We recently shared a post with CDC recommendations in relation to COVID-19, which included staying home and social distancing. It seems like day-by-day the situation gets worse and there’s less and less we can do outside or with others. This could last for weeks, months… or longer… who knows at this point. For the time being one of the main things right now is to stay safe and to follow the recommendations made by the health officials and governments. That said, with so much time indoors in insolation, what can we do to entertain ourselves while social distancing and staying home? Here are a few suggestions to help time go by faster:

Skype/Facetime/Zoom/Google Duo with family and friends

It’s recommended by the CDC that you don’t have any visitors for a while. That doesn’t mean you should ignore everyone. Thankfully, we live in a time where technology is the solution to a lot of problems. Check in with family and friends through video calls. It will give you some much-needed social interaction and peace of mind to know how they are doing. Maybe even a virtual happy hour with your friends?

I have been video chatting with my family and friends and sometimes it almost feels like you are there with them – from the mundane, like watching each other work, to the fun, like watching my nieces run around the apartment playing dress-up.

Binge watch your favorite shows and discover new ones

Chances are that you have that one show you love to binge watch. You know you want to, and it will make time go by so much faster! Not sure what to watch? Here are just a few suggestions of shows that are binge-worthy: Kingdom (Netflix), Locke & Key (Netflix), Outlander (Starz), The Society (Netflix), Hunters (Amazon Prime), The Mandalorian (Disney +), You (Netflix), Stranger Things (Netflix).  You can even re-watch some old favourites like Friends, Gossip Girls (Netflix), Sex and the City, and Suits (Amazon Prime).

Board Games

This is a risky one if your family members or roommates are competitive, but board games can offer hours of fun entertainment! Just spend some time in separate rooms if you end up getting mad at someone along the way. 🙂

I have been playing 2 player board games with Teraj – Blokus – Tetris style puzzle game and The Rivals of Catan – a two player card game version of the popular Settlers of Catan board game.

We have also been playing online games with our friends over video chat – Code Names – a team based word association game.  You can play online at: https://codenames.plus/

Online Movie Night

You can now stream movies to watch with friends. One super fun way to do this is with Netflix party – an extension that allows people to watch something together while chatting through the live chat feature.

Stream Live Concerts

With spring concerts canceled for now, artists have been streaming live performances. Virtual concerts are a fun way to stay entertained while supporting your favourite artists. NPR.org has been keeping an updated list of available Virtual Concerts on their website.

Read and/or Listen to Audiobooks

Catching up on your reading is a great way to spend time too. And if you’d rather audiobooks, you can even get some spring-cleaning out of the way while you listen.

Virtual Tours

There are quite a few museums offering virtual tours right now.  A few include:

British Museum – London – Public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Their collection includes about eight million objects featuring two million years of history.

Guggenheim Museum – NY – The online collection features over 1,700 artworks from Guggenheim’s permanent collection featuring pieces from the late 19^th century through the present day.

National Gallery of Art – Washington – Featuring artwork from Byzantine altarpieces to pop art, the virtual tour is a great way to view their current collection, lectures by artists, and more.

Musee d’Orsay – Paris – The museum features mostly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography.

You can tour many more international and US museums right from your living room! For more US museums, check out this list from TimeOut.com

Exercise

Make sure to setup an exercise routine. Quarantine can decrease activity and change your eating habits. Spending an hour doing Yoga or exercising in some way will help you boost your energy and get fit for the summer.

I personally ordered a doorway pull-up bar that can be used for sit-ups, push-ups, and dips. I also ordered a few resistant bands so that I can stay up with my daily workouts.

I have been keeping up with my morning pushups and sit-ups. One of my favourite apps for sit-ups is 6 pack promise, available on both Apple and Google Play.

Virtual Universal Studios Ride?

Finally, you can ride the Universal Studios ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey’ ride from your living room. Just click here and enjoy the ride!

I hope these keep you entertained and help time go by fast, and soon… (hopefully)…. we will be able to visit all of these places in person. 🙂