Scope these creative ways to pass the time while strengthening your content and having fun from adventure junkie Alice Ford, aka @alicesadventuresonearth.
Staying home doesn’t mean we are destined for boredom. As a travel writer, adventure filmmaker and travel host,I feel strongly about being unable to travel, hike and visit national and state parks, three things you cannot do right now unless you live at the base of a mountain. As “Stay at Home” orders mount across the country, people and families will be looking for ways to pass the time as they adjust to the new normal of social distancing and staying indoors. . This is a time for all of us to find ways to stay motivated and inspired, and I have some great suggestions on activities to get your creative imagination flying.
Master A New Skill
There is no better time than now to sign up for an e-course. Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the piano, use photoshop, or build a website? Well, you are in luck because there is a course for just about everything these days. To find an e-learning course, you can check out Lynda.com or Skillshare. Both offer thousands of courses and classes on everything from needlepoint to aerial photography. Many e-courses are offering lengthy free trials; in fact, you can get 2 months free right now for signing up for skillshare. If those don’t float your boat, there’s always good ol’ Youtube.
Bonus: Reinforce your learning, and engage with your following by practicing your skills on live stream!
Make a Detailed Social Media Calendar
For this activity, pretend that the global pandemic does not exist. Set up a google presentation with a slide for each day of the week. Go through your phone and pick out your favorite images you never got around to posting. If you don’t have any, find stock images online for practice. Unsplash and Pexels are great resources for free images.
Practice writing captions for each image that are relevant and descriptive. Because it’s April, you may want to imagine you are posting about a rainy day, or on your way to an uncancelled Coachella. It doesn’t matter what the content is, so long as you are keeping it interesting. Separated by a series of periods, be sure to include relevant hashtags (you can include up to 30!) underneath your caption. Search already existing hashtags, under “tags” in your search bar on IG. Practice creative ways to incorporate content and hashtags that are already trending!
Learn a Language
If you’re like me you’ve probably been saying for a decade that you want to get better at a foreign language, and there is no better time than right now. Set aside 10 minutes every day to try your hand at becoming more proficient at the language of your choice, and use one alanguage app to master it. I love Duolingo which offers 94 languages in an easy app based platform available on both IOS and IPhone. You may also want to try Babbel or Rosetta Stone. While you’re at it, download one of your favorite short stories or novels in the language you are learning and make a goal to read one chapter or page a night.
Become an Ecology Expert in Your Own Community
Can you name the species of every plant, tree, and animal in your neighborhood? Well, you may just be an ecology wizard after downloading this app and going on daily walks. It’s called Seek by INaturalist and it’s one of my favorite apps on my phone. It’s basically a catalog of the world’s biodiversity in the palm of your hand. Using your phone’s camera, you can take pictures of any plant, tree leaf, insect, or animal, and the app searches thousands of other photos and information posted by users and scientists to tell you the species’, nativity, range, and habitat. You can also share your findings with scientists who are studying biodiversity around the globe.
Write a Short Story
Take this time to kickstart your imagination. Reach out to your roommates, friends, or family via zoom to see if they will join you in this fun and creative exercise.
- Step 1, Grab a pad of paper and head to a window in your house, or better yet, head outdoors for a few minutes and take in the scenery. Observe your surroundings and write down the first name that pops into your mind.
- Next, write down what appeals to your senses: 1 scent, 1 emotion, 2 things you hear, and something you feel. Set a timer for 15 minutes and write a short story that includes at least 1 sense from each category.
- When you are finished, you can read your short stories to your family and friends, or even share them on social media to engage with your audience’s imagination.
Bonus: This activity will also help to make your Instagram captions more descriptive!
Host an International Dinner
We may not be able to travel to a far away place right now, but that doesn’t mean we cannot recreate an international trip right in our own dining room. Pick a destination you’ve always wanted to visit, and create a themed dinner party for you and your family to experience it’s cuisine and culture. Grab a recipe, or order takeout from an authentic restaurant and start decorating your dining room.
Bonus: Stream your tasty dishes on IGTV, and trade recipe recommendations with your followers to boost your engagement!
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