TPH’s guide to having a quarantastic time

Alright, people, we know it stinks. Extracurriculars are on pause. Sports seasons are canceled. We have to do SCHOOL at HOME. But, it is all for the best, and here at TPH, we have been busy putting a guide together on how to make your quarantine go just a little bit easier. We’ll try to include just about everything in this comprehensive work-of-art. Quarantine can get boring. Real boring. I mean how do they expect us to wake up and roll into any sort of routine each morning if we know we can just stay in our pajamas all day. Our guide is here to give some suggestions on how we can add some routine and flavor to these seemingly monotonous days.

Without further ado, here are TPH’s 25 things you can do to have a quarantastic time during this unprecedented hiatus from school.

1. Read a book. Not your class copy of The Great Gatsby, but a book that you choose and are excited to read.
2. Lichess.org. Or Chess.com. Or good old fashioned over-the-table chess. There is no better feeling than cornering your opponent’s king and unleashing the victorious word “Checkmate.”
3. Try learning to cook a dish with the ingredients you have in the house. Since the stores are picked through, it is time to get resourceful in the kitchen. Here is a list of a bunch of easy dishes to try.
4. Get ready for Shark Tank. Your inner entrepreneur has so many ideas that would undoubtedly land a big investment. What is your product that is going to hit the big score? Now is the time to plan it out. 
5. Singing in the shower-ower-ower ay-ay-ay. Or not in the shower. Sing your favorite song. Finally learn the difference between falsetto and head voice. Plus, where is your family going to go when they get annoyed? You have a captive audience. 
6. Play the Ballgame. What is this you might ask? It is taking any spherical item in your house, and making up the rules on what you are going to do with it. What are the goals? Up to you. How do you score? You decide. Just pick up a ball (or an apple, or an orange, or…) and have some fun with a sibling or a parent. 
7. Look around your room right now. Even if it is not a mess, it can probably get at least a little cleaner. Take some time to clear out and straighten up a bit. Who knows, you may even feel like a new person afterward.
8. Catch up on that TV. You finally have the time to binge that show you love. Do it! Nobody is there to judge you when you press play on the seventh episode in a row (TPH has been there).
9. Cookies. Make the house smell like chocolatey goodness as you bake a batch of melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.
10. Reach out to family and friends. Technology has fully armed us with the weapons needed to take on self-isolation. FaceTiming is just like face-to-face conversations, right? 
11. Collage it up. All you need are a pair of scissors, some old magazines from the growing stack on your coffee table, and some glue. Next thing you know, you have got a masterpiece. 
12. Go on a walk. Each day you can, try to get out of the house a bit. Walk around and enjoy the world without the hustling and bustling of daily life all around you. Remember, stay six feet away from your friends if you meet them for the stroll, and wash your hands when you come back inside. 
13. Pillow fort. 
14. Put pen to paper and write out some of your thoughts. There will never be a better time to start that diar… I mean journal.
15. Read TPH’s Issue 6. I heard that it was great.
16. Smile. This isn’t really an activity, but super important to do nonetheless. 
17. Try this.
18. Surf the internet a little bit. See if you can find a great, non-COVID-19 related story! If you find a good one, send it to us at editors@tphnews.com 
19. Have a board game night. When was the last time that you and your family got to sit down and play a whole entire game of Clue or Monopoly? Use this time to get away from the screen and have some fun with each other!
20. Send a random email or text to someone you know! Whether it be a teacher, a friend, or a loved one, send someone a message to pick them up during this crazy time. 
21. YouTube!  Make a video or watch a video, it’s up to you(tube)!
22. Write your very own song. Who knows, maybe it will be a hit!
23. Paint a picture. If you love it, send it to us! We’ll pick our favorite one to post on our website.
24. Wash the car.
25. And last but not least, do your schoolwork. Our teachers have been working tirelessly to give us an equivalent schooling experience at home, so let’s use it!