Seeing COVID-19 cases rise globally, not attending school and staying away from friends can be tough. But it's also a great time to reflect, self-improve, and try something new! There are so many resources and companies dedicated to making your time in quarantine worth-while, so here are my top recommendations of things y’all should check out. Let’s get started!
1. Take a free online course!
It’s awesome learning a new skill for free! Recently I’ve taken Stock Investing and Digital Illustration courses and I’m super excited to continue learning! I’m giving a huge thanks to Brit + Co’s online classes (you should definitely try it!). Most of these courses come with videos and printouts, and there are different levels, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced. They’re super easy to follow and allow you to learn new skills from cake-decorating to blog photography. Also, check out Class Central; they’re offering hundreds of ivy league courses that are currently free with lessons about computer science, marketing, film, and more! Pretty cool, huh?
2. Try a New Recipe- Cook Something!
All this free time is perfect for making a new dessert or dish. I checked out theWorld Cookbook for Students and have been trying different recipes from varied countries! For some interesting recipes you can make with my Me & the Bees Lemonade, click here. And for recipe discovery, try checking out online cookbooks, YouTube cooking tutorials, and use recipe website classics!
3. Get Your Garden Off to a Healthy Start
There are some great food crops, herbs, and ornamental plants to start growing now! Try thyme, cucumbers, and beans. Starting a garden not only provides delicious foods, or colorful flowers to you, but many gardens also provide food for key pollinators like the bees. If you’re starting out, checkout raised garden beds and vertical gardens for something new! Find out what to plant in your area here.
4. Commit to Exercise
Don’t stop working out just because your gym or studio closed! And if you haven’t started, now’s the perfect time to start working out for free. Walking outside or riding your bike is a great stress reliever, source of fresh air, and healthful workout. I’ve been keeping my distance and riding my bike on the Hike & Bike trail here in Austin! But I also recommend checking out which gyms are offering free video workouts and training. Peloton, Gold’s , and core yoga are now offering free services or trials as well! #Stayhealthy
5. One Word: Sustainability
I know this one is random, but it’s also super fun! Urban chicken keeping is a way to keep backyard chickens, harvest eggs, and even create compost. My family has kept chickens for about five years and we absolutely love it! It’s beginner-friendly, not too expensive to start, and there’s a huge value and return. I’m aware of the egg shortage in many grocery stores, and we don’t even have to worry about it because we have 4 full grown chickens (and now 4 baby chicks). To learn a little more about urban chicken keeping visit www.backyardchickens.com this is where we learned all the basics such as: Can we keep chickens in our location? Where do you get chickens? Or Do you need a rooster to get eggs.