Earlier this month, Pennsylvania’s Governor ordered a stay-at-home mandate through the end of April to flatten the curve of the Coronavirus through social distancing. People are instructed to only travel for necessary and life-sustaining needs like groceries and medical appointments.
Fortunately, this stay-at-home order allows and encourages people to get outside for fresh air, exercise, and activities. However, people should stay within a 15 minute distance of their home when walking, biking, hiking, etc. As you can imagine, this has us all feeling like we’re in a bit of a glass cage right now. Especially for larger families or those with active children, getting outside is essential for burning off energy.
No matter what type of outdoor space is available to you – big or small, full of entertainment or simply an open lawn, there are a lot of opportunities to find fun in these challenging times. Take a look as we offer some ideas for enjoying the outdoors while social distancing.
Outdoor Family Workouts
You don’t have to be a fitness instructor or athlete to start partaking in outdoor family workouts. Best of all you can get in a great workout with little to no equipment, especially if you can make use of your outdoor space. Head to an open part of your yard, or driveway and make a game out of various exercise moves. Push-ups, squats, jumping jacks, sprints, lunges, frog hops, burpees, and so much more can be combined with a quick and fun workout geared toward all abilities.
Fun with Water
Spring is here and days are already starting to feel like summer. Before we know it, we’re going to need a way to stay cool in the heat. With the unknown of whether public pools will be open this season, having your own swimming pool is now that much more awesome. There are endless ways to make use of your swimming pool all throughout the summer, and especially in quarantine. Don’t have a pool? No worries. If you have a baby pool, garden hose, a few buckets, and maybe a piece of tarp laying around you can quickly create your own mini waterpark which will add some cool (and comic) relief to a hot and sunny afternoon.
Scavenger Hunt
Create a scavenger hunt for the whole family. Think of your property and what you’re most likely to find, obvious and no so obvious, then create your “hunt” list. Rather than making people pick up and carry around whatever they find, have them take photo evidence with their phones. Then you can compare pictures and tally up points. Beyond searching for objects, make it a challenge of who can get photos in certain poses or at certain places on your property. If you get creative, this can give you hours of fun.
Nature Spotting
Once you’re tired out from all the walking, hiking, biking, swimming, and whatever else you find yourself doing outside during quarantine, take a seat – outside of course. Then, sit still and quiet and write down everything you see and hear. If you pay close attention you’re likely to see and hear things you wouldn’t have otherwise. Try doing this a few times each week to see how sights and sounds change as spring progresses into summer. You’ll view the world in a whole new way.
Corona Olympics
So the 2020 summer Olympics were postponed, but that’s all the more reason to host your own “Corona Olympics.” Think of obstacles and activities you can set up outside and assign a point system. Get inspired by real summer Olympic activities (within reason of course). If you have a pool, there are a ton of competitions you can create from this alone. Even if you just have a driveway or small outdoor space, think of track and field activities. And you certainly don’t have to stick to real Olympics events. Get creative and have fun! Most importantly, make sure you create something you can use for your gold, silver, and bronze medals.
Imaginary Amusement Park
This final idea is an especially fun one for kids (of all ages). Take a seat outside in your lawn, or on your back deck. Regardless of how big your yard is, let the sky be the limit. Take a pen and paper and have everyone in your family sketch out what their dream amusement park would look like if they could create one right next to the house. Who can build the coolest coaster? Who can come up with the most exciting layout? Once everyone’s done, lay them out and compare the pieces you like most from each version. For bonus points, collaborate on combining your favorite elements into one final version that you can share in coloring. This will be a keepsake you’ll want to hang on to for years to come.
From everyone at Aquavisions, we hope you are staying safe and well during these extremely challenging times. While we all work to do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19, we know there is still much joy to be found in simple moments with family like the ones we’ve outlined above.
How are you planning to enjoy the outdoors while social distancing this spring, and possibly into summer? Share your creative ideas by commenting below!