Seventeen Unique At-Home Activities to Keep You Amused Throughout Lockdown

By now, we're all pretty well acquainted with a little thing called lockdown. Being stuck with stay-at-home orders is mostly a drag — and if you want to spend the majority of your time slowly becoming one with your couch, there's absolutely no judgment here. Do what you need to do.

But, if you happen to be looking for creative ways to keep yourself (and your housemates) entertained at home, there are plenty of options from Melbourne's clever businesses — and you won't even need to change out of your PJs. We've rounded up a few non-boring ideas for nifty new things you can learn over the weekend, ranging from therapeutic Japanese craft projects to boss-level renovation skills. Consider this your isolation inspiration.

Cork and Canvas

GET CREATIVE WITH CLAY AND KINTSUGI

Dabbling in a new arts or crafts skill won't only see you reaping the benefits of creative therapy. It'll also likely land you with neat new handmade objects to pretty up your pad or gift to someone special. If you fancy having a crack at some pottery, you can get those hands messy and learn how to make your own ceramics with a DIY at-home clay kit from Crockd. It'll hook you up with some clay, tools, illustrated instructions and even conversation-starter cards, all delivered to your door. Local studio Ceramiques also has its own clay kit that it ships Australia-wide — they're currently out of stock, but keep an eye on the website or Instagram for future availability.

Meanwhile, Cork & Canvas is offering on-demand paint and sip sessions, delivered virtually — of course. Select which masterpiece you'd like to create, then one of the company's professional artists will guide you through the painting process via an online tutorial. BYO wine.

Shibori will get you hooked on the Japanese method of resist-dyeing with its offering of home-delivered craft kits, virtual how-to videos and downloadable technique guides.

And, among Class Bento's hefty lineup of online creative classes, you'll find a hands-on workshop dedicated to the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi — a unique way of repairing broken pottery that celebrates imperfection. A DIY craft kit including all the necessary materials will be sent out to you, with the beginner-friendly two-hour class taught via Zoom.

MAKE TIME TO DIY A TIPPLE

Numerous lockdowns have left us all pretty well-practiced in the art of drinking, so now is the perfect time to take things up a notch and throw some knowledge behind the art. For example, you can add a few home-blended editions to that gin collection, with help from Gin Kit's range of artisan gin-making packs. They come filled with everything you need to transform a bottle of base spirits into a botanically-charged, sippable gin that you can call your own.

Or, if you'd rather boost your whisky smarts, Brisbane's Malt Traders is hosting virtual guided tastings that'll take your tastebuds on a trip through Scotland. If you've got enough of a crew, it also offers virtual beer tastings, where an expert will guide you through a selection of brews that have been delivered to your house. And the National Wine Centre runs a series of Zoom masterclasses, exploring various Aussie wine regions.

Rob Palmer, from The Whole Fish Cookbook

COOK SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ANOTHER LOAF OF SOURDOUGH

If you want to learn a few new culinary tricks to add to your repertoire, there are plenty of local kitchen maestros that are happy to help. If you're not tied down to a specific dish, you'll want to get acquainted with Maggie Beer's Instagram page. The chef's catalogue of how-to videos are fun, informative and easy to follow, plus she does a live cooking tutorial every Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Sydney's sustainable seafood king Josh Niland (Saint Peter, Fish Butchery) is sharing his secrets to prepping and cooking fish via his online masterclass videos, which you can rent or buy.

Marina Totta's live-streamed pasta-making classes will ignite your inner Italophile. And Atlas Dining's Charlie Carrington is simplifying the dinner rush with his DIY meal kits. Each one is centred on a different international cuisine, and comes stocked with all the ingredients (and recipe cards) to make three or four dishes.

Prudence Earl via Unsplash

MAKE YOUR HOME SPACE LOOK ACE

If you're here looking for nifty things you can learn at home, then chances are that you're currently spending a lot of time between those four walls. And if that's the case, you might as well pick up some skills that'll help leave your space looking fabulous, inside and out. For plant-lovers and wannabe green thumbs, there's a jungle's worth of hot plant tips and gardening knowledge to be found over on Bunnings' Staying Grounded podcast. It's hosted by certified plant guru and horticulturalist Chloe Thomson, along with a suite of guest experts, covering everything from edible plants to lawn basics.

Alternatively, head to the Plant Society's website and jump on one of its beginner-friendly virtual workshops, which will transform you into an expert green thumb in no time.

Got a room, wall or piece of furniture that's begging for some DIY love? Embrace your inner handyman-slash-reno master and upskill with a little help from the Bunnings Youtube channel. It's a goldmine of how-to goodness, ranging from basic tool tips to full-blown makeover workshops.

SORT OUT SOME SELF-CARE

While a little self-improvement never goes astray, it's more important than ever to hone those self-care instincts. And you can do plenty of that without even leaving the house.

Get bendy with some live-streamed or on-demand living room yoga, guided by experts from the likes of I Am That and Annie Belcher.

Or, if you'd like to finally learn how to meditate, there's lots of handy digital tools that'll get you off to a flying start with minimal fuss. The popular Headspace app features a brief beginners course that teaches the basics in just a few minutes a day. If you'd like to shake up your screen time, the company has also recently released a new interactive Netflix special titled Headspace: Unwind Your Mind.

Meanwhile, award-winning app Calm has a bunch of different meditation lessons, along with expert-taught masterclasses, guided exercises and relaxing soundscapes you can use in your future meditative endeavours.

Top Image: Crockd