Outdoor Activities

Outdoor Activities That Will Keep You Busy While Social Distancing

Although you may agree with the reasons for quarantine and social distancing, that doesn’t make it easy to live with the new restrictions. Many people are just shutting themselves inside and waiting for the storm to pass. You can’t fault these individuals for being cautious, but staying inside all day can quickly result in cabin fever.

It’s important for your physical and mental health that you spend some quality time outside. In doing so, you need to make sure that you follow local restrictions. The following is a list of ideas that you can try while maintaining a safe social distance from others.

Go For a Walk

Not only will a walk get you outside, it’s great exercise. With fewer and fewer individuals driving, you’ll be surprised at how much cleaner the air is. Taking a walk by yourself is a great way to get some alone time to think. You can go at your own pace and take whatever path you want. Be sure to maintain a safe distance from any other individuals you meet on your way.



Going for a walk can also be a great activity to do with others. However, for safety’s sake, you should probably only go on walks with members of your own household. If you’re going on a walk with young children, you can keep them entertained with The Garbage Game. This is a simple game where the children compete to pick up the most litter that they find while on the walk. It’s a great opportunity to teach your children the importance of taking care of the environment.

Ride Your Bike

Another great way to get some exercise is riding your bike. Bike riding can help you cover more miles while going easy on the joints. You can use the increased range to explore more parts of your city and the outdoors that surround your home. Be sure to carry proper supplies with you if you plan on riding a long distance. You don’t want to get stranded if your tire gets flat. Remember, bikes on the road must follow all the same laws as cars.

A Backyard Picnic

A backyard picnic is a great activity to do together as a family. Grab a blanket, spread it out and enjoy eating as a family in the nice weather. You can have something simple like sandwiches with fruits and vegetables, or you can break out the grill for some hotdogs and hamburgers. Make sure you keep an eye out for flies and animals that are hungry for some of your food. When you finish the food, you can lay back and relax as you watch the clouds go by.

Garden

Gardening is a great way to beautify your home. If you don’t have one, quarantine is the perfect time to start. Even if you garden regularly, there are probably going to be at least a few weeds that are poking up among your flowers. You’ve probably been bouncing around some ideas for revamping your plants. Now would be the perfect time to try. You could even make some major overhauls by building garden boxes for a beautiful raised garden. When you’re done, the beauty will help you enjoy being outside your home even more.

A Home Improvement Project

Do you have unfinished projects around your home? Or is there something you’ve always wanted to change? What are you waiting for? Pick one of your projects, like building a fence, or replacing your concrete driveway, and complete it. If you’re working with concrete, make sure your cars are safely out of the way, as concrete requires work to remove from cars if you get it on the paint. If you’re not sure what to do, look up DIY projects for beginners. There are literally thousands of ideas out there that you can try.

Play Catch

Playing catch is a great game to pass the time. It’s something that you can enjoy at almost any age. You can use a football, baseball, frisbee, or just about anything you have lying around. If you want a more intense game, you can try playing a game like “3 Flies Up” or “Pickle.”

Three Flies Up is a great backyard game with one thrower and several catchers. The thrower throws a high-flying ball and the catchers do their best to grab it before it hits the ground. The first catcher to successfully catch “three flies” becomes the new thrower.

Pickle is an intense game that involves two throwers, multiple runners, and two bases. Runners get points by running between the bases without getting tagged. The throwers pass the ball back and forth and try to tag the runners. A thrower can only tag while holding the ball.

Tanning

If you are into the look of sun kissed skin, then this could be a great time to work on your tan. Just take a blanket into the backyard and lie down. Make sure that you take a timer with you. A timer will help you know when to turn, and when to be done. Don’t fall asleep, you may end up getting a serious sunburn. Be aware that too much sun can cause skin cancer, so be careful.

Roasting Marshmallows

On a summer night, nothing can beat roasting marshmallows over a fire. If you already have a firepit, great! If you don’t, you can just roast them over the grill. Make sure that you help any young children to cook theirs and watch that they don’t put their little hands in the fire. Get some graham crackers and chocolate and you can have some great s’mores! While you’re at it, try roasting Starbursts. It may sound weird, but they are delicious.

Backyard Campout

In most places, it’s still perfectly acceptable to go out camping as long as you are in a small group and respect social distancing standards. But if you don’t feel comfortable going out, you can still have a great campout. Just take a blanket, and some sleeping bags and throw them out under the stars in your backyard.

Quarantine is truly what you make of it. You can choose to be one of those that wastes away their time on social media. Or you can take charge of your life and have a great time instead. These ideas should help you think of plenty of fun, safe, activities that you can try to stay healthy and active until life goes back to normal.