Essential supplies for the quarantine

This is the Thirty-first article in a permanent column for Stroud Arts that appears in the Stroud American. The mission of these articles is to inform, educate and inspire you, the reader to Make Art Happen in your life and the life of our community.

First, Don’t Panic! Now put back the 7th and 8th, 24-pack of toilet paper! Good.

Now let’s look at some items that are usually overlooked but essential to maintain your sanity as you and your family are quarantined together for the next two weeks.

Did you purchase batteries for the remotes? Believe me, if you have two or more Video Game enthusiasts in your home, the batteries will be quickly drained and then the whining will start.

You know the whine; ‘I’m boooorrrrrreeeeedddd.’

Yes, even with a huge stockpile of batteries the whine will still occur, but its best if it happens later rather than sooner.

You might want a timer to stop the arguments over control of the game as two separate garners will always prefer two different games.

To extend the lifetime of your electronic babysitter, I suggest you hunt for those old puzzles, or better yet, purchase at least one new puzzle before the extended family time begins.

With puzzles you should find something that is visually appealing and age appropriate for all participants. If there is a wide age and or skill gap you might want separate puzzles so no one is feeling excluded and becomes boooorrrrreeeeeddd.

You can also fight boredom with board games!

Again, look through the closet for those old traditional tabletop board games like; `Monopoly’, ‘RISK’, ‘Sorry’, or for younger players ‘Chutes and Ladders’ and `Candyland’.

These games can be played for hours, some for days and are great ways to interact with your family members.

If you don’t have any Board games lying around the house, you can find some at the local box stores or, if you are feeling adventurous and want something more than these basic games, you can go to a specialty game shop in Tulsa, Stillwater or OKC.

These stores carry unique, themed games that go beyond your dog passing ‘Go to collect $200’.

In ‘Tales from the Arabian Nights’ you are a character from the stories of Scherazade and travel around the Legendary World of the 1001 Nights completing adventures!

In ‘Axis and Allies’ you can lead one of the world powers of WW2 and see if it ends the same with you in charge.

In `Settlers of Catan’ you lead your people to explore, utilize resources and build a civilization on a new island continent. In ‘Last Night on Earth’ you and your fellow survivors attempt to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Finally, for those who appreciate irony, purchase the board game ‘Pandemic’ and see if you can organize your Health Care Resources to stop a worldwide virus. Maybe you can do better than the CDC.

While stocking your emergency game supply don’t forget card games such as UNO, Pokemon, Magic and a traditional deck as well. Dominos is also a suggestion as it can occupy several players for a few hours.

The last few items I encourage you to add to your survival chest are coloring books and crayons or markers and a few actual books.

These are more solitary activities and can give you time to recharge your social interaction batteries before the next group activity.

They don’t need batteries.

They usually require a bit of quiet to use. They can also be very creative and inspirational.

Since the Coronavirus situation is continuing to evolve, we must be creative and evolve with it.

If you are quarantined then take this as an opportunity to work on crafting your art.

The Art of the Family.