- Take up a new sport or athletic activity, appropriate to your age and skill level, of course. What do you see people outside doing that seems appealing? Have you ridden your bike lately? Tried out your roller blades? Even looked at your tennis shoes? Summer is a great time to get serious about swimming, to take part in intra-mural sports or community leagues, to get together a few friends for a game of tennis at the park or kickball in the backyard or frisbee golf in the empty lot down the street. Get out there and try something new. Drink lots of water, and try to go play in the late afternoon and evening when it’s not at the hottest out there. Take lots of breaks, be willing to look a little foolish, don’t worry about being perfect, and you’ll have a good time.
- Go on a photo hunt in your neighborhood, then post a photo journal on your blog or favorite social networking site. Grab a few friends and make it a contest for the best photo in a certain category (best action shot, best humor shot, best nature shot) or the best overal photo journal or collection. Use your bike or walk to get around. Take time to meet a few neighbors. If you have enough people involved, everybody can pitch in $5 for the “grand prize” and then the winner can treat everyone to ice cream!
- Find some new, groovy, summer music and listen to it while you take a walk or take a break. Get recommendations from friends. Download your new music, pour yourself a glass of iced tea, and sit in the shade with your feet up. When was the last time you sat and listened to music without doing anything else? Take a break from multi-tasking. That’s a right of summer.
- Go on a picnic. Make sandwiches, pick up some fruit at the farmer’s market, and hop the bus to your local park. Make clover chains. Eat slowly. Read a book. Listen to your music some more… Relax. Talk to people. Admire the trees. Take a nap.
- Hold an official “Who Can Give Away the Most Tomatoes the Fastest” contest. This is a great summer activity if, like me, you get a little garden-happy in the spring and then a little tomato-heavy in the summer. If your neighbors are refusing to make eye contact, it’s time for this strategy. Gather your friends and distribute the excess tomatoes among them. Whoever can give the tomatoes away to willing recipients in the shortest amount of time wins the prize: tomatoes!
- Invest in a heavy-duty kiddie pool and set it up in a sunny spot. Fill it up just enough so you can get in, get wet, and lounge around. Take your glass of lemonade with you. When you’re ready to get dry, throw a tarp over the pool so the water will stay clean to use for another day or two. When the water gets dirty, use it for your garden.
- Have a fly-killing contest. That’s pretty self-explanatory, and a great activity on a night when you want to have friends over and grill out.
- Annie | My Bio & Articles
Here’s to a sustainable summer.
I love bare feet, Dr. Bronner's, cotton skirts, summer rain, winter snow, new places, open-minded people, deep conversations.
I had a (short-lived) natural products company while I was in college: The Full Nelson Natural Products...
These are great ideas! I have to tell my sister, even though my nephews are busy enough during the summer, but there’s always something new that they can learn from.
That sounds like an excellent, fun-filled summer weekend to me! Parents and kids alike can find alot of enjoyment in your suggestions.Everyone in the wading pool!
welll….I really would love the fly killing thing to happen at my place because of the sheer amount of flies that keep coming inside my home…atleast a great fun way to stop the nuisance…..
I am so tired of hearing “I’m bored” I could scream. I have taken the boys hiking and on nature walks. There are some good ideas on here I hadn’t thought of. I like the kite flying contest.