Dear Cotillion Students,
As the school year comes to a close, summer begins! Summer is a special time when you are in middle school and high school – it is a time for family, friends, relaxation, time to go new places, learn and do new things, explore and learn even more about yourself.
Ladies and gentlemen know the importance of infusing their summer with fun, creativity, learning, service, and making the most of the time that they have available to them. There are times when we might not have plans, so if you run across a day that might feel a little boring, don’t resort to just surfing on your phone or endless hours of Netflix. There is so much more to do! Be creative, have a great attitude and have days filled with fun. Below I have included a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing below. Be sure to let me know of any ideas that you have so that I can add them to my list!
Make the most of your summer! It will help you to prepare to make the most of your life.
With Much Love,
Mrs. Achiu
Ideas for Summer Fun, Growth and Service (be sure to get permission from your parents!):
1. Read, read, read! (Have you ever read a good book early in the morning in a hammock with a smoothie – try it! You might love it.)
2. Read to someone else – a younger sibling, a neighbor, or someone that is elderly and has diminished vision
3. Organize your books. Weed out and donate any books that you no longer want.
4. Write in a journal – Try writing consistently every day for two weeks and see the difference it makes!
5. Write a letter to yourself to be opened at the time you graduate from high school
6. Write a letter to yourself giving yourself advice for when you have a child that is the age you are now. Tell your 18 year old self about who you are now and what you think you will be like then.
7. Write a story
8. Write a story of the history of your family (this can make a great gift!)
9. Write a poem (You might be a poet and not know it!)
10. Write a letter to your favorite teacher and let them know the impact they had on your life – it can be a teacher from many years ago!
11. Write a letter – this is a skill that is on the decline for many, but will serve you well for the rest of your life! Write to a grandparent, cousin or friend that lives in another state – it will make their day when they receive it!
12. Build a fort or a creation with materials from your recycling bin or out of Amazon boxes
13. Build a blanket fort and watch movies or play games in it
14. Make a piece of art – paint, sculpt, collage, weave, draw, sidewalk art…
15. Create a treasure hunt for the little kids in your neighborhood
16. Plan a photo scavenger hunt
17. Babysit – as a service to parents that need a break or to earn some extra money
18. Detail your mom or dad’s car (with their permission)
19. Bake cookies and share them with a friend you haven’t seen in a few weeks
20. Plan the menu for the week – then make the grocery list, and help to prepare meals every night that week
21. Run through the sprinklers
22. Play Flashlight Tag, Hide and Seek, Sardines, Capture the Flag, or Kick the Can – ask your parents for ideas of games from when they were your age. (Sometimes old school games are the best way to spend a summer evening!)
23. Do yard work – as a service or to earn some extra money
24. Get friends together for an evening of board games
25. Pick a new friend every week to get together with or get in touch with – even if they don’t live in the area, you don’t have to see them to keep in touch
26. Play catch, frisbee, basketball, soccer, or touch football
27. Play Corn Hole, Spikeball, Croquet, Badminton, Wiffle Ball, Kick Ball, Kan jam, Kubb, Croquet, Spike Ball or Bocce Ball. Pickle Ball anyone?!
28. Play a board game – especially one you haven’t played in a while. (Extra points if you set up a tent and play in the tent.)
29. Hold a karaoke event at your house
30. Put on a play
31. Play with legos – build a DC monument out of Legos
32. Plan your family’s next outing complete with snacks
33. Research a famous person from history that you admire. Learn the qualities that made them who they were/are.
34. Pretend you are a tourist and go see the sites that are most popular in our area. It will help you see where we live with new eyes!
35. Find 10 quotes that inspire you and post them in your room
36. CLEAN your room – get rid of clothes, toys, books that you no longer use.
37. Establish a habit or break an old habit – sometimes this is easier to do in the summer.
38. Go for a bike ride. (Don’t forget your helmet, sunscreen and snacks.)
39. Go rollerblading or roller skating.
40. Rent ebikes, e scooters or segways with your family – remember to be careful and to obey traffic laws.
41. Play tennis or golf
42. Go to the pool
43. Go to a trampoline park
44. Have a water fight
45. Go on a nature scavenger hunt
46. Go geo-caching (make sure to take a treasure to leave behind)
47. Organize your closet, shelves, or bulletin board
48. Set a goal and work on it every day for 10 days
49. Start studying in advance for the SAT or ACT – learn new vocabulary every day, work on reading comprehension, there are several free preparation materials and practice tests online
50. Work on perfecting your penmanship – is your signature legible?
51. Learn to write in calligraphy
52. Have a home movie night with your family and ‘family favorite’ snacks
53. Paint rocks to inspire others – place them around your neighborhood.
54. Make a piece of jewelry
55. Learn to bake a new kind of cookie
56. Learn to bake a pie
57. Make dinner for your family on the grill
58. Do origami
59. Learn 3 new jokes (keep them clean!) and share them
60. Learn to do a magic trick
61. Have a paper airplane contest
62. Grow crystals
63. Make a marble run
64. Make slime or playdough
65. Learn some yoyo tricks
66. Learn to play the harmonica
67. Go for a hike – one of my very favorite summer activities!
68. Go for an early morning walk and watch the sun come up – no earbuds, just listen.
69. Go canoeing or paddle boating
70. Learn to shoot a bow and arrow
71. Make a rock collection and identify the rocks you collected
72. Go fishing
73. Have a Nerf war
74. Learn to grocery shop. (Do you know how to plan a menu – make a grocery list, and understand unit pricing when shopping? This might be a good time to learn these important life skills.)
