5 accessible analogue activities for summer

13 Aug 5 accessible analogue activities for summer

After five months of screen-based lockdown, many of us are looking for things to do to keep us offline. 3/4 of American families say that they intend to take a digital detox post-lockdown, but it can be hard to find analogue activities that appeal to all ages. And this summer we’re also faced with added challenges; we can’t leave our house as often, places we would usually visit are closed or restricted, and foreign holidays are not advised. So, we’ve come up with five analogue activities that you can do this summer offline, cheaply, easily, and from the comfort of your own home. You could even post about what you’re doing (after the event of course!) using our #SummerUnplugged hashtag to join in the challenge.

#1 Cooking

As lockdown continued many of us were experimenting in the kitchen from sourdough bread to making our own pesto, That doesn’t have to stop now that restrictions are lifting! The most authentic way to log off would be to cook without a recipe and fully immerse yourself in the experience, but we don’t know about you but we’re certainly not at that level yet. So, to begin your culinary journey we suggest you follow the easy steps of BBC Good Food or a food blogger such as ‘My Primrose Hill Kitchen‘ perfect for lazy chefs and avid foodies! There are hundreds of recipes across both platforms which cater to different dietary requirements, budgets and time scales so everyone should be able to find something.

#2 Juggling

Juggling is one of those activities that always looks impressive, is relatively simple (in terms of steps to take, not ease of practice) to learn, and yet evades so many of us. So, why not take up juggling as your summer goal? There are loads of videos showing how-to online, with new and exciting methods to add extra balls to the rotation or to do tricks. Essentially to juggle you just need three balls, a lot of concentration and time to practice. Get on it now and you will be a master-juggler come September!

#3 Needlecraft

We’ve been shouting the benefits of needlecraft as a way to keep both hands and mind busy (and crucially away from screens) for a long time so we won’t try to convince you yet again – just trust us, it works. Instead here are two ideas for how to craft this summer. First is the RSN postcard from home challenge which encourages us to create a beautiful representation of our surroundings in stitches, as we can’t go away. Second is the weekly ‘stitch-up’ hosted by Badass Cross Stitch in which people from all across the world can come together to create and share about their creations!

#4 Pen and paper games

One of the most accessible analogue activities has have to be pen and paper games. These are the kinds of games we often play at holidays and family gatherings but you don’t need 15 people to play! One of our particular favourites at Time To Log Off is the ‘hat game’. This involves all players putting 10 (or as many as you like) names into a ‘hat’. Those names can be of celebrities, fictional characters, family or friends as long as all players could reasonably recognise them. The players are split into two teams and under time pressure (usually 1 min per round) one player from each team will pick names out of the ‘hat’ and describe them to their teammates without using any of the words on the paper. Each name correctly guessed is a point and this continues alternating between the teams and players until no names are left. After that you can continue to rounds in which you use the same names and players can only use one word or even mime the name – endless fun!

#5 Puzzling

Another analogue activity we have praised many times is completing a puzzle. Over lockdown, we admit we have become slightly obsessed. In particular with the unique whimsy pieces which characterise Wentworth Puzzles. They make doing a jigsaw even more enjoyable and introduce a level of challenge even the most experienced puzzler may not have faced. If funds won’t stretch to a wooden puzzle though, there are plenty of pre-loved options which can be found online. Puzzling has become incredibly popular over these past few months. It’s an absorbing way for you to keep both your hands and mind busy. We highly recommend.

Whatever analogue activity you choose to keep yourself offline and busy this summer, keep us in the loop through our #SummerUnplugged challenge – we look forward to seeing what you get up to!