111 FUN Things To Do THIS Summer

by Gina Valley

Summer is always too short.

By the time I’ve got my summer bucket list written down, summer is over.

I always start with big plans. I want to organize. I want to create. I want to family-bond-it-up.  But, there’s never enough time.

My friend, Christi, ever since she was in junior high, makes it a point to get rid of one bad habit every summer. I don’t know how she does it. I’ve tried, and haven’t gotten rid of one yet.

First of all, it takes me half the summer to decide which of my multitude of bad habits to ditch. Then, it takes me a couple weeks of “just-one-last-time’s” before I truly take a stab at the bad habit. By the time I’m really ready to start stopping, summer’s nearly over. So, come fall, I still have the bad habit, and have added a side dish of guilt to it.

Nonetheless, the idea of focusing on one thing to accomplish during the summer seems like a good one to me.

So, this summer, I decided to pick one thing to do. Just one thing. Something I’ve always meant to do. As long as I get that done, I’ll count my summer a success.

I think I’m going to go with “learning to hula hoop,” but that’s not set in stone yet.

Since I’m asking my kids to each pick something for themselves to do, too, I decided I better come up with a couple of ideas to help get their wheels turning.

In my typical OCD form, I came up with more than a hundred.

Most are low or no cost.  All are fun!

How about you join us? Pick something from this list, or come up with your own. But, either way, let’s have some fun this summer!

111 FUN Things To Do THIS Summer

1.   Learn how to hula hoop

2.   Learn how to pogo stick

3.   Start a campfire without matches or a lighter.

4.   Bake cookie dough in a hot car

5.   Learn how to rollerblade backwards (or forwards, if you don’t know how)
6.   Learn how to do a flip on a trampoline

7.   Learn how to spin a basketball on one finger

8.   Make a Mento volcano

9.   Build a bat box (for the critters, not the ball smashers) (although that would be a cool project, too).

10.  Take a flying lesson

11.  Make homemade ice cream in Ziploc bags

12.  Teach your dog to shake hands or to bark on command.

13.  Teach your cat how to turn off a light switch or to use the toilet

14.  Learn how to do a cartwheel

15.  Learn Morse code

16.  Learn how to change the oil & oil filter in your car

17.  Learn how to French braid

18.  Learn how to  pick a lock

19.  Learn how to palm a quarter

20.  Memorize the location of every country on a map (and the capitals)

21.  Memorize the location and capitals of all the US states (or for every nation in Africa)

22.  Build a kite

23.  Learn how to play poker

24.  Learn how to write with your other hand

25.  Make cheese (on purpose)

26.  Learn how to crack a safe

27.  Learn how to shuffle cards like a pro

28.  Learn how to bake a souffle

29.  Learn how to  draw a map of the United States (or your country) from memory

30.  Learn to say the alphabet backwards, starting at any letter, very quickly (one of my friends can do this & it’s quite impressive!)

31.  Learn how to say “I only speak English” in 5 different languages

32.  Learn how to draw a horse

33.  Learn to play a drum kit

34.  Memorize all the lyrics to Born To Be Wild

35.  Learn to play a harmonica

36.  Learn how to bounce a soccer ball with your feet

37.  Learn how to bowl a strike

38.  Master free throws

39.  Figure out how to sign your name so it’s its own reflection

40.  Take a CPR course

41.  Learn to swim

42.  Learn how to chop veggies superfast like they do on The Food Network

43.  Learn how to detect a lie

44.  Learn how to ride a bike (or to pop a wheelie, if you already ride)

45.  Work up to doing 100 sit-ups in a minute

46.  Learn to play pool like a pro

47.  Learn 8 chords on a guitar

48.  Learn how to parallel park in tight spaces

49.  Take a lesson at a shooting range

50.  Take a self-defense class

51.  Learn how to pick out a good melon

52.  Learn how to balance a checkbook

53.  Learn how to jump start a car

54.  Learn to type correctly

55.  Learn how to do push-ups or pull-ups properly

56.  Pump out a summary of that novel you’ve been meaning to write.

57.  Learn to speed read

58.  Grow a pumpkin (plant around July 4th for October 31 use where I live)

59.  Learn how to drive a manual transmission vehicle

60.  Learn how to solve a Rubik’s cube

61.  Learn how to whistle with your fingers

62.  Learn how to make a perfect martini

63.  Learn how to change a tire

64.  Learn how to make a 3-D sidewalk chalk drawing

65.  Learn to read music

66.  Carve a watermelon into a clipper ship (or a bouquet of roses)

67.  Learn how to do a head stand

68.  Learn how to bake a perfect baguette

69.  Learn how to spiral a football

70.  Learn how to pitch a curve ball

71.  Learn how to make balloon animals

72.  Learn how to blow double bubbles with bubble gum

73.  Drive a race car

74.  Learn how to make an origami swan

75.  Plant peonies in your yard (my favorite!)

76.  Learn to tango

77.  Learn how to ice skate

78.  Learn how to fold an awesome paper airplane

79.  Fry an egg on a hot street

80.  Learn how to operate a sewing machine

81.  Learn how to juggle

82.  Learn how to ride a unicycle

83.  Learn how to knit

84.  Learn how to roast a turkey/chicken

85.  Learn some magic tricks

86.  Master the yoyo

87.  Learn how to moon walk

88.  Learn how to jump rope

89.  Learn how to increase your vertical leap

90.  Learn how to tie a tie

91.  Learn how to waltz

92.  Make a piñata

93.  Build a model plane or car or train

94.  Complete a big Lego set

95.  Plan an around the world trip (even if you’ll never go)

96.  Draw a cartoon strip

97.  Write on op/ed piece

98.  Learn how to do the splits

99.  Paint a room a wild color

100.  Learn to make the national dish of 3 countries you’ve always wanted to visit

101.  Learn to tap dance

102.  Memorize the first 50 digits of Pi

103.  Rearrange your furniture so it doesn’t point at the tv

104.  Take a fencing class

105.  Take a golf lesson

106.  Switch all your accessories & photos to different rooms

107. Learn how to use chopsticks

108. Learn tightrope walking

109.  Go bungee jumping

110.  Take trapeze lessons

111. Memorize Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Let me know what you decide & how it goes. Be sure to add your ideas for this list. Maybe we’ll have 200 for next summer.

Laugh Out Loud!

-gina

What do you want to do?  What’s some thing you’ve being meaning to master? Is there something you’ve always wondered how to do? Shoot me a comment. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.