Last week, my school had a fire drill, just as we do every month. It was a pleasant, 70-degree day: perfect weather to practice evacuating the building. As I walked from my classroom to exit the building, I looked around to see every person's eyes glued to their phone. It wasn't just me who noticed. When I came back inside, my math teacher went on a rant about how everyone was on their phones during the drill. And guess what? Turns out the fire "drill" we had was not even a drill! The sprinklers went off in the gym, so we were in real danger. But, of course the people in my generation are too busy checking Twitter to notice what is going on around them.
This got me thinking about how obsessed this generation is with their phones. I understand that it is fun to check in and see what other people are doing; however, it has come to the point where kids can not even go five minutes without checking their phones. It is even starting to come in the way of our safety. So it's time to put the phones down! Here are 50 things to do instead of checking your phone:
1. Do some yoga.
2. Put a walkie talkie in your mailbox and shout at everyone who walks by.
3. Think about what you are going to be for Halloween (it's next week!)
4. Make your Halloween costume.
5. Make a care package.
6. Write a letter to a family member.
7. Dance.
8. Plant a garden.
9. Go to the library.
10. Plan a dream vacation.
11. Send your long distance friends a surprise card.
12. Listen to music.
13. Learn how to play an instrument.
14. Go for a run.
15. Make a scrapbook.
16. Go to a bookstore.
17. Buy an adult coloring book from the bookstore.
18. Color (in the adult coloring book that you bought from the bookstore.)
19. Go shopping.
20. Bake a treat.
21. Take a bubble bath.
22. Play charades.
23. Unsubscribe from junk email.
24. Make origami.
25. Buy an external hard drive and back up all the files on your computer.
26. Start writing for Odyssey!
27. Sleep.
28. Make an appointment to see the dentist.
29. Wash the car.
30. Play with legos.
31. Volunteer.
32. Rotate your car tires.
33. Make jewelry.
34. Have a water balloon fight.
35. Read a book.
36. Play a board game.
37. Flip your mattress.
38. Send someone flowers.
39. Go for a walk.
40. Take a hike.
41. Create your own language.
42. Start vlogging.
43. Have a picnic.
44. Have a spa night.
45. Make a list of your goals.
46. Host a movie night.
47. Make a scarecrow.
48. Do a puzzle.
49. Learn calligraphy.
50. Give someone a compliment.
Clearly, there are plenty of things to do other than check up on social media. Live in the moment; take in what is going on around you. And who knows, putting your phone down might even help you escape a fire one day!
