With everything being cancelled or postponed due to the quarantine, you may have found yourself with stuck at home with your family for a longer period of time than you are used to. You may have already exhausted the usual suspects of entertainment (i.e., board games, puzzles, watch movies, etc…), but before just giving up on family activities altogether, give some of these out-of-the-box ideas a shot!
1. Landscaping and Gardening
Show off your green thumb and do some landscaping and gardening with your family! Do you have a flower or vegetable garden you’ve wanted to start? Have you always wanted to plant some fruit-bearing trees in your backyard? Well, instead of letting your dreams be dreams, you can start on those projects now! Recruit your family as extra labor and you’ll be able to make your dreams a fully realized reality in no time! Not only will this keep your family occupied for hours if not days, it’ll also help improve the curb appeal of your home!
If you’re too short on space for a garden, check out this planter box project!
2. Cooking and Baking
Was there a dish that you’ve always wanted to try but never had the time to learn how to make it? Well, put on your apron and your chef’s hat because now is the perfect time to try it out! Keep your kids busy by teaching them basic culinary skills, such as taking measurements and proportions. Cooking and baking will not only teach them basic mathematics and reading skills, but also chemistry, biology, and physics. You may have a culinary savant on your hands in no time!
3. Virtual Field Trips
Is everyone in your household complaining about being stuck inside? Don’t worry, take your family on a virtual field trip! With a lot of museums and national parks adapting to the advent of the internet, you can take your family on a virtual tour of museums (such as the British Museum and Boston Children’s Museum), to zoos and aquariums (such as the Cincinnati Zoo and Georgia Aquarium), to a waterhole on the African savanna and even the surface of Mars! Here are a few links:
African savanna
Boston Children’s Museum
British Museum
Cincinnati Zoo
Georgia Aquarium
Mars
Yellowstone National Park
4. Home Improvement Projects
There is no better time than now to start on those home improvement projects you’ve been putting off. Get your family to help you put up shelves in the study or repaint kitchen cabinets. Not only will this keep you busy for days or even weeks, but this also helps add value to your house!
5. Volunteer
Our communities support us in our times of need. When we fall, they’re there to help us regain our footing. Now that many people in our communities are in need, consider giving back by volunteering your time. A lot of local non-profit organizations are desperate for manpower, and if you have the time, consider donating some of it to help your community recover from this pandemic.
Here are some links with more information on how you can help out:
Second Mile
Houston Food Bank
Meals On Wheels
Katy Christian Ministries Food Pantry
Pearland Neighborhood Center
TLG Gives