Summer is rolling in! Which can only mean freedom, vacation, beach days, fun activities, and more fun, right? Actually…no. For a lot of us, the excitement of summer fades away pretty quickly after the summer starts. That’s because when it comes down to it, there’s not much to do. And all the (previously enticing) free time is spent either struggling to find engaging activities or praying for school to start again. It can be a very frustrating time, so we’ve made a list of things to do in the summer to keep your restless mind busy and creatively satisfied.
City food tour
You know what’s fun? Food! And you know what’s important? Knowing about your city’s most delicious food joints. Are you adequately informed about your city’s best places to grab a quick bite or your favorite meal? If not, then there’s your summer project! Suggestions and lists on the internet are fine methods to do this project if you’re in a hurry, but as it turns out, you have the whole summer. And the best way to do a project is to do it. Now, ‘food’ is a broad term, and exploring the city for all food would be difficult and confusing. Why not pick a niche? Think about your favorite food and set out to find the best of it. Or, since it’s summer, you could try to explore the places where they sell cold desserts. Maybe your city is famous for a particular one. You could go only to the most popular places, or to the not-so-known ones if you’re out for an extra adventure. In short, there are various ways to enjoy this project, and it all depends on where your spirit takes you. But one thing that you could definitely do is document your summer food project. Be it a blog post, a private album, or a video series, capturing your adventure would make it more official and exciting. Take pictures of the road, the shop fronts, and the food itself to make a slideshow. Weave a story, tease it on social media, and share your exciting adventure with everyone throughout summer.
Take up something you’re bad at
Summer is the perfect time to do things you wouldn’t normally do, so take up something you’re bad at or might think you’re bad at. Because many times, the things we think we’re bad at, turn out to be things we can be pretty good at. And interestingly, often it’s other people’s judgment of us that we believe to be true. For instance, has anyone ever told you that, say, you take the worst pictures? You get the angle wrong, you get the lighting wrong, you’re just horrible at it. Chances are, you believed them and thought you’d better stay away from the camera. Well, summer is the time to prove them wrong. Pick up your smartphone and start clicking. At first, sure, maybe you’ll shoot bad ones. But as you get into it and start thinking about the story you want to tell with each picture, you’ll get better. And soon, you’ll be pretty good. So don’t shy away from such things, do them this summer and witness your personal growth. Make a video of your efforts and success to share with friends and family at the end of summer. They would love to see your growth too!
Family History
How much do you actually know about your family? There could be a whole new story waiting to be explored right under your nose. Do a family tree project and try to find out everything you can about your ancestry (or about that strange uncle of yours). Grab any family member you can and get them to tell you their stories or someone else’s stories — if you know what I mean. Go through albums and dig up old photographs, then see how much you learn about your family this summer. The results might surprise you. String those photographs together and craft a family story video to keep as a reminder of your summer – or just to remember your findings later in life.
Try Ballet
Notice that it doesn’t say ‘try any dance form’, and specifically states ballet. Why? Because trying ballet might take you all summer, and it’s excellent for flexibility. Now, don’t set out to master ballet because that will definitely take you more than the duration of one summer. Another thing to keep in mind is that ballet is physically challenging, and it’s not advisable to push your body too far for it. What you could do is aim to have fun and, with any luck, look graceful while doing it. Remember that it is just an interesting activity for you to engage in when you feel bored during the summer holidays, so if you only happen to make awkward jumps and silly movements, it’s fine! You’re doing it for fun! Record yourself or click a few pictures and have a laugh with your friends and family. In fact, ask them to join in and put together a musical. It would be really exciting – and funny.
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Volunteer somewhere
An amazing way to spend your summer is to volunteer at a place of your choice. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an NGO or a shelter, it could be your favorite video production company or anywhere you would like to sneak in and learn the tricks of the trade. Volunteering is great for learning new things, getting hands-on experience in real-life situations, and gathering interesting stories. Do a comprehensive search of places you would like to spend your time at, and draft letters asking if you could volunteer with them. Since you wouldn’t ask for a stipend or anything of the sort, it should be fairly easy to land a few volunteer jobs. And if you do volunteer for an NGO, make sure to share their story. Video is a great way to communicate and engage emotions, so make a video and help them spread the word about their cause.
Make videos
Another fun thing to do this summer is to make videos about all your other creative projects. Whatever you do, alone or with your friends and family, you could document it in beautiful slideshows to save for the years to come. Going to the waterpark? Take pictures and indulge in a fun afternoon turning them into a video! In fact, all the activities on this list can be made more interesting by adding a video project at the end. Think about it, documenting your summer is exciting – and motivating. And the best way to share a story is through video. So get your camera out and have a fantastic summer!
