5 Awesome Things to do This Weekend
It’s a fresh new year, and there are lots of awesome things to do. It’s important for mental health to get outside and do good when you can–particularly if you’re a special needs parent or carer.
Stephen’s Place is a home for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We're located in Vancouver ‘The Couv’ Washington, part of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where the weather is currently trés 'fresh'! With this, it’s important for our residents to have a good mix of indoor and outdoor activities available to them. We've collected some of our favorite feel-good indoor and outdoor activities to get your year and your endorphins going.
Plogging
That’s right, the very antithesis of blogging and vlogging; Plogging is where you go for a walk, hike or jog but with an added twist. The difference is made when you pick up trash while out on the trail. It’s twice as fulfilling as just regular old jogging alone and you can do it just about anywhere.
To become a fully-fledged Plogger, you’ll need to start with some trash bags and some stellar spot-the-difference skills, oh, and a good trail.
Volunteering
Many of our residents here at Stephen’s Place volunteer once a week and multiple times during the year. Doing good feels good! You and your family can spend the day putting together food packets for other families, making care packages for single parents in need, helping your local animal shelter walk their dogs, helping your community thrive, or a whole host of other fun activities. There are so many volunteer opportunities that you’re bound to find at least one with your name on it.
Visit a Maze
There’s a level of exhilaration that comes along with walking through a good maze–the kind that cannot be matched by the likes of Netflix & Chill (even though Netflix & Chill is a wonderful activity in its own right). These artfully crafted structures have a great way of providing an enjoyable puzzle, a new perspective, and an escape from the day-to-day.
There are more mazes around than you might guess, and they’re a unique way to encourage your family and friends to get out of the house.
Donate Your Threads
If you have threads that you or a family member has grown out of or hasn’t worn in eons, donating is a feelgood weekend activity that can also make life easier by way of decluttering.
If you haven’t worn it in three months (and it’s not seasonal), maybe think about sending it on to a new home. This activity is also tax-deductible. Find a spot to donate near you.
Refresh a Free Item From Craigslist
Take a look at the Craigslist free list and find items you and your family can restore and/or use to make something else. Things lying around your home and garden might make great candidates for this activity.
You could build a treehouse out of reclaimed wood, a birdfeeder out of lego, a teepee from fallen branches and recycled fabric, a table out of a shipping spool, etc.
With places like Habitat for Humanity around, you can find paint, screws, and much more at less than half the cost to your wallet, and your purchase helps out other families too.
About Stephen’s Place
Stephen’s Place is an independent apartment community for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, located in Vancouver, WA (7 minutes from Portland, OR).
If you have a loved one with developmental or intellectual disabilities, who is looking for a community to live in, please contact us for more information. Stephen’s Place is a private-pay apartment community due to our state-of-the-art amenities and programs. We are a nonprofit and do not profit from our community. We are private pay because we spend more than some housing communities to ensure that our residents are comfortable and can safely live their lives with independence and dignity.