What to do when there's nothing to do......

 

Hi everyone! I'm Aimee and I usually help at the Friday Evening Workshops. I've got some suggestions for you of things to do should you be feeling a bit bored .


Craft:

YouTube is full of craft ideas and crafty YouTubers who teach lots of different techniques. Don't worry if you don't have the correct supplies for any of the videos. If something takes your fancy, just use what you have lying around and see what happens. I've included my favourites below...

Sealemon is my favourite and covers a variety of book binding techniques.

Jacksons Art are a UK store that provide lots of tutorials on different art techniques.

Bob Ross - regardless of whether or not you have any paints, I think we can all appreciate Bob Ross and episodes of his calming tones.

Isolation Art School -There are some great suggestions on their Instagram feed on activities to do during lockdown.

Claire Powell - I've also really enjoyed posts on Instagram from illustrator Claire Powell. Each day she does a different post about making art for fun. She has a really interesting style of drawing and has some really nice, simple approaches to try. I've not tried any of them but I quite like just watching the videos of her creating!

There are also the following two websites which are full of activity ideas. Some of it is targeted at children, but why let that stop us?!
Mini Mad Things
Get Creative UK


Colouring Sheets:

We Love Our Keyworkers printable colouring sheet, courtesy of illustrator Mim Gibbs.

A Polar Bear, Called Leaf, courtesy of illustrator Sandra Dieckmann

A selection of colouring sheets can also be found on Dribbble.com


A Little Bit of Learning:

The Museum of Modern Art is offering a few art courses for free if you fancy something a bit academic.

Mixed up Creative Academics have a handful of free craft classes available online. There is an art journaling one that might be of interest, along with others.

Duolingo is a free app you can download. Pick a language to learn and off you go!

Government Skills Toolkit - I recently learnt that the government is also offering a variety of numeracy and digital training courses for free. The courses are targeted at different skill levels: introductory, intermediate and advanced.

Future Learn - I also found this site, which is offering courses on a variety of topics. Personally, I've gone for the course on Medicine and Art. I think most of the short courses are free (if you don't mind not getting a certificate).

Perhaps Art History is your jam and you fancy brushing up on a few artists or paintings. Or maybe like me, you need to brush up on your knowledge. Give these two websites a try:
ThoughtCo
SmartHistory


Exercise:

YouTube is full of wonderful videos. I'm sure if you want a particular exercise you can search for it and it will be on there. I've heard lots of people talking about PE with Joe - lots of different exercises for different abilities and ages.


Creativity and Mental Health:


By Katie Freeman (These ideas are from Harmless' Blog posts and re-printed with consent. Harmless is a national voluntary organisation for people who self-harm, their friends, families and professionals).

  • Reading (escaping into a new world, interpreting characters and scenes in your imagination)
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  • Video games (The Sims, Animal Crossing, Minecraft, LittleBigPlanet, Scribblenauts, Terraria)
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  • Sewing, knitting, embroidery
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  • Colouring (adult colouring books, colouring in mandalas or calming pictures, or colouring in angry words could function as a stress outlet. There are also great colouring apps, which you can use if you don't have access to pens or paper)
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  • Scrapbooking (arranging photos and memories in a pretty layout is also a great way to focus on happier times. The final product can also be something that you treasure for a long time)
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  • Puzzles
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  • Bullet journalling
  • Planning your day (getting creative with coloured pens, making it look aesthetically pleasing)
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  • Cooking (experimenting with different foods, writing out recipes colourfully)
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  • Baking (getting creative with decorations and icing, experimenting with flavours and ingredients)
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  • Making bracelets and necklaces
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  • Gardening
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  • Painting (this could be 'paint by numbers' or freehand paining)
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  • Rearranging/redecorating your house or bedroom
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  • Playing a musical instrument (composing your own pieces, learning new pieces, experimenting with dynamics and interpreting the music in your own way)
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  • Writing short stories or poetry
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  • Dancing (not only is exercise great for your mental health, but getting creative with dance can be great for expressing emotions and feelings)
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  • Going for a walk, taking photographs and editing them
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  • Writing or drawing your thoughts (writing doesn't have to be in a structured way, it can be great to just let the words flow. Someone also suggested drawing what you think your thoughts resemble, to 'bring them to life', acknowledge them, or make sense of them)
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  • Meditation
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  • Making bird feeders with peanut butter and pinecones and learning about the birds that use it
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  • Writing a quiz and hosting it online with your friends or family
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  • Creating playlists on Spotify (or another streaming site!)


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