When thinking about Summer vacation, a whole slew of ideas and asventures come to mind. Family vacation, trips around your city, and of course, being away from school all make Summer a great time to be young and adventerous. Unfortunately, after two and a half months of the blazing heat and being traped indoors to avoid harmful UV rays, Summer can become painfully boring. Here is a list of some things that can hopefully help you cure that boredom, and relieve you of the mid-summer slumps.

1. Find a job.

I know it can be hard, especially if you are at home only for the summer because of college, but there are always temporary job opportunities. For example, a lot of summer day camps start up that require new hands to help supervise children. Another example would be to apply at your local swimming pool or waterpark as a lifeguard.

2. Hang out with friends!

It’s summer which means school’s out, and it’s time to have fun! The pools are ready to be swam in, the lake is perfect and ready for a boat ride, sand volleyball courts at the park are popping with people ready to play a friendly game or two, and drive-in theaters are all set up and ready for evening movie showings.

3. Exercise.

It’s beautiful weather outside to go swim around in the pool. Water aerobics work all sorts of muscle groups. Local neighborhood trails are great for taking a walk or going for a run in the early morning or late in the evening, as well. Also, one of my personal favorites, is playing on the Wii. There are so many fun games that get you moving without even realizing it.

4. Catch up on your reading.

During the school year, it is especially hard to make time for luxury reading on top of homework, studying, and making time for friends. So now is the time! Go dig up your list of books that you’ve put on hold and read, read, read!

5. Take a summer class.

Whether it be a class to help continue on in your college degree or a summer pottery class just for fun, there are awesome opportunities everywhere!

6. Start a garden.

I know you’re thinking that it won’t take long, but trust me, starting a garden is a big project! You will need a specific area of land to grow your plants, you’ll need a fence of some sort to set up around the perimeter, and tons of other supplies. In order for your plants to grow and thrive, they will need careful looking after.

7. Volunteer.

Volunteers are always welcomed and always appreciated. Dog shelters around the area would love your help, and your local hospitals could always use an extra hand, too. I’m sure residents at nursing homes in the area would love to have visitors come in and talk with them for an hour or so. New faces are probably hard to come by.

8. Be crafty!

We all know how DIY crafts have become quite the popular thing to do, these days, so why not try a few. And better yet, a lot of the time the supplies are either cheap or already lying around the house somewhere just waiting to be used.

9. Cook.

Now is the time to help your mom or dad in the kitchen and write down how to make their special home cooked meals. There are so many new cooking videos out on social media that I’m sure could be an inspiration to someone to try something new. I know I’ve seen a few new recipes I would certainly like to try!

10. Go camping!

Easy! Grab a few friends, a tent, some blankets, and zoom off to find your perfect location. It could be as simple as setting up your tent in your living room or backyard to as extravagant as setting up your tent in the middle of the deserted woods or on a mountain in Colorado.

11. Prepare for the upcoming semester.

School is as absolute as taxes and the sunrise. Eventually, Summer will come to a close and school will start up once again. Although this may not be terribly enjoyable, it sure will help when those hard classes start rolling around. Getting a head start on schoolwork will only help you out in the long run.

Whatever you choose to do this summer, keep busy! Taking a day off and being a couch potato every now and then is OK, but you don’t want to spend your whole summer that way! Now get out there and enjoy your summer while you still have that kind of freedom!