July is National Anti-boredom Month and, in that spirit, here is a list of things that you can do to be un-bored. Collect points along the way and use them. The point values assigned are to be awarded to those who can document proof of the activity being done. In early September we will have an auction where you can use the points that you have been awarded to bid for exciting items. So...why be bored?
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Are you and your family entertaining in some way
or do you have a special interest or skill that you want to share?
o
Start a podcast!
There are thousands in the world; about everything! Share with the rest of the world. There are
books and YouTube videos available to show you how.
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25 points
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Do you like to cook? Or have you been interested in learning?
o
Pick one meal a week and choose a recipe, shop
for ingredients and cook the meal for your family. It’s a great way to learn a skill. Lots of resources available on the internet to
teach you.
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15 points
o
Write a letter to a someone/anyone that you have
approval to write to. Write a paper and
pen type of letter rather than an email.
You might receive something back in the mail and you will keep the Post
Office going.
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5 points for every letter you write.
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Do you like to clean and organize?
o
Take a drawer or a small section of your closet
and organize it and purge your old unwanted items a little each day. By the end of the summer you will be the best
organized person in the world.
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10 points
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Become a movie critic!
o
Watch a movie
or a TV show either with a watch party or individually and then with friends or
family put together a list of things about the movie or show that you liked or
disliked and then vote whether it’s thumbs up or thumbs down and then publish
your results online.
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15 points
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Learn a new game, or start a puzzle, learn sudoku,
do a crossword or word search puzzle.
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5 points for each new thing you learn
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A photo-a-day challenge sounds like fun.
o
Choose a
theme for yourself and take a photo a day for a week, a month or a year; you
choose. Then take all of your photos and
make a digital or printed scrapbook explaining why you took that picture. Years from now you will be glad you did!
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5 points for one week
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15 points for one month
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Plant some seeds in the ground or a pot and watch
them grow.
o
You do not have to be a gardener or even like
gardening to do this. It will change you
to watch God’s creation happening before your eyes. Give it a try and see what you can grow. (you
can even use a see from something you ate, like an avocado or apple).
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5 points per plants grown
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Watch the Great British Baking Show and then get
the ingredients to make the item yourself.
o
How did it come out? Would you win the competition? If you need me to be Mary Berry, please let
me know, I would be happy to judge for you.
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10 points
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Learn a new craft.
o
Perhaps learn to knit a scarf for a Christmas
gift or perhaps crochet one. Paper crafting
is always fun and very inexpensive.
There are tons of tutorials on Pinterest and YouTube!
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15 points for each new skill learned.
v
Camp out in your back yard or just sleep outside
on your porch or deck.
o
Look for stars on one of the many apps for your
phone. Perhaps you can see the comet
Neowise if you look soon!
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10 points
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Move your body!
o
Dance party!
Running, hiking, yoga, workout videos; anything. Just get moving. Your mood will thank you and so will your
body!
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5 points for each documented session of
movement.
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Make a list of things you want to do when we can
get “back to normal”.
o
Make
preparations to make them happen. Buy supplies,
watch tutorials, ask experts, be ready when the time comes.
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10 points
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Learn a new language on Duolingo.
o
Or make one
up? Or perhaps you would like to learn a
fantasy language like Klingon or High Valyrian?
They have those as well. Have fun
with it.
§
15 Points for learning how to count to ten and
to say “Hello” and “Where is the bathroom” in an existing language
§
25 points for learning the same things in a made
up language.
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Build something!
o
Use Legos, wood and nails, clay, sand, whatever
you have around. Find a work of art from
a museum photo online and try to recreate or perhaps you have something original
in mind. Create!
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Points awarded based on the degree of difficulty
with a minimum 5 points awarded for each creation.
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Start a really long family board get and get
really competitive.
o
Like
Monopoly! It can take days if you get
very nasty and purchasing and bartering properties.
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10 points
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Start a doodle/art journal.
o
Go on Yo-Yo Mo Show https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/?fbclid=IwAR2BVIYyQ6ZkxIFZdg4XkTN2hjiO9TGv528B7dW4rK7yP3k-rlic_VkZVp0
and do some doodling to music or just create
using crayons, pencils, pens, markers, whatever you have on hand.
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10 points
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Learn a new musical instrument.
o
Do you
have a piano in your house that never gets touched? Find a tutorial video online and learn along
with a professional. Guitar? Keyboard?
Violin? Or make a musical
instrument, name it and become THE expert in playing it and film yourself doing
a video tutorial.
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25 points for playing “Twinkly, Twinkle Little Star”
on any new instrument learned.
v
Do a hair makeover (with permission of
course).
o
If you hate it or it doesn’t work out exactly
like planned, you have got some time to let it grow out. Or you could have yourself a new look!
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5 points
v
Play JackBox games with friends. Start a regular
weekly group and compete for points.
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5 points
v
Send nice postcards to someone you know and disguise
your handwriting and give clues each card to have them guess who is sending the
postcards.
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5 points for each postcard
v
Journal every day a good thing that happened or something
that you are grateful for.
o
Make a fancy journal, buy one or use a spiral
notebook. Whatever you have around, in
the end you will end up with a nice memento in the end.
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10 points
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Become and expert in something.
o
Jam
making, wrist rocket shooting, paper quilling, anything really!! Find something
that interests you and read, watch and experience everything you can about
then, you, maybe, could call yourself and expert.
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25 points for being an expert in anything. So that you could give a TED Talk on it. And if you don’t know what that is, then
watch one and find out.
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Watch some different fitness people, that have
creative workout ideas online. Instagram
has a fitness expert and personal trainer friend of mine using some rather
unorthodox exercise equipment. Check out
@Jordika on Instagram. I have previewed
his content and it is completely clean!
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5 points
v
Jump rope, toss a ball around, play tag, swim,
make sand angels.
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5 points for each activity documented
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Have a jar with random words written on pieces of
paper.
o
Draw a
page a week and do activities and create ideas around that word. For instance: If you pick the word water, you could swim,
drink extra water, create a painting of the water. Water the garden, eat things that come from
water, build a water craft, have a water balloon fight with the family or safe
friends. You get the idea.
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20 points
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Make a stop motion/ Claymation film.
o
Or use your younger sibling’s action figures and
write and film a creative film.
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25 points
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Build a blanket fort and watch a movie marathon.
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10 points
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Experiment with science stuff. ]
o
Watch some science videos and adapt them to the
supplies you have at home. Try this site:
https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/
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5 points for each experiment documented.
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Start a neighborhood chalk walk.
o
Write bible
verses or draw pictures of positive things and invite others to safely distance
and draw their own contributions.
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15 points
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Tune into a virtual or Facebook live
storytelling or reading session.
o
Whether it be with a famous author or with Crystal
of Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Auburn First Seeker’s Hour Facebook page at
2:30 for live Bible story telling it will be a great way to grow in your faith.
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5 points for each session visited and
documented.
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Help with VBS by making a video.
o
All
supplies are provided for you!
Parent/guardian permission required and participation encouraged!
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20 points for each video filmed. Instructions will be provided.
These are just a few items that could help bust that boredom
during the month of July and into August.
However, maybe when National Anti-boredom Month ends at the beginning of
August, you might consider all you have gained and that maybe, just maybe,
there might be something to be said for being a little bored occasionally.
