How to Stay Busy
Posted by Rachel Lesamiz on 3/23/2020
Dear Students,
We have entered the second week of no school and honestly, I am really bummed out. I would be lying if I said this social distancing and semi-quarantining wasn't hard. It is. But the thing is, I am keeping myself busy. Being productive is a great way to pass the time. Plus, when the day is over, you can say you got something done. Here are some of the things that have kept me busy:
- Baking. I've done quite a bit of baking. If you read my previous post, you know I made a peanut butter cheesecake. In addition to that, I have baked three loaves of bread, biscuits, and cornbread. Baking is fun for me. It's challenging and when you're done, and everything went ok, you have a delicious product.
- Cooking. I've also been cooking. I have made homemade chili, pork chops, and other meals.
- Exercising. Now, some people hate exercising. Not me. I love it. I need it to keep myself from going out of my mind. Not only does exercise benefit the body, but also the mind. Studies show that exercising improves the health of the brain in more than one way. Exercise increases "heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It aids the release of hormones which provide an excellent environment for the growth of brain cells. Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain." (Scientific American, 2018) This means exercise helps you learn more easily. Fascinating! Plus, it reduces stress and anxiety. Right now especially, we need to manage stress in healthy ways. Exercise is self-care.
- Working in my classroom. I've been coming into my classroom every day we would have had a regular school day. This is helping me because when I have a routine, I feel better mentally. When I have no routine, I don't feel good about myself. You may be asking, what am I doing in my classroom when there aren't any students? I have been organizing, sorting, writing this blog, planning and preparing for when students come back to school.
- Giving my kids work. Don't be mistaken, my kids get plenty of sitting around time, but they have been doing enrichment activities. Currently I had them research native animals of eastern Washington. And now they are busy constructing dioramas of the eastern Washington ecosystem where they display those animals they researched. They are having a blast. When they are done, I'll be sure to share pics.
- Listening to music and podcasts. Doing this really helps make chores less tedious. With everyone being home all of the time and all the baking and cooking I've been doing there are way more dishes to wash.
- Reading. Reading something other than the news and social media is quite important. You need to detach, at least for a little bit.
- Watching lots of TV. Between Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, there is no shortage of entertainment.
There ya' go. That is how I've kept busy.
Now here is the fun stuff. Today is National Puppy Day. Puppies are the best. They are nothing but soft, furry bundles of love. Don't even get me started on puppy breath. I love puppies. Spend some time today looking up pictures of puppies. Try not saying "aww" out loud every ten seconds. It can't be done when you are looking at puppies.
Today is also World Meteorological Day. It's a very hard word to pronounce, but put simply, it's all about weather. Weather is very interesting. It's more than just rain, wind, snow, heat, cold, etc. Did you know geography affects weather? It's so interesting. Google "how does geography affect weather." It's neat stuff, especially for you science-y folks.
Finally, your ELA task for the day, if you choose to accept it. I would like you to write for fifteen minutes about what you are feeling right now. How are you coping with being out of school and routine, and not seeing your friends? What are you planning to do to keep yourself busy? Any other thoughts? Please, try this. Writing down your thoughts is very beneficial. When I am done writing these posts, I feel so much better.
Until next time, stay safe and take care,
Mrs. Lesamiz
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