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You stuck at home and have some time on your hands? YouTube is your friend. You can how-tos about anything on there, and here is a list of what we suggest you brush up on, and why.
If you are now finding yourself with a little extra time on your hands, it is the perfect time to add to your skills list by using this precious time to help make you better prepared for the future.
Things to Learn During Quarantine
There are literally dozens of things you could choose to attack and master, but we have a list of some of the most necessary survival skills to master.
Basic Knots
Knots are very useful for emergency shelter making, improvising snares, fishing nets, even simply an emergency clothesline or way to hang your equipment off the ground while camping.
When you browse the internet, chances are you will come across as many as sixteen or even more different types of knots. But all knots are not essential unless you are a sailor or a climber. Learn just two or three basic knots and get the job done.
Fire Starting
Fire starting, one of the survival skills, is not for the faint-hearted as you need to adopt friction-based fire-starting or any other primitive method. It is a great time to learn how to start a fire without a match or a lighter.
You may not need this skill ever, but it is cool to know-how that you can heat and eat anything in the case of an emergency! We love this article: Campfires 101: Everything You Need to Know from Fire Starters on Up.
Identifying Local Plants
Learning to identify plants is no mean achievement even for the full-time students of botany. It might seem too tedious and technical at first, but it will sure build your knowledge of plant identification.
It is the best time to upgrade your plant identification skills to the next level
Learn what plants are right on your doorstep that can be used as food, medicine or poisons
All of us love maintaining a beautiful garden in our backyard or near the entrance. But are we aware that there are plants that can be used as food and medicine and are available easily?
Plants like Yarrow, Mullein, and Dandelion have great medicinal properties, and they are edible too. Want to learn more? Check out www.eattheweeds.com to gain more plant knowledge.
Change your Tire
Changing a tire is an effortless skill that all car owners should know. A lack of knowledge could leave you stranded on the side of the road. When you learn how to change a tire, there will be no need to wait for roadside emergency services that can leave you waiting for hours. What is even worse? When you are ini a location that has no cell phone signal.
Map Reading
The lockdown is an excellent opportunity for learning, and it is never too late to get acquainted with the art of map reading. With the advent of sat-navs and Google Maps, people have ignored the good old skills of map reading.
When you acquire this skill, you will not be in a soup next time your cell phone battery dies or fails to get a network on a hiking trip.
Vehicle Repair
The quarantine period can be best utilized to learn skills that will help us to save money in the long run. If you know the basics of vehicle repair, then you need not run to the mechanic every time.
Tasks like changing the oil or flushing the coolant, are great DIY projects that you can easily learn, implement, and save a lot of money in the process. Granted cars are not as easy to work on as they sued to be with all of the electronics, but there is still a lot that you CAN do yourself.
Animal Keeping – Chicken, Sheep, Pigs, etc
Have you ever thought of rearing farm animals? Now is the time to learn the required skills to raise chicken, sheep, or similar farm animals. When you run a small backyard hobby farm, your family can have access to grass feed meat, and dairy for the whole year.
You will get fresh raw milk, be safe from artificial cheese, and enjoy chemical-free eggs. Sadly, not all cities let you have chickens or small livestock, but you MIGHT be able to.
Hunting with either a bow or a rifle
Many of us had an interest in hunting, but we missed out due to our difficult office schedules. It is an excellent time to hunt for some fresh meat, but if you are planning to use bow and arrow, then you need to keep the distance shorter at 30 yards.
Hunting helps you to bond with your children and this quarantine period is a good time to do that. Make sure you stick to the current hunting season and laws.
First Aid
Teaching yourself basic first aid is an excellent way of empowering yourself, and it can have very positive knock-off effects as well. First aid education will help you to help others in times of need, and it will also help your family understand the importance of good health and what it means to be fit and well.
This article on Camping First Aid Kit Essentials is a great place to start, unless you have looked at our own articles on first aid like: First Aid Items for Your Pandemic Survival Kit
Sewing
We all know that sewing is a lost art, but a huge number of individuals have gone back to this craft during this time, and there has been a sort of renaissance lately. When you learn how to repair or make items of clothing, it can be a rewarding experience.
