The United Kingdom is currently under a Coronavirus disease 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19 lockdown. The majority of the population will be spending all hours at home. A fortunate few may be able to work from home. However, many people have been furloughed or have lost their main source of income. Below is a list of 10 things that could collectively help us get through the days of lockdown. Helping to keep us occupied so that the healthcare workers can do their jobs.
ViableAlternativEnergy would like to send a huge THANK YOU to all NHS and social care workers, supermarket staff, lorry drivers, post office workers, pharmacists, laboratory technicians and all key workers that keep the nation running during the COVID-19 lockdown.
1. Green Fingers and Breeze
Why not grow vegetables from seeds or kitchen scraps? – Growing vegetables can save you money and makes use of kitchen scraps such as carrot tops, spring onion, and leek ends.
Feel the breeze – If you’re lucky enough to have an outside space like a window box, balcony or garden, make the most of it. Eat your breakfast outside, plant a hanging basket, feed some birds or just take a moment to enjoy the fresh air.
2. Organise the Areas of Entropy in Your Life
Tidy your spaces of chaos. We all have a corner of entropy. Now is an ideal time to plan the best way to organise these spaces, whether it’s your room, cupboards or the files on the computer that could do with sorting out. Pinterest is handy for tried and tested tips and tricks.
3. Virtual Tours
Take a virtual tour around world-famous sites, museums, zoos and theatres or how about a night at the Opera?
Places – Watch the Northern Lights via the aurora oval webcam. Take a tour around The Great Wall of China. Hike around Machu Picchu, visit The Vatican and Buckingham Palace.
Animals – Keep up with your favourite animals via webcams. Additionally, learn some more about various animals, science and conservation. Look out for the Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, butterflies at Chester Zoo and Penguins in San Diego. Go underwater with Beluga whales and puffins at Georgia Aquarium. Visit the Polar bears in the tundra via Discovery Education. Explore via various live cameras showing animals up close and personal in their natural habits. National Geographic kids have a special documentaries site for children. Why not have one of these animals visit your home via Google 3D animals.
Museums – Wander around hundreds of museums and explore thousands of works of art and culture.
A night out while staying in – Have you ever dreamed of going to the Opera? Checkout OperaVision for free online operas. If instead, you would prefer to go to the theatre What’s on Stag has a list of productions available for streaming.
4. Online Courses and Learning
Take an online course to improve your skills. Learn something new or train for a career change, anything from ancient Greek philosophy to coding or financial planning. EdX is an open-source online learning platform that started in 2012 by MIT and Harvard Universities. Children can learn the basics of coding via Code Break classes and Code Camp World or study Maths with Carol Vorderman’s free lessons. Then test your knowledge of all things with a Pub quiz. Lastly, discover your family tree by tracing your ancestry the old fashion way through stories and photo albums.
5. Experimentation Fun
Everything from cooking, baking, demonstrating pH through food or tie-dying fabrics using food scraps. Switch one ingredient for another, for example, exchange bananas for eggs or oats and rice for wheat flour. Experimental cooking is fun and necessary especially when ingredients are not available in the local shops.
You can create natural dyes at home using spices and kitchen scraps. Why not try tie-dying at home with Ruby and Raylee, their video will guide you through the process.
6. Reading and Audiobooks
LibriVox provides free public domain audiobooks for download. In the USA Libby app allows you to borrow eBooks and audiobooks from your public library for free. Additionally, Paulo Coelho the author of the Alchemist is giving away 7 eBooks for free.
7. Journaling and Vision Boards
Keep a list of things you’ve realised you can live without. Document the creative ways you have improvised, adapted or struggled to make do.
Make plans for life after coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown. Plan a staycation and support activity centres and small businesses in your area. Sign up for a 10 K run. Register to volunteer at your local community centre or arrange a get-together with friends and family.
Lastly, create a vision board using online images or go old school and make one using collages from old magazines. If drawing is your thing why not animate your goals.
8. Exercise, Meditation and Pampering
Exercise:- Get the most out of your morning, try a physical education session with Joe Wicks. For a leisurely pace take a yoga class it will help with your stretching and deep breathing. Children can practice yoga and mindfulness with Cosmic Kids Yoga.
Meditation and mindfulness:- can assist with stress relief, anxiety, improve attention and memory, and promote self-regulation and empathy.
Pamper yourself at home:- Create your own luxurious homemade bath bombs, salts and scrubs. Using essential oils and kitchen cupboard ingredients.
Lastly, make sure to get enough sleep.
9. Games
Let’s taking go back to offline games. Dust off your favourite board games for an epic tournament. A scoreboard may be necessary. Cluedo, Monopoly, Scrabble, Ludo, Chess and Pictionary are a few of my favourites. Play spot the difference or have a go at crossword puzzles and number games like Suduko. Why not make your own jigsaw puzzle? COVID-19 lockdown
10. Arts and Crafts
Recreate masterpieces using lips, hand and footprints, for example, Jayne Shearer uses lipstick and lips to create beautiful works of art. Colouring activities are not just for children. Adult colouring is extremely handy for reducing stress and boosting creativity.
Caring for each other is a free resource provided by Sesame Street. It includes educative content and over 110 free eBooks for children.
Lastly, why not make your paint from spices and kitchen scraps?
Finally, why not start that big project that you have planned for a long time, from sewing to jewellery making or wood carving now is an ideal time to get started.
Above all try to enjoy quality family time where possible. Also, try to stay in touch with friends and family who may be alone or far away. Stay safe and take care. COVID-19 lockdown
