welcome any additional ideas and will post them as well!