Springtime usually means outings, concerts, picnics, and other assorted crowd gathering activities. This year, however, with the threat of covid-19 in the air spring will take on a different feel. It is still possible to enjoy the things you love albeit in a slightly different way. You may also find new things to love that you have never tried or thought of doing before. This blog will look at a sampling of the fun spring related ideas that you can still participate.

Home Gardening

According to an article from the Farmer's Almanac, gardening for the first time can be daunting at first, but gardening is an incredibly rewarding hobby to get into.  If you have never tasted garden-fresh vegetables (lots of people haven’t!), you will be amazed by the sweet, juicy flavors and vibrant textures. There is absolutely nothing quite like fresh veggies, especially if you grow them yourself—which you can! The linked article provides a gardening for beginner’s guide to growing plants for the first time. Live in an apartment? No worries there are still some gardening ideas available for you too. When it comes to having a garden, space is not an issue. You can grow plants just about anywhere. So even if you live in a tiny apartment, you can grow some green. Why stop with pretty flowers? Consider growing your own herbs, fruits, and vegetables and really indulge your gardening senses.  This article from the Spruce offers tips and tricks for growing plants from within an apartment or otherwise smaller dwelling.

Photography

Photography is a fun hobby that can be enjoyed year-round. You do not have to have a fancy camera or even a standalone camera, a smartphone will do too. This article from Digital Photography School explores ten benefits that can be gained from having photography as a hobby including recording events and capturing memories, being creative, having fun, and continued learning to help keep the brain strong. If the only camera available to you is your smartphone, PC Magazine offers tips and trips to take more professional looking photographs including learning your camera’s features, purchasing add on lens, and editing your shots.

Chalk Art

Thousands of chalk drawings and signs have made people’s walks during coronavirus a little better. You can find articles, groups, and photos of all kinds where people have decorated their sidewalks, fences, and other stationary outdoor objects with their chalk art. Several hashtags have also come into being including #chalkyourwalk, #sidewakchalk and #chalkart. Under stay-at-home orders, the outdoors is one of the few places people can go to get out of the house. Neighborhoods across the country have encouraged their residents to chalk their sidewalks and driveways to make the day a little brighter. Some people have said that seeing the drawings and messages on their walk reminds them that they are not going through the pandemic alone. The MIami Herald has a nicely written article with sample photos illustrating this movement.

Quarantine Karaoke

If you love to sing, love to hear others sing, or just miss going to your favorite karaoke hot spot there is a group on Facebook to help you ease (or sing) the blues. Quarantine Karaoke is a group created by Joseph Meyers. In the group’s “about” section, Mr. Meyers says “You are encouraged to post videos of yourself singing your favorite songs to distract from the world pandemic and pull each other closer together. Positive vibes only and FUN is a requirement!” While it is a private group you are encouraged to join and invite your friends. As of the writing of this blog the group is currently up to 566,478 members from everywhere in the world. Please note that it is always important to review this, or any, group’s rules prior to joining. The number one rule for this group is to be nice. No bullying will be tolerated. Use the link above if you are interested in joining and to read the rest of the group rules. To see what’s currently on sale at ILA please sign up for our newsletter, view our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website.