Self-isolating ideas from I Love Cheadle Hulme

Suddenly faced with more time on our hands as schools and businesses close to prevent the spread of COVID-19, our community is bracing itself for weeks in isolation. To help us all through this tough time, I Love Cheadle Hulme has compiled a great selection of ways for the whole family to keep boredom at bay.

There are plenty of ideas here to stay busy and entertained during our time in relative captivity while doing the right thing by protecting the vulnerable and elderly in our community. Got more to add? Let us know your top tips over on our Facebook page!

Indoor activities

Stuck indoors? There are loads of boredom busters to try. Why not have a go at some of the following:

• Make playlists of your favourite songs – Music is the spice of life, and making playlists of your favourite songs can help cut through the monotony of lockdown.
• Online tutorials – Learn a new skill or craft with the help of online tutorials. YouTube is the place to be if you want to skill up during downtime.
• Grow herbs – Growing herbs is something you can do on a windowsill. Invest in some seeds and watch as they spring into life, ready to add some fresh flavour to your cooking.
• Get creative – If you’ve got art and craft supplies to hand, channel your inner artiste and try your hand at painting, decoupage, calligraphy or anything else that takes your fancy.
• Adult colouring books – Great for relaxation, colouring-in isn’t just for kids anymore, with all kinds of intricate designs to shade.

Home organisation and admin

There’s no excuse to put off that spring clean now! It’s time to tackle those home organisation tasks you’ve been putting on hold over winter, including:

• Deep clean the house – You’ll be spending a lot more time at home in the coming weeks and doing a deep clean can make your environment more comfortable while providing some peace of mind you’re doing what you can to guard against germs.
• Organise your wardrobe – Now that the cold weather’s on its way out and a new season has set in, there’s no better time to clear out unwanted items from your wardrobe and put them aside for the charity shop.
• Clear out the garage, shed, loft, or spare room – Clear out the clutter and see what space you can free up – you might be grateful of it now that you’re spending more time at home with the family!
• Sort the kitchen cupboards – Establish order in your cupboards by getting rid of out-of-date items and making a list of what you need to replace.
• Interior decoration and design – It’s a great time to touch up paint and make your home look lovely. Even just hanging pictures or moving the furniture around can give a room a new lease of life.
• Clean up the computer – Tidy your desktop and delete or move files you no longer need. While you’re at it, why not unsubscribe from unwanted emails, too?
• Create a filing system – Stay on top of post and paperwork with a filing system, designating a folder or cubby hole for each family member.

Home-based bucket list activities

Got a few home-based tasks to tick off your bucket list? Here are some we’ve thought of:

• Pick up a new language – Learn a new language in preparation for holidays to come!
• Trace your family tree – Tracing your roots is fascinating – who knows what (or who) you might uncover as you venture back through the generations?
• Learn sign language – Sign language is a true life skill and if you head over to British-Sign.co.uk it’s currently free to learn for under 18s.

 Family fun

Keeping the kids entertained out of school is going to take some thought – here are some ideas to get you started:

• Kinetic sand – Like wet beach sand, kinetic sand can be squeezed, squished and shaped into all kinds of creations, and then flattened back into dry sand afterwards.
• Paint your own pottery – Bring out the kids’ creative side with pottery painting – anything from a plant pot to a mug can be transformed into a treasured memento of childhood.
• Pamper the dog – Everyone enjoys looking (and smelling) their best so why not use this time to pamper your pooch with a bath, nail trim and groom? The kids are sure to love pampering their pets – even if the dog doesn’t.
• Watch a movie – Microwavable popcorn at the ready, stick on a movie and curl up for some family time on the sofa.
• Cheerios necklace – Get older kids to help create a ‘stylish’ necklace that doubles up as a snack for teething toddlers – what’s not to love?!
• Cosmic Yoga – Giving children the tools to look after their mental health can be a blessing. Cosmic yoga teaches kids mindfulness, yoga and balance from an early age.

Health and wellbeing

Keeping well has never been so important. While you’ll have to forgo the gym or communal exercise for a while, there are still plenty of ways to look after your health and wellbeing at home.

• Exercise – Keep fit with exercises at home. Put on a DVD, follow a YouTube workout or try some armchair exercises to make sure you’re moving enough.
• Meditate – Calm your mind and body with a meditation to clear your head and help you relax.
• Online fitness groups – You can still enjoy social fitness in isolation by joining an online fitness group or virtual personal trainer sessions.
• Pamper day – A bit of TLC is really important so dig out the toweling robe, enjoy an indulgent bubble bath and paint your nails for a bit of ‘me’ time.

 Outdoor activities

Now that spring has sprung, the great outdoors is the perfect place to enjoy being one with nature.

• Yoga – Make the most of the spring sunshine and sounds of nature with a calming yoga session in your outdoor space.
• Set up a vegetable patch – With no end in sight to the chaos at the supermarket, now’s the time to put any plans for a vegetable patch into action!

Family, friends and community

Spending time away from friends and family is never easy but there are ways to keep in touch at a distance, and to ensure we’re still caring for our community.

• Volunteer – Community aid groups are popping up all over the place, offering help with shopping and other tasks for those in isolation. Have a look through Facebook to find your nearest volunteer group.
• Call, text and Facetime – Stay in touch with friends and relatives with calls and text, Facetime or web-based platforms like WhatsApp.
• Virtual clubs – There are still ways to enjoy social hobbies – join a virtual book club, for example, to share conversation and reading lists.
• Cards and pictures for the elderly – Older people and those in care homes are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, so visits are restricted. You can still spread some cheer by creating cards and pictures and posting them to our elderly residents.

We’d love to know if you try any of our ideas – send your pictures to us at I Love Cheadle Hulme on Facebook and let’s share our community’s achievements!

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