How students beat boredom in the cold winter months

As the cold, dreary months of winter melt away, Housatonic students continue to participate in the activities that keep them from the grips of winter boredom. A survey sent to students asked about their favorite activities, and the results show a great diversity within the student population.

In the survey, participants were asked to check any box that applied, and were invited to offer their own specific response at the end of each question, which many chose to do.

The most popular activities were in ‘Entertainment’, where over 80% of respondents indicated that they watched movies, about 60% saying they use social media or YouTube, and about 50% saying that they play video games or read.

Many also said they worked at some job, with babysitting, service, and agriculture gaining the most responses. Specific student responses included healthcare, church volunteering, lifeguarding, and junior firefighting.

Despite the cold weather and unrelenting snow, students were not discouraged from spending time doing outdoor sports, with hiking, and skiing or snowboarding gaining about 25% of responses each. Other popular sports include swimming, basketball, weightlifting, or running, while about 30% indicated that they participated in no winter sports. Other specific responses include esports, gymnastics, wrestling, tennis, or horseback riding.

While about 40% of students indicated that they participated in no creative activities, the ones that did expressed a great diversity in their interests.

Drawing, painting, photography, writing and journaling, and writing, playing, or recording music all gained above 20% of student responses, showing that students often participate in a large number of creative activities. Film, theater, dance, and singing all received around 10% of responses, and specific responses include knitting and crocheting, crafts, sewing, and baking.

Throughout the cold winter months, it can often be difficult to stay busy and entertained when confined to the indoors. However, students at Housatonic often find unique ways to fill their time and represent a diverse array of hobbies and interests in the school.