5 Fun ways to spend Earth Hour

In these challenging times it’s still important to inject a sense of mystery and excitement into your life. And what better time to do so than during Earth Hour. Here’s 5 fun activities that can be enjoyed with the family, housemates or alone (we think you’re still allowed to get away with a sneaky skype session with your friends in these times).

Bringing a sense of play into your life has been proven to increase mental and social wellbeing and has a positive impact on the overall physical health of adults and children alike. And boy, don’t we need that right now.

Try these fun games out in the dark, and who knows, maybe you can make them a regular fixture in your daily life.

1) Statue tag

This is a game the whole family can get involved in. Have one person stand at the front of the room with a flashlight and their back turned towards everyone else. The aim of the game is to tag the person with the flashlight. Everyone else starts at the opposite side of the room, but the trick is that they can only move closer to the person with the flashlight when they have their back towards you. If they turn around with the flashlight you must stop and remain still like a statue. If they catch you moving, you must return to the starting point. When the person turns around again you are allowed to move, but must stop whenever they turn around and point the flashlight towards you. Whoever reaches the person first without being caught wins!

2) Boardgames by candlelight

Now’s the perfect time to get those dusty boardgames out and gather around Monopoly, Jenga or Uno with your nearest and dearest. At Nectr, our favourites are card games. Why not make this even more fun (or competitive) with a sneaky glass of wine (assuming you are both over 18 years old!). Test your poker face with some card games and some snacks.

3) Hide-and-seek in the dark

Test your hide-and-seek skills in the dark. Remember playing this old favourite as a kid? You could fit into many more cupboards when you were smaller but which areas of the house could you hide in now? Have a scour around in the daylight to get ahead of the rest, the darkness could be a friend or foe in this new rendition.

4) Read with a flashlight

It’s past bedtime and you’re in your room hiding under your blanket with a torch reading Goosebumps. Sound familiar? That feeling of adrenaline of being caught out at any moment by your parents. Pick up one of your many half-read books and remind yourself of those carefree days.

5) Star gazing

If you can go outside (or even just sit near an open window), how about you try and test your astronomy knowledge by identifying the stars in our southern skies. Usually those of us who live in the suburbs can’t see the sky clearly at night so if your neighbours are also participating to Earth Hour, you’ll get the best chance to experience this.

How are you spending Earth Hour and contributing to the wellbeing of the planet this Earth Hour? Let us know on  Instagram or Facebook.