75. Take a family member (parent, sibling, grandparent) on a “date”. They will love it! (To ask someone on a date. You need to plan it, invite them and pay for it, if there is a cost involved.)
76. Make an obstacle course
77. Do a secret act of service for someone in your family
78. Hose out the garbage cans. Nasty job, but someone has to do it and it will be appreciated!
79. Learn to tie a necktie
80. Learn how to do your own laundry.
81. Learn how to iron.
82. Test your keyboarding speed and improve it
83. Put together a puzzle
84. Play with remote control cars
85. Draw on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk – extra points if you write an uplifting message for those out walking
86. Volunteer at a nature center
87. Come up with your own ‘Walk Up Song’ – baseball players each have a song that pumps them up and it is played as they are walking up to bat. What song pumps you up? – have it on your playlist for when you need it.
88. Make a playlist of your favorite songs and share it with your friends and family. You just might introduce them to something new.
89. Listen to new genres of music
90. Practice an instrument or learn to play one (I want to learn to play the harmonica.)
91. What did your parents and grandparents listen to when they were your age? Give it a try. You might find you like some of their oldies!
92. Plan a picnic dinner for the park
93. Have a dance party in your backyard
94. Choreograph a dance with friends
95. Plan a scavenger hunt for your friends
96. Make a treasure hunt for little family members or neighborhood kids
97. INVENT – a product, a solution to a problem, a product, etc. – plan it out and draw it out.
98. Make a photo montage video
99. Learn about money – set up a budget for yourself, set goals, learn what expenses you will have in the upcoming school year, learn about investing, come up with your own financial plan
100. Write your own comic strip
101. Play your instrument at a nursing home (with your parents and their approval)
102. Tie dye or acid wash (bleach wash) a t-shirt or sweatshirt
103. Make a chatbook
104. Put together a scrapbook
105. Scan photos and organize them
106. Write a song/Compose a piece of music
107. Make your own music video
108. Learn to play the ukulele
109. Learn to play a harmonica
110. Write a poem
111. Jump rope, run stairs or do core strength training
112. Do yoga
113. Try a new exercise – High Fit, HIIT
114. Learn to meditate
115. Put together your resume’- if it becomes a habit to add to it every time you are involved in something new, earn an award or accomplish something, it will be ready to go when you need it! (Remember to keep track of service hours!) You will need it when you apply for summer jobs, student government, NJHS or NHS, scout awards, and in not too long college applications!
116. Older high school students – work on college essays (the sooner you start, the more time you have to perfect them.)
117. Learn computer coding
118. Listen to a podcast or a TED talk to learn about something new
119. If you are a scout, summer is a great time to work on your merit badges and awards
110. Plant a garden
111. Do you know how to use woodworking tools? Learn how and build something with your new skills.
112. Learn all of the states and the capitals – if you already know all of these, learn all of the countries on any given continent. (Those are always changing – just look at a globe from 20 years ago!) Test yourself and your family with a map that only has borders and no names.
113. Take flowers to someone that needs a little extra cheer
114. Do a secret act of service for someone outside of your home
115. Do a ‘heart attack’ for someone – write on post its what you love and appreciate about them, cut them into heart shapes or draw hearts on them and put them all over their door
116. Make your own movie
117. Run a mile – if you run a mile next month can you get a better time? Don’t like to run right now? Then jog or walk. Move your body and clear your mind!
118. Learn about nutrition and what your body needs to be healthy
119. Learn how to clean, care for and/or polish your shoes
120. Learn how to do simple mending – sew on a button, fix a seam or hem that has come undone
121. See how many push ups or sit ups you can do – try to add one more each day.
122. Learn how to lift weights – correctly and safely
123. Try HIIT training, kick boxing, pilates or do a workout video
124. See how many pushups you can do – try to add two more each week.
125. Create the perfect smoothie and write down the recipe and share it.
126. Make Hawaiian Shave Ice (to be authentic make sure there is ice cream in the middle)
127. Make s’mores – be creative!
Here are a few variations that my family does:
Cinnamon, chocolate, honey or regular graham crackers or shortbread cookies
Toasted (not burned) marshmallow
Thin slices of rice krispie treats inside the graham crackers, with marshmallow in the middle
Reeses Peanut Butter Thins, Almond Joy, Andes mints, Nutella, Peppermint Patties, butterscotch chips, white chocolate, sliced strawberries, banana slices, apple slices, Rolos, and of course Hershey bar!
128. Walk a dog – borrow one if you don’t have one
129. Detail your parent’s car (with their permission). – Learning to take care of a car is so important!
130. If you go on vacation, learn more about where you are going in advance. Even if you have been there many times, there is always something new to learn.
131. Predict the top 10 college football teams and basketball teams for next year – save your predictions and see how close you come.
132. With your parents, prepare a meal for or help serve a meal at a homeless shelter. (Let me know if you want to make a casserole for the Lamb Center, I coordinate lunch there on the first Thursday of every month.)
133. Watch a YouTube tutorial and learn a new skill
134. Make a YouTube tutorial and teach a skill
135. Climb a tree
136. Make homemade ice cream
137. Learn how to change a tire
138. Do a screen free week and see what you learn about yourself and see what you do with your time. (I know this is a hard one, but trust me – you will learn alot!)
139. Make a point of spending one on one dedicated time with each member of your family this summer. You will make memories and create bonds that will last a lifetime.
140. Make a time capsule with your friends or family to remember 2023 – what a year! Ask your family members to contribute notes in sealed envelopes to be opened together 10 years from now.
Northern Virginia Junior Cotillion 