If you have kids at home, they will love the needlework. A simple task to start with is making face masks. There are several places you can get patterns online.
Soap Making
During this lockdown, the soaps and hand washes are fast running out of shelves. You can learn the art of soap making so that you can have ready stock at home. Making soap at home is a satisfying skill to learn. Soap making is fun and not at all difficult, as you might think. You can see a few fun recipes HERE to get you started.
Water Sources and Different ways to Catch Water
Want to do something very creative? You can learn about the different ways to catch water so that you can use it to water your livestock, vegetable garden, flowers, and even use it for drinking purposes. DIY rainwater harvesting is great art, and you can ask your kids to join in.
Safety as a woman
The quarantine period has some disadvantages, and the safety of women has become an essential topic of discussion today. Domestic violence has increased manifold, and they are often under-reported. It is a great time to learn some safety tips and survival skills so that women enjoy a better and safe position in society.
Making Moonshine
One should thank the quarantine period for the newfound love for moonshine. The brakes on the sale of hard drinks have disappointed lots of people, and this has led many individuals to try their hand at making moonshine at home.
There are several videos on YouTube that will teach us to make moonshine at home but we found a few recipes here: Moonshine Recipes.
Smoking Meats and other foods
If you are fond of cooking but rued the fact that you hardly got time for it, then make good use of the quarantine and learn how to smoke meat and other food items.
Remember, smoking meat is culinary science, and it requires accurate temperature and time control. Smoking meat is not new in any culture, and you can have it with a glass of beer o make it a complete meal.
Preserving Foods with Salt
Since you will not feel like cooking every day of the lockdown, it makes sense to learn how to preserve food with salt. The value of salt in preserving food items is highly prized, and meat and fish are covered with salt to check the growth of bacteria. Salt is also used to preserve raw mangoes, tamarind, etc.
Sourdough Starter
It is the perfect time to learn to make a sourdough starter at home. You just need flour, water, and, of course, loads of patience. The process is a bit nerve-wracking for a beginner, but once you learn it, you can use it to make sandwich bread, focaccia, bagels, etc. It takes around a week for the process to get completed. We found some fun Amish Friendship Starter recipes HERE.
Baking Bread
Baking is a relaxing and tasty hobby to get into. It is an important life skill and an opportunity to learn how to bake. Although you may get tempted to learn how to bake cakes and pies, it is the art of art baking bread that will help you during this quarantine period.
Making Candles
If you are searching for a new and exciting hobby to take up, then you will find that making candles is one of the most therapeutic ever! You can easily make a range of beautiful candles at home using standard kitchen equipment. Candle making is a very fulfilling and enjoyable craft that gives you creative pleasure and a sense of achievement.
Learn to Make Animal Traps
Have you ever tried making an animal trap or a snare? You can learn to make a DIY animal trap that can hold rabbits and squirrels. The greatest advantage of learning how to make animal traps ensures that you always have something to eat when you are in the wild or camping.
Gardening
Getting yourself out in the garden is fantastic for your body, mind, and soul. One can learn a lot through gardening like planting seedlings, watching the small plants grow, and digging up the mud to plant new seeds. The best part is that you can involve the little ones in gardening. Try To Garden has a lot of great tips for beginners.
Canning
Preservation of food is very important, and since during this period, shops are only intermittently open, it is necessary to learn the art of canning. Canning is not at all problematic, and definitely, you do not need a unique skill set. It is a matter of preserving foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, and poultry so that you can use it later.
Making Jams/Jellies
Homemade jams are much better and tastier than commercial jams. There is no better time to learn to make jams than this period. You can easily make jam at home with/without pectin, and even in your Instant Pot.
You will find that the homemade variety has the right amount of sugar content, tastes real, and looks yummier than the ones that are available on the supermarket shelves. You can get started with some recipes HERE.
Are there any other things you can think of adding to the list? Share with us all in the comments!