In Des Moines, the Des Moines Art Center is free to visit. They have plenty of permanent exhibits, and one main rotating exhibit. As it gets warmer, there is also a sculpture garden outside which is beautiful to explore. Another Museum that is free to enter is the State Historical Museum of Iowa, which includes information and exhibits about the history of Iowa, from Natural Resources to policies, and more!

If you don’t have time to drive into Des Moines, virtually tour a museum! Big name museums such as the Louvre in Paris, and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History have virtual tours that you can access through their websites. They are a great way to see art in places that you can’t visit. 

Access online tours here:

While ‘get outside’ is the most cliché advice, spending time in nature can be so peaceful. Or, it can lead you into adventures you never would’ve thought of. In and around Dallas County, there are many places to be in nature.

Whatever you want to do outside, you can do in Dallas County. Biking? Adel Bike trail. Kayaking? Glissman Conservation Area. Fishing? Big Bend Wildlife area in Redfield. Hiking? Kuehn Conservation. 

While you need to bring your own equipment for activities like fishing and kayaking, I almost guarantee that you have everything that you need to hike or have a picnic. Always be prepared to spend time outside; you can take a small backpack, with water, snacks, and sunscreen. I like to bring a journal or something to draw/water color with. 

Check Dallas County Conservation for more information about local outdoor activities.

You know the awkward ‘mall family photos’ that people have up in their living rooms. You wear matching outfits and go to JCPenney to take pictures? I’m recommending that you do that, but rather than going to JCPenney, take them at home, with your friends. 

Senior Hailey Lensch is having a grad party with three of her friends, but they realized they didn’t have many photos together. Enter, an afternoon photo shoot. Rather than go to JCPenney to have the photos done professionally, they took them with a makeshift tripod in Hailey’s basement.

While Hailey would take photos like this again, in regards to setup, she said “Don’t do what I did. We just moved a couch in the basement and I propped up my camera on a table, on a couch. We could’ve used a tripod, but no, we used a table and a couch.”

View the rest of their post here, or search on Pinterest for insparation

While Hailey doesn’t recommend setting photos up the way they did, she said she would absolutely take photos like this again. “It was part of the fun, figuring it out together and we had the freedom, knowing that it was just us in charge of what we wanted to do,” said Hailey. “So I would do it again, because it was fun.”

A library is a great way to access information; they have so many books, people who are knowledgeable about books, and desktop computers. Not only can you check out books, saving you money, the library is a great place to hang out. It is safe, air-conditioned (and heated in the winter), with nice furniture, and oftentimes activities. The public library is a great third place for many people in the community.

Aside from books, I can almost guarantee that your public library has something to do; from crafts, to passive programming, to obscure board games which you can check out. The library has all sorts of stuff, for all kinds of interests.

At the Adel Public Library, teen programming takes place after school each Wednesday.

Bake or cook something new. Without buying anything. Look around your kitchen for produce or ingredients that are about to go bad, and come up with something to cook with them. This accomplishes more than just beating your boredom; you are also saving food from being thrown away. 

If you can’t think of a recipe, don’t turn to AI. There are many websites dedicated to helping you find recipes to make based on the food you already have. Try “RecipeRadar” or “SuperCook” which allows you to search for recipes by the ingredients that you have laying around. 

Better yet, don’t use the website; get each of your friends to bring something that will be thrown away soon, and challenge yourselves chopped-style to make a meal out of what you have. Any other food network fans? If you really want to go all out, use the printouts here to make your kitchen look just like the show.

Sophomore Savanna McIntyre enjoys both cooking and baking. She mentioned making cinnamon rolls, cookies and mac and cheese for her family and friends to enjoy. “I like having people try my food and give me ratings of what they like,” McIntyre said.