In quarantine times...

The novel Corona virus (COVID-19) has already taken the world by storm. The unprecedented lockdown has made every day the same and monotonous- 'idle brain is devil's workshop.' Today, I am not here to rant about the ways you can avoid the virus, but I want to share with you some ideas to overcome the boredom and live without the urban pandemonium. There is so much you can do with a lot of free time in hand. In fact, I believe that this virus has given us time to rejuvenate and re-emerge as better human beings. I also feel that there isn't any right or wrong choice, but always the better or worse choice. In the end, it is up to you- how you want to spend this time. Maybe if you choose the better option, it may open a door full of marvellous possibilities that you can explore. Who knows what wonders you can do?

First of all, there is nothing better than learning a new skill https://www.skillshare.com/home is an awesome website for developing a new skill with thousands of online videos and lectures. If you want to enhance your brain and study then https://brilliant.org/ is an excellent website with courses in logic, math, science and computers. Other than that YouTube is one of the best sites where you can watch educational videos and simultaneously have tons of fun

Reading is one of the best pastimes with or without quarantine. In fact, Amazon has cancelled the subscription of books and audio stories for children and students of all ages, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.

All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet using the following link https://stories.audible.com/start-listen. Since purchasing books is difficult in these times, try to reread any books that you have and analyse it carefully. Analysis is an excellent skill since you can learn so much more about a character. 'Without fantasy, we cannot survive the reality.' This quote is so true and I feel that reading can really mould and change a person's life, thus giving them a new perspective.

'Art- it enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.' I thoroughly understand that not everyone is good at art or is an artist. I'm not one as well- I dropped Arts at school. Then I realised how imperative art is in our lives.

All the same, art is important because it encompasses all the developmental domains in child growth. Art lends itself to physical development and the enhancement of fine and gross motor skills. For instance, when kids work with play dough, they fine-tune muscle control in their fingers. All manipulative movements involved in art help develop hand and finger muscles that are needed to properly hold and use a pencil. Art activities also help children’s social and emotional development. Children learn about themselves and others through art activities. It really helps them build self-esteem. It’s an opportunity for children to make a personal statement about their uniqueness through art while allowing them to express happiness, joy, and pride. Art also enhances children’s cognitive development which can help kids with their early math skills. Children who have experienced a wide range of places will have an array of ideas to choose from when doing art. Art reflects what a child knows about the world and enables the child to choose how to translate those ideas and experiences. Finally, art is important because it allows children to be creative. Each piece of clay manipulated or each easel painting is individual and original to each child. Art is open-ended and all work can be honoured. At the end of the write up there are some of my sketches. They aren't perfect but I tried my best and thoroughly enjoyed making them.

To conclude, this is the right time to enhance your creative edge which is always ignored in our busy lives. We never pay attention to these things because we don't find them important. However, it is time to realise that these sufficiently reduce stress and anxiety and do what is necessary to keep you happy and healthy. Don't be afraid to try something new in this lockdown! Stay safe, stay healthy!