Longer days, tan lines, bonfires, and vacations are finally here! We have made it through another long school year full of tests, lots of homework, and constantly checking our grades. With summer on our minds all year, we no longer have to dream about being on a beach or at the pool, because the season has arrived!

Summer is the time for relaxing and catching up on much needed sleep. That relaxation time is amazing at the start of summer, but it always gets a little old when you do it every day. It is easy to run out of things to do, and you may find yourself feeling like you’re wasting your summer.

“I always start out summer loving the time off and having nothing on my schedule, but then after a couple weeks I get so bored. It’s hard to come up with things to do and my summer flies by,” freshman Jack Pearne says.

Do not worry about wasting your summer because I have 50 things for you to try that will make this summer the best one yet. Try to do one a day, or even one for a couple days with your friends and family. This will make your summer seem longer, and you will create more memories.

1. Go to an outdoor concert
2. Wake up early in the morning and watch the sun rise
3. Go to a drive-in movie theater
4. Road trip with friends
5. Make homemade ice cream
6. Do a lemonade stand
7. Create your own movie theater with a sheet and a projector and have your friends over
8. Try to read a book a week
9. Have a water day with a slip n slide, sprinkles, water guns, and water balloons
10. Have a craft party with your friends
11. Go for a bike ride
12. Try a 1000 piece puzzle
13. Try to make something, like jewelry, and sell it
14. Make a photo album
15. Do a spa day
16. Make a playlist for every situation on iTunes
17. Try to stay up all night with your friends and prank whoever falls asleep first
18. Go swimming in a lake
19. Try a yoga class with your friends
20. Become a tourist in Colorado and act like you are seeing things for the first time
21. Visit the aquarium
22. Go roller skating
23. Plant a garden in front of your house
24. Have bonfires with friends and make s’mores
25. Have a board game party with your friends
26. Bake cookies
27. Find a summer theme song for yourself
28. Learn and perfect a new sport
29. Go hiking in the morning
30. Binge watch a tv show on Netflix
31. Scrapbook your summer
32. Apply for a job
33. Try a different hairstyle every day
34. Cook and fancy dinner and have your friends over
35. Go explore a different city in Colorado
36. Put on a play with your friends
37. Create a scavenger hunt
38. Take pictures with a Polaroid camera
39. Redecorate your entire room
40. Play cards with friends
41. Take a nap in a hammock
42. Go paddling boarding in a lake
43. Drive through the mountains and take pictures
44. Become a professional photographer and take pictures of everything
45. Go shopping for a bunch of summer clothes
46. Drive up to Denver and eat somewhere new
47. Go horseback riding
48. Take a trip to the zoo
49. Try a dance class
50. Go bowling with a bunch of friends

After reading that long list, I hope you feel motivated to try out some of these ideas and try new things. Students at AAHS are ready for summer and cannot wait to have a long break.

“This summer I am going to travel, hang out with friends, and just relax before school starts again. I’m excited to have nothing to do and to catch up on a lot of sleep” sophomore Jade Loerzel says.

“I’m going to go on vacation this summer, but when I get home I want to explore places in Colorado that I’ve never been to before” freshman Kendal Smith says.

Overall, students could not be more ready for summer and cannot wait for break. Hopefully, you do not get bored this summer and this list of ideas helps you try new things and create new memories. Make this summer the best one yet!