Summer Activities

Summer offers students a rare stretch of true freedom. However, during downtime—when you’re not traveling or exploring—you may find yourself with a lot of free time. So I thought it’d be a nice little pick-me-up to compile a list of some things a student or anyone could do over the summer.

• Read a few books. It doesn’t matter what the topic is or how many books you even actually finish, as long as you are learning something or improving yourself. The Patrick Lynch Public Library is a great place to check out some books, and it also has other summer activities.
• Make and bake some new recipes. Baking is a fun way to spend your time, and you end up with a little treat at the end of it all. Like baking, cooking is also a great hobby. Cooking for yourself and others improves your kitchen skills and teaches independence and time management.
• Volunteering. When you’re stuck with not a lot to do, volunteering is a great way to spend your time, helping a cause you believe in, and making a difference. The library and animal shelters are just a few places  that offer community service.
• Go on nature walks or visit your local park. There are plenty of scenic areas around our town where you can connect with nature and exercise.
• On the topic of fitness, the gym is a great hobby to start. Working out leads to a longer life, and it can often help take your mind off things. Choctaws with CDIB cards can work out for free at the Choctaw Wellness Center. You can also get memberships at other gyms across town or even work out at home.
• Hang out with friends. If your schedules align, host a sleepover or any type of hangout.
• If you do eventually see your friends, Night Tag is a great game to play. All you need is darkness and a semi-open area to run around. Just make sure you don’t fall and die.
• Learn how to skate, either rollerskating or skateboarding. Skateboarding opens over the summer, and we have a skate park near the Reynolds Center, all perfect opportunities to learn some grace.
• Go to the lake, maybe do some fishing. Either that or get an actual tan, one that hopefully doesn’t leave you looking like a self-tanned oompa loompa.
• Go thrifting. Everyone wants a new closet before school starts, and when thrifting, you give clothes a second life. Save the planet, dude.
• Take care of plants. Gardening is a great way to clear your mind. Indoor plants also help improve air quality and make your spaces look nicer.
• Learn to crochet or knit. What may seem like a grandma hobby can be extremely relaxing, and making cute clothes and plushes is great fun.
• Find flowers and press them. You can press them between book pages and make cute little art pieces with them.
• Take up painting and sketching, bask in the feeling of creating instead of just consuming.
• Find a pen pal, better your writing, and experience how strange and invigorating it is to wait for a response.

That isn’t all you can do over summer; there’s plenty to see and explore within the world. Make your own reality and practice the art of becoming; that is what summer is all about.