Fun Lockdown Activities!
Sun, 28 Nov 2021
written by Yael Raz
Dear fellow CognACcies, we sadly find ourselves in yet another lockdown. Amongst many other things, this means that we all have some more time on our hands. But what should you do with all this time? We have listed some suggestions here! We hope you enjoy these activities, feel free to share your fun with us by sending pictures to paparazzi@svcognac.nl or tagging @svcognac on Instagram!
1. Go for a walk (with pancakes!) ??
What better time to go for a walk than autumn? Beautiful trees, lovely weather (most of the time) and of course a good excuse to stop by every cafe you see on the way. We have sought out two walking routes that we can recommend you explore when you really don’t feel like studying. One of the routes even goes by several pancake restaurants ;) You can find the pdf files with the directions and route descriptions through this link!
2. Learn to cook something new?
Improving your culinary skills or learning to cook from scratch isn't as difficult as it may appear. Cookbooks are available to fit every taste, budget, or diet. Miguel Barclay is most known for his one-pound dinners, while Jack Monroe's dishes are made expressly for persons on tight budgets or who rely on food banks.
3. Bake and exchange cookies ?
There is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than to bake some fresh cookies, but what makes this even better is the fact you can share the joy with your friends! Get in touch with some other aspiring pastry chefs and agree on a menu. Once everyone’s fought for their favourite type of cookie, pick a date and get shopping for those ingredients! You can even videocall the baking process to share the hilarities of your baking skills/failures ;) Once everyone has a batch of cookies ready, agree on an exchange location/delivery method and share the joy!
4. Learn to draw?️?
Continuing with a creative outlet, art classes and online tutorials are in abundance, but can also be done off the cuff as long as you have a canvas and colours to work with. You can draw a portrait of your friends, a still-life of your homework waiting to be finished or the vast landscapes outside your window. Share your creations with us, since we’re excited to see what you can come up with!
5. Online study session! ?
Even though we love thinking about activities to do with relaxing, sometimes we have to study. And when we cannot study at the university it can get a little demotivating to sit alone in your room while the coding exercises consume you. What you could do is meet up online with some friends on the AI gather.town server and study together! The gather.town has lots of different ‘rooms’ where you(r avatars) can sit together at a table to work very hard on those mathematics assignments. Or when you’re taking a (little) break, you can use the games that are readily available in these ‘rooms’! All in all, a great alternative if you cannot come to university.
6. Exercise?️?
Times like these can leave you with a lot of spare time, time in which you could consider starting/renewing your exercise routine! A good way to keep yourself motivated is to have competitions with friends: who can run the fastest 3km, who can lift the heaviest weights or who can do the most pull-ups. Some ball games also allow playing while keeping distance, so don’t be afraid to call up a friend for a jovial game of penalty shooting or basketball dunking. Pro-tip: cycling together is also a form of exercise, even if you cycle together on your way to get snacks ;)
7. Host a book exchange with friends ?
Reading is one of our favourite hobbies when we're home alone, so we can imagine you have been reading a lot as well! Of course the biggest problem is: what do you do when you've run out of books to read? We have an idea for that situation! Contact your friends or people in your environment and ask if they would like to participate in an exchange of books. You can exchange books in your favourite genre or from your favourite author, maybe even books of the same colour!
8. Make a short film ?
When your're holed up in one place for a long time it's understandable you feel like you might overflow from all your feelings and emotions. A fun way to get them all out and to use some of your creativity is to make a short film! Think Bo Burnham's 'Inside', but of your making! You can also make a stop-motion movie, a short comedy sketch, a long-winded romantic drama or a food vlog! Sharing your thoughts with those around you, even through movies, can be very freeing. Get creative and share your funniest/best/most impressive videos with us!
9. Learn magic tricks ✨
What's more impressive than to come out of lockdown as a magician? We can't think of much! Teach yourself some card or coin tricks to easily impress people at a party and keep yourself busy during lockdown. Use this link to get some inspiration for your magical aspirations and make sure you're ready to have everybody swoon over your epic card tricks at the next CognAC event!