Summer is the by far the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas? Psssh. Summer is the best, you can go on vacations, you can sleep in every day for three months, and the best part is the weather. It’s so beautiful to walk outside and feel the warm air on your skin. Summer can seem a little bit monotonous,  so to help, I have compiled a list strictly pertaining to fun summer activities that will make your lazy summers a little more active, productive and interesting.

Obviously, vacations are some of the best things that you can do in summer, and in a survey I conducted asking “What is your favorite summer activity?”, over half of Bingham students said that their favorite summer activity was to travel. Although vacationing is fun, they can be a bit pricey depending on where you travel, so if you want to save a penny or two, camping or going on a short trip would be a lot of fun. Go to Moab, or Zions National Park or buy a Lagoon season pass to optimize your summer fun. If you do have a weekly Lagoon session with your friends, set up an obstacle course type activity; make a ride checklist of a few rides that you’ll have to do, then see who can finish the checklist in the least amount of time.

If you’re a kid on a budget, invite your siblings, cousins, friends or just yourself and go outside and set up the Slip n Slide that hasn’t seen the light of day in years. Another idea is to buy a cute bathing suit and invite some friends over and set up a kiddie pool or better yet go to an outdoor pool and take some really cute photos. Another wallet-friendly activity is to bake or cook food. Create a Pinterest Board about fun summer-specific recipes to make and taste-test. Try making a watermelon cupcake or your own fruit smoothie popsicles, test and see which recipes you love. Summer is all for experimentation.

If you are more of a homebody over the summer there are also plenty of options for you. An easy idea is to gather up all of your blankets and all of your pillows and assemble a delightfully comfortable pillow fort, perfect for you to lazily lounge upon with your favorite snack. Of course, you should binge your favorite show when you lounge, but if you draw a blank, Disney Movies always have an extraordinary selection if you ever grow unsure on what to watch. To utilize the beautiful summer nights, gather your family, and have a cookout. Set up fun outdoor activities, and have a safety concerned person grill your food. To end the night, cook s’mores and devour them, because they’re delicious, and obviously calories don’t count over summer.

Although, this isn’t what we want to think about right now when summer comes near an end, compile your photos taken over summer and set up a photo folder on your phone. This little life hack will save from what I call I.S.D.-In School Depression- whenever you are dreading school or homework just take a little gander at your summer photo folder. Reminiscing and remembering the good o’ days will help you get through the exhausting school year and make you excited for next summer.

Parenting.com suggested a few fun indoor activities too. They suggest playing Wii Games including tennis and bowling and burning a few calories while playing against evil pixel Miis. One could also move their furniture and master the ancient art of jump roping.

The key is to keep yourself busy. Summer can be a little monotonous or boring for those a little less creative with their time to be productive. Optimize your summers, they can be really fun if you plan and find fun activities to do. Get up, get active and make this summer the best summer ever.