In the words of Alice Cooper, School’s Out for Summer! (To refresh your memory, here’s a LINK to the famous tune.)
But that doesn’t mean the learning stops. What was your summer experience when you were a kid? Was it time to participate in a book reading challenge? Additional math assignments to be better able to manage when the fall classes began? What about the chance to participate in learning more about art, history, cultural events, crafts, or music? Or one of the many sports possibilities?
Well, it is summer again. Why let the kids have all the fun? What if you recreated that great summer school or learning experience in your life today? What if you chose to expand your learning and knowledge, and experience a little bit wonder again?
Where to Begin?
What to do…what to do…SO MANY THINGS! Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Is music your thing? Book some event tickets today.
- Take voice lessons.
- Go to the theatre. There are so many great community theater groups—and professional ones, too.
- Take an acting class.
- Take a cooking lesson (or two or three!).
- Visit a local pottery shop and learn how to throw a pot. Or just play with Play-Doh. That’s fun, too!
- Always wanted to learn how to sew? Thread that needle.
- Try painting. Take a class or hire a local artist to help you get started.
- Upholster that chair.
- Try sailing. Take a class and hit the high seas.
- Learn to change a tire.
- Build a robot.
- Take flying lessons. Or pay to take a ride in a small plane at a small local airport. Enjoy the view!
- Taste the foods and drinks local to your area. Or travel to somewhere you’ve wanted to forever. Wine, beer, cider, hard alcohol, honey, fruit, vegetable, cheeses, chocolate, coffee, tea—so many options.
- Take a road trip with no plan. Just go. Stop where you want to stop, when you want to stop.
- Or take a road trip that uses no freeways—only state and county roads allowed.
- Craft a road trip game or challenge. For example, roll two to three dice to determine how many miles driven “today.” Take a road trip where only left turns are allowed (legal ones, of course). Put a map up on the wall. Blindfold a companion. Equip them with a squirt gun or safe darts and orient them toward the map. Wherever the water hits or the dart sticks, that’s the destination. No do-overs! After this event, someone else gets a turn to blind select.
- Everyone writes their ideas on slips of paper, one place per slip. Put them into a jar and do a blind drawing. Or use one of the many online randomizing tools in the same way.
- Visit a museum, art museum, or gallery a week. Don’t live near that many places to visit? Check out Google Arts & Culture. There’s plenty to explore. Oh, there’s an app, too.
- Become a local history buff. Stop at every historical marker in your predetermined range or radius (hmdb.org). Visit the re-enactment locations or museums in your area. Or make a pilgrimage to one of the many great ones across the country (specific to the United States). Did you know that many of them are free admission and will accept your generous donation?
- Take a class at a local museum, gallery, university, college, community college, rec center—whatever is available in your area.
- Read a book from cover to cover—only stopping to eat or sleep.
- Take one of the classes on sites such as CreativeLive.com or MasterClass.com.
- Take a designated digital break. You decide what the parameters are. Listen to your own thoughts.
- Have a conversation with someone with no phones on the table.
Make It Happen
There is still plenty of summer left in summer 2024. Make a plan, then make it happen! There’s only one rule: Do something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t pushed yourself into it. And maybe…do something that might scare you a little bit while you’re at it.
Get out there. Do it! What do you have to lose?