While the City of Amarillo remains under a shelter-in-place order, there’s a bit more time in many people’s lives than normal. That being said, there’s a vast array of things you can do with your family or friends either online or even in person (keeping in mind social distancing and keeping it to groups of less than 10, of course).
Take a Trip to the Zoo/Aquarium
Though you can’t physically go to the zoo at the moment, you can watch live webcams of many of the animals who live there. It may not be the same as being on-site, but It’s a chance to explore something different, and you might be able to visit some places virtually where you might never go in person. The National Zoo also includes downloadable activities for younger kids to explore animal behavior.
Visit a National Park
Even though many State Parks and National Parks are closed, for the time being, you can still explore some of them virtually. Take a virtual tour, explore what the parks have to offer, and it may inspire you to go visit one of these when they are open once again.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Tour A Museum in Another Country
There are an amazing amount of virtual museum tours you can take all over the world. You just need a decent internet connection and a computer or screen to view them. There are also ways to screencast these tours from your phone to a TV so you can enjoy these as a family.
National Museum, New Delhi, India
Art Gallery of South Australia
Challenge Your Friends to a Photo Scavenger Hunt
This is a fun activity you can do with a group of friends or family. It’s something different but allows you to get out and about a bit, while still maintaining social distance. The goal is to be the first team or individual to complete all the selfies/videos on the list (or the most) within a timeframe of two hours.
If you do the scavenger hunt with friends, you can all play individually and create a group chat to send the selfies as you take them. Remember to stay safe while driving (remember not to use your phone while driving.)
If you want to challenge another family or two, you can also create a group text message to keep the competition lively. Designate different family members for specific jobs (photo-taker, driver, list-checker, etc.) or switch tasks off as you go. Designate a start time, read the directions on the linked PDF and stay safe and remember it’s JUST a game.
Use the Scavenger Hunt PDF below or use it to come up with your own selfie scavenger hunt.
Host a Virtual Game Night
A number of families during this shelter-in-place order have gathered together virtually via Google Hangouts or Zoom and played a night of trivia. Grab a deck of questions from any number of popular board games or use a search engine to look them up. Others have gathered to play fun games normally played in person. There are a number of games designed to play online or via phones such as Drawful 2, Fibbage, and Quiplash (all from Jackbox Games.) With just a little bit of creativity and ingenuity, any number of games can be adapted to play virtually with friends and family.
Catch a Drive-In Movie
Even though most theaters are currently closed, the Tascosa Drive-In remains open. They offer a double feature after dark, and their gate opens at 7:30 pm. Their concession stand remains open as well. It’s a great time to load up your family and head to the movies.
For current movies showing and rates visit their website: Tascosa Drive-In
Discover a World of Adventure (and Beyond)
There are so many things to do and discover online, you can go on a pretty epic world-wide adventure from the comfort of your own home - all while staying in your pajamas, if you’d like. Choose a few of the above and plan a virtual trip. Set aside some time to go somewhere new each day. Here are even more possibilities to explore – in this world and beyond:
- Discover the Great Wall of China or visit the Catacombes de Paris
- Take a trip beyond the earth with NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration
- Explore Mars
- View all kinds of museums and more at Google Arts and Culture
