What You can do to Make the MOST out of this “Isolating” Pandemic

Surviving COVID-19 Series (#1)

Spend Valuable Time with Your Family.

  • Cook with your families
  • Watch a family-friendly movie altogether
    • Toy Story 4
      • “Pixar by the numbers, this third and largely unnecessary sequel to Toy Story delivers everything you’d expect from the animation studio, minus the warmth, wit, and dread.” – Ben Sachs
    • The Wizard of Oz
      • “Seventy-five years on, it hasn’t dated in the slightest.” – Geoffery Macnab
      • “The central themes of illusions, dreams and going on an extraordinary adventure all the better to come home and appreciate what you have there are enduring.” – Sophie Monks Kaufman
    • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
      • “The latest entry in a fully saturated genre that somehow, through sheer creative gumption, does something new.” – David Sims
    • Inside Out
      • “In the first half of the film, I was being piloted by Confusion and Dissatisfaction. But by the end, Joy was very much in charge.” – Nicholas Barber
    • Coco
      • “Funny, irreverent and eye-popping. It will also make you want to cry at least once but possibly as many as three times.” – Charlotte O’Sullivan
    • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
      • “To say of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that it is among the genuine artistic achievements of this country takes no great daring.” – Otis Ferguson
    • Incredibles 2
      • “A gorgeously curated scrapbook of sharply observed household comedy, sublimely staged action, a pinch of Chuck Jones-era slapstick, and enough modernist eye candy to induce a sugar coma in design buffs.” – Robbie Collin
    • Paddington
      • “A dash of Wes Anderson and a sprinkle of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, swirled around with a wonderfully fluid sense of airiness and light. It’s mannered, yet carefree, colorful, and evocative.” – Katie Walsh
    • Finding Nemo
      • “The tropical pleasure is a beautifully imagined adventure that beguiles children and tickles adults.” – James Christopher
    • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
      • “For 10 years and eight films we’ve gotten to watch these young actors grow as people, as performers and as characters. It has been a true coming-of-age saga, in the fullest and most moving sense of the term.” – Christopher Kely
  • Start a meaningful conversation with your grandparents
    • What are some of your happiest moments?
    • What has been your biggest challenge in life?
    • Do you have a bucket list? Which item can we do together?
    • What piece of advice do you want to pass along to future generations?
    • How do you want your legacy to be remembered?
  • Get to know your younger siblings
    • Games
      • UNO
        • Players take turns matching a card in their hand with the current card shown on top of the deck either by color or number. Special action cards deliver game-changing moments as they help you defeat your opponents.
      • Lava game
        •  Jump from couch to couch without touching the floor unless it’s a pillow. The players must keep moving and try to hit and make other person touch the floor and melt (in lava)!
      • Apple roll
        • Try to roll an apple between you and your sibling without dropping it!
      • Blind Treasure Hunt
        • Place some treats around the house and blindfold yourself or one of your sibling. Let the others (who are not blindfolded) guide the ”blind one” to the treat with words.
      • Catchy Catch
        • Get a beach ball (balloon could work too) and toss it in the air. The players cannot touch the ball with hands and cannot let the ball fall on the floor. Advise them touch it with their noses, heads, feet, tummy.
      • Balloon walk
        • Stand side by side with your siblings and but the balloon between your hips. Walk across the room without dropping the balloon (and without using hands to help hold it). If you drop it, you need to start all over again 😦
      • Large Paper Painting
        • Tape some paper to a large piece of cardboard, put it on the ground outside and let the fun begin!
      • https://playtivities.com/activities-for-siblings/
  • Share or read them a book
    • Where the Wild Things Are
      • “Letting out your inner monsters, showing how imagination allows for an escape from life’s doldrums.”
    • The Abosolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Inidan
      • “A coming-of-age novel illuminates family and heritage through young Arnold Spirit, torn between his life on a reservation and his largely white high school.”
    • Harry Potter (Series)
      • “Seven years after the final volume was published, readers young and old still go crazy at the slightest rumor of a new Potter story.”
    • The Book Thief
      • “A good intro to contemplation of the Holocaust.”
    • A Wrincke in Time
      • “This surrealist adventure has provided generations of children with their first-ever mind-blowing experiences… Meg learns self-sufficiency and bravery in the process.”
    • Charlotte’s Web
      • “Though family farms may be less common than they were in 1952, E.B. White’s novel remains timeless for its enduring meditation on the power of friendship and of good writing.”
    • Holes
      • “A story of a family curse, fancy sneakers and poisonous lizards moves forward and backward through time, telling of how Stanley Yelnats IV ended up in a juvenile prison camp. “
    • Matilda
      • “Poor Matilda feels thwarted and ignored by her family—a sense that many preteens share. They don’t share her magical powers, but that’s the enduring appeal of this escapist frolic.”
    • The Outsiders
      • “The Author’s striking look at Ponyboy and gang life in the 1960s has resonated for decades with readers of all kinds, whether they identify more with the Greasers or the Socs.”
    • The phantom Tollbooth
      • “Illuminating language and mathematics through a picaresque story of adventure in the Kingdom of Wisdom.”
    • The Giver
      • “Pain and trauma have an important place in individual lives and in society, and to forget them is to lose what makes us human.”
  • Construct a LEGO toy
    • Disney Legos: A Frozen-themed adventure
      • Build a boat and market scene where Elsa and Olaf can buy produce or a pie
    • Star Wars Legos: Hone your lightsaber skills
      • Luke’s house on Ahch-To Island, includes characters from multiple generations of movies, namely Luke Skywalker and Rey, the protagonist in The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017).
    • Lego City: Creative camping play
      • The trailer opens up to reveal a tiny stove, fridge, and table, and the set also includes three minifigures equipped with accessories for fishing and cooking.
    • Lego Creator 3-in-1: For the dinosaur lover
      • Includes instructions for building a pterodactyl, a triceratops, or a T. rex with its 174 predominantly green Lego bricks.
    • Lego Friends: A dollhouse-style playset
      • A dollhouse-like set where a family of three figures and their pet rabbit can sleep, cook, work, and relax on a swing set.
    • https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-lego-sets-for-kids/

