Good Vibes Page

During this trying time when "normal" seems to change everyday, we want to send out as many good vibes as we can. With so many restrictions in place to tell you what you can’t do, this page will offer a bunch of ideas to let you know what you CAN do. We hope this helps lift your spirits and gives you some ideas about what to do to get outside, get some exercise, keep the kiddos occupied, keep you from getting bored and maybe just make you laugh. Stay healthy. Stay positive. Stay open to all the good vibes. They’re coming your way!

City Parks

Whether you have kids or not, the parks are still open. Kiddos may not be able to play on the playgrounds (they are closed) but they can explore the trails and play along the river, skipping rocks, floating leaves and sticks (check out the idea below in the kiddos section for a great idea), or getting their feet wet. Every one likes a picnic, too and the park offers plenty of room to spread out.

South River Greenway

Log some steps and get some fresh air just be sure to maintain 6 ft between you and other users. Can’t go for another walk? Grab your bike, scooter, or hover board. If you feel it’s too busy there, then head to one of the lesser used parks like Basic or North, you’re apt to find an entire parking lot just waiting for you to put it to use.

Hiking Upward

The current stay at home order still allows for a little adventure in the name of exercise. So, if you want to branch out a bit from Waynesboro you might be able to find a more secluded and tranquil trail nearby on the Hiking Upward website: https://www.hikingupward.com/

Kids In Parks is a great site with ideas to get unplugged and get outdoors including a really fun and educational idea for creating a nature journal.

National Park Trust has added some awesome downloadable activities for kids as well including nature collage and scavenger hunts.

Pinterest has loads of ideas for simple kids crafts. One that floats my boat is this super easy craft to make your own stick boat. Once you build it, you can sail it on the South River.

If you’ve got a driveway or sidewalk and a piece of chalk, then the good folks at Active for Life have got EIGHT games you can play. I remember playing some of these when I was a bored kid begging my mom for something to do!

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has a great series of live feeds that air on Facebook called Home Safari. You can discover new animals and see what it would be like to be a zoo keeper. Be sure to check out the series on Fiona the Hippo.

The James Dyson Foundation is focused on inspiring the next generation of engineers. They’ve come up with some great ideas to engage kids with projects that are fun and demonstrate solid scientific and engineering concepts. You can download the Challenge Cards and get to work.

Lowe’s has some really cute ideas for kids. One of my favorites is the Wooden Scrap Robots made from stuff from the garage. If you don’t have a garage, no worries. Just raid your junk drawers instead.

Culture up by taking a look at the collections found in several famous museums from around the world. You might just find some inspiration for you and the kids to tackle an art project worthy of wall space.

THIS WEBSITE WILL SELF DESTRUCT . Well this one won’t but the one the link goes to will...in 24 hours if no posts are received. It’s an anonymous place to vent, pray, say something selfish, say something selfless, make a confession, share a fear, a hope, a desire, a joke- anything really. Give it a try. It’s kind of cathartic.

This one goes out to the homebrewers and beer drinkers, well heck it can even go out to those among us that find it to be the most vile of stuff....beer painting. Just watch this video by Karen Eland: https://vimeo.com/121860593. Incredible. She does them in coffee, too!

Turn off your nightly news program and opt for Some Good News with John Krasinski on Youtube. This Office actor will .give you the good news of the day and when you’re done watching them just watch The Office clips. You’ll be smiling before you know it.

Since you’re stuck at home, now might be a good time to tackle some household chores that are oft overlooked like cleaning the lint trap on the dryer, draining the water heater, or trimming your bushes. Or just say to heck with that and practice the fine art of paper folding.

If you’re bummed because you can’t get outside to go explore then try it virtually. Hidden Worlds of the National Parks takes you to 5 different parks and the experience is interactive so you can pick what you want to see move the camera angle to look around. You’re kids attention might even be held with this one.

So you’ve been home for a while now and you’re feeling like a survivor. Up your game and see if you can forage for a meal....or at least part of it. Morel mushrooms, leaks, and asparagus are super common in our area you just got to know where to look. Do a little research and then hit some woods and back roads and see what you can find.

If your dog is now hiding when you grab his leash, it might be time to change it up. Try to teach your old dog some new tricks. Start with the easy and unique dog tricks for beginners and then branch out from there.

You might also have your camera out a good bit during this time. The pros at Nikon are offering free photography classes online for the month of April. Now you can learn the best ways to capture your kids and pets, shoot a great portrait, capture a dynamic landscape, or even make a music video.