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Bored in Quarantine & Don’t Know What to Do?

Bored during lockdown, but don’t know what to do? Boredom has overtaken the world. However, I have a cure for your boredom. There are 60+ activities for you to do while you are stuck at home because of the Coronavirus.

A young girl looks bored as she stares at the camera from behind blinds.
Photo by Joshua Rawson-Harris on Unsplash

Activities to Do in Lockdown

Below is a list of activities and fun things to do while you’re stuck in the house because of COVID-19. I’ve used these with many of my online students and they have enjoyed them. So, I hope you do as well.

*This is written for Upper-intermediate to advanced level English students (B2, B2*, C1, C2)

Comment below with the one you enjoyed doing the most!


Virtual Tours to Overcome Boredom

Ever wanted to beat the boredom blues by taking a virtual tour? Well, now you can! You can take many different tours. For instance, visit the Getty museum to do their challenge. I have listed tours ranging from space, museums, and more!

Which did you take? Will you visit it after COVID-19 is finished?

Museum Virtual Tours

A man with his hands wrapped behind him enjoys a painting at an art museum gallery.
Photo by 
Igor Miske on 
Unsplash
  1. British Library: A History of Writing (U.K.)
  2. NASA (U.S.A.)
  3. National Museum of African-American History & Culture (U.S.A.)
  4. The National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico)
  5. J Paul Getty Museum (U.S.A.)
  6. The Louvre (France)
  7. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (S. Korea)
  8. National Women’s History Museum (U.S.A)
  9. The Vatican
  10. Kyoto Costume Institute (Japan)
  11. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (U.S.A.)
  12. Guggenheim (Spain)
  13. Museum of Art of São Paulo (Brazil)
  14. Royal Ontario Museum (Canada)
  15. Uffizi Gallery (Italy)
  16. Smithsonian Museum of American History (U.S.A.)

You Can’t Be Bored with Zoos and National Parks

Zoos

  1. Rhinos
  2. Sea Otters
  3. Penguins
  4. San Diego Zoo
  5. Beluga Whales
  6. Gorillas
  7. Elephants
  8. Giraffes
  9. Panda
  10. Coral Reef
  11. Jellyfish
  12. Sharks
  13. Butterflies (May 5, 2020 only)
  14. Bald Eagle Nest

National Parks

A picture of mountains, canyons, trees, streams, and a large open, clear sky.
Photo by Michael Louie on Unsplash
  1. Kenai Fjords
  2. Yosemite Falls
  3. Hawai’i’s Volcanoes
  4. Dry Tortugas
  5. Faroe Islands (see below)
  6. Alcatraz
  7. Mount Rushmore
  8. Yellowstone National Park
  9. The Grand Canyon
  10. Ellis Island
  11. Old Faithful and The Upper Geyser

You can read more about many of these by clicking the links below.

Bored? Do Home Crafts/ Do It Yourself (D.I.Y)!

  1. Knitting
  2. Sewing

Paint and Dye

A student art painting of poppies.
Poppies (student art creation by L.M.)

I put together a list of painting tutorials (for beginners) for my students. The list is below

  1. Tree with Saran Wrap
  2. Cherry Tree with Q-tips
  3. Poppies
  4. Flowers
  5. Cotton Swabs
  6. Pot of Lavender
  7. Cactus

After making this, you can dye fabric, or why not use it as watercolor? I know it’s not the same, but have an adventure!

Show me your masterpiece! @ParadigmEnglish

Recreate Art Masterpieces to Cure Boredom

This has been trending on social media for several weeks My students really got into this one. I did as well. If you’ve not already done so (and even if you have), try this one. You will surely not be bored after you do.

What is it?

So, basically, you take a tour of a the Getty Museum. Choose an artwork that you would like to recreate. But, you can only use 3 different items to do so. Click here to read more (lower levels click here). I allowed my students to use whatever they had available. Here are a few of their recreations.

A students' art recreation of the Rosetta Stone as a ripped piece of paper.
Rosetta Stone (student recreation by E.C.)

Fitness/Exercise & Wellbeing for Dull Days

I hope your week has been terrific and free of COVID-19. Here is some exercise to distract you from the pandemic! Please select a free workout from below.

A screenshot of Tulsa Ballet's Shibuya Blues contemporary ballet from May 1, 2020 which shoes three dancers on stage dancing.
Photo of Tulsa Ballet’s YouTube live stream of Shibuya Blues
  1. Ballet
  2. Planet Fitness
  3. Gladiator
  4. Orange Theory
  5. Yoga

Happy fat blasting!

Yale University

  1. Yale, an Ivy League school. This class will increase your happiness in life. 

Here’s how to get started:

  1. Go to coursera.org
  2. Sign-up
  3. Enroll in the free “The Science of Well-Being” course
  4. Become happier ✌

Experiences for When You’re Bored

  1. The Winchester Mystery House

Who can be bored when there’s a mystery to solve! I first heard about this house when I was in high school. This California historical place has always intrigued me. Basically, there was a wealthy widower named Sarah Winchester. She kept building her house. She built it so much that it became a mansion. But why? Well, according to urban legend, a psychic told her to do so to appease, or make happy, the ghosts that lived in the house. Oddly enough, she would contact these spirits by holding seances.

*Read her biography.

Winchester Mystery House
  1. Visit Campus

I love my alma mater! I still enjoy visiting campus even though I graduated in 2012. Interested in studying abroad, for example, in an American university (U.S. and Canada), or maybe even Mexico? “Visit campus” without visiting campus.

Which university did you visit?

  1. Scavenger Hunt

My students loved doing this. And why wouldn’t they? You compete, win, have fun. What’s not to love?

I adapted and used a list from here.

Which item was the most difficult to understand/find?

  1. Nature Conservatory

Still bored? The days are getting hotter, but you can still enjoy scenic Oklahoma without the heat.

Leave home without leaving home. Take a tour from the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma.

Happy Exploring!

Travel!

  1. Control a Tour Guide During a Live Tour!

Okay, so this one really deserved its own category. Today you can travel for free: take a tour of the Faroe Islands.
This is a live tour. There is an English speaking tour guide. It lasts for 1 hour.


Be first in line to tell the tour guide what you want her to do: run, jump, go right, left, forward, backward. Only the first 60 people can “play.”

Use remote tourism to learn about the Faroe Islands

South by Southwest (SXSW) Amazon Prime Film Festival

Were you not able to attend SXSW 2020? That’s a pity, but cheer up! They have offered 39 films for those of you in the U.S. These are on Amazon prime until May 6, 2020.

  1. SXSW Amazon Prime® Film Festival
  2. Xi’an Warriors
  3. Street Art
  4. Anne Frank House

Theatre

62. “Action is eloquent,” said Volumnia in Coriolanus, one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. Last on this list is this lovely piece of Shakespearean work, as well as many other, is being offered offered free. However, these are being offered exclusively to those in Canada. Nothing beats being bored more than watching the Bard’s work!

Conclusion

Well, everyone, that’s all that I have. This is a big list of things to cure your boredom while in lockdown. Don’t let this quarantine get you down. Jesus is here for you. Hope is contagious and I hope I have added some joy and positivity to your life through this list.

Director Ashley Rhone from Paradigm English empowers English language learners to overcome the 3 biggest challenges to learning English fluently.

Ashley Janelle Rhone empowers English language learners to overcome the 3 biggest challenges to learning English fluently. She has been helping students reach fluency in English since 2004. She enjoys learning languages, geography, reading, playing the harp, running, and tennis.