Focus on Self-improvement and Self-care.

Treat Your Body

Continue to Enrich Your Mind

  • Read a book
  • Listen to an audiobook
    • Beautiful Ruins
      • “In this sprawling tale of stardom, sunshine, and very flawed people chasing very real dreams, a ghost-like American celebrity arrives on the coast of the Ligurian Sea circa 1962.”
    • Sabrina & Corina: Stories
      • “Astounding collection of stories about Indigenous Latina women laid the ground for an incredible performance.”
    • Daisy Jones & The Six
      • “Written like an oral history, weaving one narrator with the next as each unveils the downfall of a legendary 1970s rock ‘n’ roll band.”
    • Children of Blood and Bone
      • “Pulled from West African mythology to build a world of magic and monarchy in this dazzling fantasy epic.”
    • Red. WHite & Royal Blue
      • “Empowering, hilarious, sweet and sexy, this is a dopamine boost we all urgently need.”
    • The Dutch House
      • “In this stirring story of siblings, money, identity and forgiveness, all surrounding one glittering estate in eastern Pennsylvania, Hanks is balanced, measured and still so endlessly charming.”
    • Dune
      • “The story shares slight similarities with Star Wars and Star Trek lore, but free of the former’s predictability and the latter’s tropes.”
    • Becoming
      • “This memoir explores Michelle Obama’s pre-White House years as well as her time as First Lady.”
    • Nothing to See
      • “About two kids who spontaneously, unpredictably combust. It’s a riotous but surprisingly heartwarming story about motherhood, status, and the lengths we’ll take when we finally find the love we were looking for.”
    • Lincoln in the Bardo
      • “Wild but remarkable audio treat, as rich and unexpected as its plot, following a grief-stricken Abraham Lincoln and the ghosts that float beside him.”
    • https://www.elle.com/culture/books/g32439568/best-audiobooks/
  • Follow a podcast
    • Bodies
      • “Host Allison Behringer peels back the curtain on medical mysteries and phenomena in this intimate documentary-style podcast. People share their stories of medical mystery in a revealing, raw way that may make you go, ‘Oh, me too!'”
    • The American Life
      • “Its huge backlog of episodes alone will give you lots to fill your ears. let host Ira Glass guide you through fascinating stories about people among us, in a beautifully produced pod.”
    • Reply All
      • “Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt take questions from callers about how technology impacts their lives, as well as discussing Internet-adjacent phenomena and issues. It’s fun, it’s infectious, and educational all at the same time.”
    • Fiasco
      • “Audio documentary series about politics, power, and what really happened during our country’s most seminal events.”
    • Why Don’t you Date me?
      • “Let’s be real, we’ve all probably asked ourselves this exact question at some point. But few of us can talk about it as hilariously as Nicole Byer can. Listen along as she recounts the #struggle that is modern dating.”
    • The Daily
      • “Host Michael Barbaro breaks down the biggest news of the day (hence the name) in a format that will make you feel like you know what’s happening out there.”
    • In the Dark
      • “The first season of this gripping investigative true crime podcast follows journalist Madeleine Baran as she reports on the kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling.”
    • Serial
      • “The one that really that put the genre on the map, this smash hit true crime podcast hit zeitgeist with its first season, in which journalist Sarah Koenig investigated the case of Adnan Syed who was accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend. “
    • You’re Wrong About
      • “In this educational and entertaining podcast, hosts Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall revisit the throwback media sensations you thought you knew. And what they reveal totally blows our minds.”
    • Motherhood Sessions
      • “Renowned reproductive psychiatrist Alexandra Sacks holds honest, illuminating conversations that feel like listening in on a therapy sesh.” Difficult questions about becoming a mom, being a mom, or a grandmom answered.
    • https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g28353940/best-podcasts/
  • Join online courses
    • Toastmasters
      • Providing a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.
      • https://www.toastmasters.org/
    • Edx
      • Access 2000 free online courses from 140 leading institutions worldwide. Gain new skills and earn a certificate of completion.
      • https://www.edx.org/
    • Coursera
      • Build skills with courses, certificates, and degrees online from world-class universities and companies.
      • https://www.coursera.org/

Take care of your home

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

 Marcus Aurelius 

Published by Sharon Huang

On a self-exploring journey. Cultivating interests and intelligence. Living the present moment. Envisioning and pursuing my dream. Practicing mindfulness.

1 Comment

  1. Pingback: 3 Small Things to do to Organize your life. – Keep Developing

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