9 Fun Ways to Keep Busy at Home

The COVID-19 crisis has drastically impacted our daily lives. Connectivity and technology are more important than ever as we face the challenges posed by this pandemic. American House is here to help during this unprecedented time.

Here are a few tips on ways you can stay active while staying safe at home:

Stay Connected

Staying connected with friends and family is vitally important and can help combat fear, anxiety and loneliness. Here are some of our favorite ways to stay connected to those who matter most to you, so you don’t miss any memories.

• Netflix Party (www.netflixparty.com) allows you to watch a program on the Netflix video streaming service at the exact same time as other users, and chat about it in real time.
• WhatsApp (www.whatsapp.com) allows you to send text messages and make phone calls (with or without video).
• Featuring fun and silly filters, Snapchat (www.snapchat.com) offers a way to send fun messages and short videos.
• Google Duo (duo.google.com) and Zoom (www.zoom.com) are video conferencing platforms you can use to make video calls to just one person or a bunch of people. You can also leave video messages for people you call — a nice feature that others can play again and again if they’re missing you.
• FaceTime (www.apple.com) is an app that comes preloaded onto any Apple device, and allows you to call people around the world. If you don’t have an internet connection, this app also works on cellular connections alone. A caveat: this app works only with other Apple devices.

Learn Something New

While having to stay at home may cause disruptions to our daily lives, this extra time provides the perfect opportunity to learn a new language, try out new things in the kitchen or pick up a new hobby!

See below for some free resources:

Learn a new language with Duolingo. With over 30 different languages to choose from, there’s something for everyone: https://www.duolingo.com/courses

• Learn how to play the piano or keyboard Simply Music’s easy online method: https://pianoonline.com/
• Become a knitting expert: https://www.allfreeknitting.com/Knitting-Tutorials/Knitting-Class
• Learn a new dish: https://www.tastemade.com/classes

Make a Difference

During these unprecedented times, millions of low-income seniors typically cannot afford to stock up on food or basic supplies, and, if they can, many need transportation assistance to and from grocery stores. While social distancing is necessary to help limit the spread of the virus, anything that deters people from accessing group meals at community senior centers or food banks puts low-income seniors in serious danger of malnutrition and hunger. Please help the American House Foundation in supporting the needs of this most at risk population by making a donation today. Any contribution, no matter how small, can help provide immediate assistance to a senior in need today.

Donate online: https://www.americanhousefoundation.org/

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