With the midway point of summer break past, how are you doing on your summer bucket list?
We all have that list. The “This summer I will…” list. The “I’ll do it over the summer” list. The “I can’t wait until I get to…” list.
Here is a list of common summer bucket list items. How many have you accomplished?
Spend a day at a beach or pool. Swimming is optional but soaking up the sun and relaxing is the main event.
Read a good book, one that is just for fun. Maybe it is a mystery, thriller or romance, whatever floats your boat.
Spend time in a boat. Speaking of boats, as Water Rat said to Mole in The Wind in the Willows, “there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
Splurge on an ice cream treat. The kind you go out for with a friend, not the kind you grab from the freezer.
Spend time in nature. You might go for a hike, spend the day at a zoo or nature center or take a picnic to a park. If you are up for it, camping is a good way to get away from it all and be outside.
Go to a movie. What is your pleasure? Summer is your chance to see a first run movie, long before it gets to Netflix. Maybe we’ll see you at The Lion King. We’re also looking forward to The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Where’d You Go Bernadette. You get summer bonus points if you go to a drive-in movie.
Eat fresh picked corn on the cob. Really, is there anything better?
Make s’mores. As long as we are talking about food, s’mores around a campfire just screams “summer” so indulge at least once! Try it with dark chocolate with salted caramel or blueberries for a grown- up twist.
Go for a bike ride. It’s fun to tool around on a bike and you’re going to need it after all the ice cream, s’mores, and corn on the cob!
Go to a yard sale. We admit to being fans. The fun is that you never know what you are going to find. You might even find some things for your classroom. We wrote a guide to yard sales here and here.
Do a house or yard project. Have you wanted to start an herb garden in those cute pots you bought last spring? Do you have a yard sale bookcase that is waiting for a coat of paint? Now is the time.
Go on a road trip. Drive to see a family member. Go in search of a waterfall. Head to a tourist attraction. Turn up the radio, sing along and just go!
Attend a baseball game. It’s called America’s favorite pastime for a reason. Eat a hot dog and root for the hometown team!
Have friends over for a barbecue. This is the kind of easy, cheap entertaining we love to do in the summer. No one expects anything fancy, so toss some burgers on the grill and carve up a watermelon.
Go to a parade. Who doesn’t love a good parade? Put on your hat and sunglasses and watch the floats and bands go by.
Attend an outdoor concert or festival. Opportunities for outdoor music in the summer seem to be everywhere. It’s an inexpensive way to enjoy music in a fun atmosphere.
Check out the new kids’ books at the library. Spend a rainy afternoon at the library reading the new childrens’ books. You’ll be ready to recommend some good ones to your students, and you might even find a new favorite book to read aloud.
Visit a local tourist attraction. It is a sad but common truth that while we often visit all of the tourist attractions when we travel, we often haven’t seen the ones nearest to our homes! What is near you that you haven’t been too? Plan a trip.
Try a new recipe. Admit it, during the school year you just want to get something on the table. Flip through a magazine, cook book or Pinterest and find a new recipe or two to try. Maybe it will become a new favorite.
Go to a farmers’ market. In addition to summer’s finest bounty, you can often find music, fresh baked goods, flowers, artisanal cheeses and live music at a farmers’ market. There are often kid’s activities too!
Enjoy playing a sport. Summer baseball, softball and volleyball leagues are in full swing. Play golf or tennis. Or try your hand at some old-fashioned games like badminton, croquet or even corn hole!
Those are our summer bucket list activities. What have we missed? Are there any summer must-dos on your list? Let us know in the comments.
We hope you are enjoying your summer, spending time with friends and getting to do all of the things you don’t get to do during the school year.
Our best,
P.S. Are you ready for fall?
What would it feel like to…
- Have everything ready and organized before the first day of school?
- Create a beautiful and functional classroom space?
- Finally have a system in place to organize and keep data and records?
- Have your classroom procedures, expectations and rules clearly defined so students will be motivated, engaged and ready to work from day one?
- Build good relationships with key people in your school as well as students and parents before school even starts?
It’s all possible with our new Start Your School Year Strong on-line workshop!
We’ll guide you through all the things you need to do
to get ready for the school year and hit the ground running!
We know that the beginning of the new school year is both an exciting time and a stressful one. There are so many things you need to do! You have to set up and organize your physical space, get your procedures and rules figured out, communicate with colleagues and parents, start lesson planning and get your data collection and grade systems set up. You need to understand your students’ IEP’s and arrange for accommodations. You need to learn the school’s learning management systems and grade portals. The list of things you need to do goes on and on.
You only get one chance to make a first impression. The environment and tone you set for students on the first day will have a lasting impact on how well your school year goes.
Setting up procedures and putting good systems in place before the school year even begins will help you to be less stressed, more organized and more effective overall.
No teacher wants to get off on the wrong foot and then spend several months trying to regroup and start over with different plans and procedures. You don’t have to be that teacher.
Learn more about our new on-line workshop Start Your School year Strong here.
This workshop is open for a limited time, why not get started today?
Leave a Reply