Category: Digital Marketing

Activities To Keep The Family Entertained At Home

ToniLeave a comment

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

— Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling

We have plenty of things to keep us entertained – there are streaming services like Netflix, video calling options such as Apple’s FaceTime, Zoom or Messenger to stay connected with loved ones, but if you are looking for other ways to have fun here are some online activities that will keep you and your family educated and entertained during your time at home.

Play your favourite music

Here is a public playlist I put together on Spotify (get a free account here) or a paid subscription through Apple Music (a free trial is available).

A playlist: Positive tunes for Self Isolation – Spotify or Apple Music 

Music can be a great equaliser. It can lift you up when you are feeling down, or in need of an energy boost. There are many streaming services available with curated playlists or you can pull out your favourite vinyl or CD.

Keeping the family entertained

Taronga Zoo has its own zoo channel with live feeds of its Seals and Tigers and other animals. Watch feeding times with the Zoo keepers – both educational and entertaining, like Big Brother for animals!

https://taronga.org.au/taronga-tv

NASA has a range of free online activities including Making your own cloud in a bottle, building a model paper rocket, or online images from space.

https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/nasaathome

Author of Harry Potter, JK Rowling, has launched ‘Harry Potter At Home‘, here you’ll find all the latest magical spells to keep you entertained – including magical craft videos (teach your friends how to draw a Niffler!), fun articles, puzzles and plenty more for new readers, as well as those already familiar with the wizarding world.

Cast a summoning charm on fun!

https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home

Australian National Theatre Live has a range of recorded performances that you can watch online – keep your cultural muscled flexed at http://www.antlive.com.au/

Sydney Olympic Park virtual tour of ARTEXPRESS https://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/Education/ARTEXPRESS

Start a Garden

Whether you have a balcony or backyard, you can buy some plants or seeds at your local Bunnings or hardware store and grow some herbs or vegetables. And won’t you feel good about yourself knowing that you are growing vegetables to stay healthy?

Keep moving and exercise

There are many online fitness classes you can use or you can simply grab some of the canned goods from the pantry, and use them to do some arm curls, use the lounge to do dips or do some squats.

If you are working from home, replace your travel with a walk or a run. You have more time up your sleeve so you can finally get started on that fitness regime!

Support local businesses

See if your local cafe does takeaway, or buy a voucher that you can use when things finally get back to normal.

Apple Education Activities

Apple has created a handy activity sheet for kids, got to love that!

Click to access activities.pdf

Now get out there and get creating, learn something new or simply chill out on the lounge and be entertained!

Why I am not too old to play Pokémon Go

Toni2 Comments

I must confess that I have never seen an episode of Pokémon. But when I saw my social feeds cluttered with news that the Pokémon Go app had launched in Australia, and had friends ask me if I wanted to go hunting, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Here is why I got caught up in all the fuss that is Pokémon Go:

      1. It is easy to learn. If you can swipe up or left and right, you can play. Collecting Poke balls is easy as PokéStops are plentiful in CBDs and in most suburbs. If you played Paper Toss back in the day you know how to throw a ball at a target – in this case a Pokemon.

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2. A sense of community.If you have been out and about, the reality is that you have noticed groups of teens and adults that are hanging out in cars, and around the city or certain landmarks in the suburbs. They are not just snap-chatting, tweeting or texting – they are huddled around PokéStops to either collecting Pokemon or stock up on Poke balls for their  next hunt. Seeing groups of people of all ages, all races and genders huddled together makes it feel like a sense of unity is taking place. The wave of excitement that you hear when someone spots a rare Pokemon has to be seen to be believed. And, while you are at Stops, you will be hanging out with other Pokemon Trainers, and while you are in between collecting Pokemon you can have a chat to the person beside you while you are geeking out. Make sure that person wants to chat though!

3. Your world is the landscape of the game. This is the first augmented reality mobile game and boy, did they do a good job of it. Seeing your house, workplace, school or surrounding suburbs as a backdrop to sprouting these creatures makes your world new again. It is getting even the most introverted gamer out of their house and walking – and that can’t be a bad thing. So many normally Vitamin D deficient young people are clocking up kilometres in order to get their ‘egg’ to hatch or to head to the nearest PokéStop.

4. The camera mode. This is me collecting a Pokemon in the loungeroom:

 

Pokemon Go

And at a PokéStops:

Catching Pokemon

5. It is not really about Pokemon at all – I may not know what any of the Pokemons are called (but how cute is the Pikachu? and my favourite – Ponyta) until I they pop up on my screen, but I still get the same level of excitement. It is addictive. You want to catch them all – just like the tagline says.

So give it a go and you may find yourself getting out and collecting Pokemon – and loving a reason to explore your neighbourhood.