The summer holidays are great! The weather is hot (at least for Britain) and it really mark the end of the school year. There are many things you can do this summer. When I think of summer I think of sunshine and ice lollies so a great thing to do is to make your own. You could even make an ice
This summer is slightly different. Summer 2020 is happening on the backdrop on COVID-19. We can’t control this, but what we can control is what we do during the holiday.
It is up to you what you make of this summer. You could have a lazy holiday where you binge through your favourite films or TV series. Or you might do all the things you wanted to do but didn’t have time. Like surfing, trying a new sport like kickboxing, volunteering, talking people you haven’t seen for ages.
This is certainly a unique time, so why don’t you start a blog or make a scrapbook. You could create a diary and document your feelings, and in 5 years, you can look back and see what you have written.
Don’t spend all your time online or doing the same thing every day or summer will slip past and you will have to wait another year before you have this opportunity again.
Although youth groups and the clubs you normally would go to may be closed still try to interact with people. Summer is a great time to spend with friends. Even if we have to follow the social distancing rules, we can still plan a picnic or go to the park.
I feel the main thing summer does is give you an opportunity to slow down and reflect on yourself as a person. As you take a break from work/school and other commitments you have, think about your passions. Why don’t you explore and expand them?
If you are going up to secondary school, summer gives you time to prepare for the transaction. You could research about the school, chat with your friends and family about your thoughts and what you are looking forward to. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself in this time though, no need to worry until September.
For Christians, this gives us a great opportunity to get to know God and move in your faith journey. I find Summer allows me to go deeper into a book of the bible. It also gives me new ways to worship God. For example, summer is a great opportunity to appreciate God’s beauty. In Devon there are loads of lovely areas where we can enjoy God’s creation. So why don’t you create a list of all the best beauty spots in your area and visit them with your family and friends.
“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”
Psalm 147:4
Maybe you could go stargazing with your family. Have you ever laid back and watched the stars above or are you too busy rushing and worrying about below to look up. Psalm 147:4 says “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”
I hope this article has given you some ideas about things to do this summer. Just to finish off, here are some more ideas:
- Go on a bike ride with family and friends
- Have a movie marathon of favourite childhood memories
- Have a home spa day (facemasks, bubble bath)
- Try a new hairstyle
- Research and track down your family tree.
- Learn a foreign language.
- Check out the ICE MOUSE (Moving On Up to Secondary School YouTube videos).
For Christians going to college or university in September, there can be no better preparation than Living & Telling SW 2021. Hundreds of Christian students have now participated and loved the experience! Check it out here:
https://swym.org.uk/event/living-and-telling/