By INDIA KRUG – Remember what we all told ourselves when quarantine started?  That we were going to deep clean our houses, get all of our work done, start a new project.  Soon, we realized that was all a pipe dream and as the days in quarantine increased, so did our screen time.  Well I’m here to give you 30 alternative activities to scrolling through social media.  

1. Start a daily journal
2. Play board games with family
3. Make a pillow fort to study in
4. Go for a walk 
5. Call a relative 
6. Send letters to your friends 
7. Read new books online through the Indiana Free Library’s Digital Downloads
8. Mow or weed an elderly neighbor’s lawn 
9. Send snacks to IRMC workers
10. Make a mixtape of all of your favorite songs

Junior Kade Duffee shares, “I’ve been spending a lot of time learning new things like podcasting and securities trading.  I’ve also been watching movies and shows I’ve been meaning to watch.”

11. Start learning a new language on Duolingo 
12. Make a list of movies you want to watch and have movie nights with your family
13. Prepare meals for the Chevy Chase Community Center
14. Rearrange your bedroom 
15. Make a vision board using print-outs and magazines 
16. Go for bike rides around town 
17. Take photography of nature
18. Make cookies for your neighbors 
19. Play online games like “Words with Friends” and “Photo Roulette” with friends 
20. Cook dinner for your family 

Junior Allie Rutledge states, “I have been trying tons of new recipes during quarantine to pass the time! It’s something I love to do because it’s fun to make and try new foods.”

21. Try a workout video on Youtube 
22. Bring food to ICCAP 
23. Organize your clothes and find ones to donate
24. Try out a new baking recipe 
25. Learn a TikTok dance 
26. Make homemade face masks
27. Print out coloring sheets to do 
28. Make phone calls for your 2020 election candidate 
29. Have a picnic outside 
30. Make a bucket list for when quarantine ends 

Senior Maddie Caroff says, “I’ve been going outside as much as possible! Even though it has been rather rainy I love going for runs in the woods or playing disc golf with my dad.  If I have a lot of work I set up outside so I can still enjoy the nice weather.”

See? There are lots of other ways to spend your day that will be more interesting and gratifying.  So get off Instagram, because I know you have Distance Learning work to catch up on.  Then, maybe try something from this list! 

[Photos courtesy of Maddie Caroff, Grace Woolslayer, Nathan Birch, and Allie Rutledge]

Photo Caption: “IHS Students enjoy quarantine activities.”