Remember Spring Break? After weeks of staying home, it feels like a year ago now. I hope you are getting into the new, odd swing of things. In my case, I’m finding that with added work, I’m actually seeing my family in my own house less than I was before isolation hit. It’s been a strange turnaround, but I’m working to fix it.
By now, you’re probably looking for something more to do inside the house. So, I’m here with five activities you can try to keep yourself and others entertained (‘80s inspired, not required):
- Online Arcade Games
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My family and I love to go on day trips to Hampton Beach, New Hampshire during the summer. Oddly enough, I’ve never actually gone swimming there. We eat fried beignets and stay for Wednesday night fireworks, but the absolute best part (according to my sister and me) is the Playland Arcade. Along with the newer attractions, there’s skeeball, pinball, and classic video games, such as Galaga and Pac-Man. Since we can’t go there right now, I’m channeling the spirit the best I can, with online arcade games like this free version of Frogger. There are tons more games just like it on the Free 80s Arcade website and various other websites. Have you always been curious to try The Oregon Trail? Now’s your chance.
- Puzzles
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For Christmas, my sister and I each received a different 300 piece ‘80s puzzle from one of our little cousins. Hers was E.T., mine was The Breakfast Club. Making mine was especially fun for me, because I could match the tiniest details of clothes and letters in an organized way that made putting the puzzle together more fun and simple. Even a puzzle as small as a few hundred pieces can keep you busy for hours or days, depending on how you work. Building it with your family may cause bickering, but the finished image makes it worth the while.
- Board/Card Games
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When’s the last time you played a board game? There are countless games to choose from, and the odds are you probably have one (or a dozen) collecting dust in your house somewhere. Use them! Lately, we have been meeting on Zoom with our cousins/aunts for Family Game Night (last week was Jeopardy!) on Fridays, adapting some rules. Other days of the week, my sister and I have played “Trivial Pursuit: Back to the ‘80s Edition” and “Go Fish!” From “Candy Land” to “Dungeons & Dragons,” take advantage of whatever time you have to switch up a monotonous routine.
- LEGO
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The above picture shows the exact LEGO set I received for Christmas. My little sister has been helping me work on it on-and-off since the week of Spring Break. Like a puzzle, LEGO can make you angry. I have to say that I may have gone a bit crazy earlier today when I had to reassemble a great deal of one half of the house due to some problems caused by attaching it to the Upside Down half. However, LEGOs are a great way to distract yourself. When you’re really focused, hours can go by without you noticing. Plus, in the end, you have a really cool object to display! For me, the Stranger Things set has been a great way to spend my time, and since I’m at home I know I can find somewhere to put it without having to take apart all of our work. For a shorter commitment that will take up less space, I highly recommend one of the smaller LEGO Architecture kits (my favorites are London, Sydney, and NYC), if you can get your hands on one.
- Books
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As an English Major, I’m disappointed in myself for not taking the time to get to my shelves and the piles of unread books I just had to have. Here’s a novel idea (see what I did there?): Read a book! I always tell myself I’m going to make time to read for leisure, then end up watching Glee for the thousandth time. I’ve wanted to get more into Stephen King for a couple of years now, and there’s no time like the present. My mother just loaned me The Dead Zone (1979), which I’m excited to try out! I already know there’s a 1983 film version my parents want me to watch, with the amazing Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen (one of my favorite actors). Stephen King has written an incredible number of books, and movies/shows have been made of many of them. A lot of these books/movies/shows were released in the ‘80s. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come out of this isolation with a laundry list of article ideas…
I hope I was able to inspire you to have some fun wherever you are, and that you found something on this list that you haven’t done yet.
Until next time, stay safe and remember that things will get better. Maybe you’re stuck, but remember I’m “Stuck With You!”
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