The year was 1650, the Great Plague was over sweeping the streets of London. A young man studying at Cambridge was stuck in his dorm room for over a year, avoiding the effects of the mass casualties outside. From his dorm room desk, Isaac Newton discovered the ideas of early calculus, optics and gravity. 

Today, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire world is encouraged to stay in their homes and out of public places. The school district has recently announced that school will be suspended and students and staff will return on April 13th, giving students and staff four weeks off of school. This gives everyone time to take advantage of being home and to do the things that they have always wanted to do, whether it be read a book or expand on the ideas of calculus. 

Four weeks stuck at home may sound like prison. Not being able to see friends or being able to go out for a quick run to Whataburger is frustrating. However, being at home brings in endless possibilities of things to do. 

Netflix has a wide variety of binge- worthy TV shows, including a new reality series Love is Blind which has been the recent rave on social media. Disney+ has released a set of new movies to give everyone a sense of nostalgia. There are dozens of book series to read, including Harry Potter, Divergent, Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings and Twilight which can have anyone hooked for hours, and have movies to binge watch that can be found on any movie streaming network.

However, if students do not have these resources at their fingertips, there are many time-passing activities to do that can be found in any house. Find different home DIYs, start early on spring cleaning or going on a walk outside. 

This is a scary time, and staying home is important for everyone’s health and to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Take advantage of having four weeks home with family. Stay home and stay healthy.