Have A Rad Summer: A Summer Bucket List

via National Geographic

Although the season of summer is not yet upon us, the days of freedom have already arrived for those of us who are still in school. Many of you have about two unadulterated months of wide-openness stretching before you. Rad. Now, the question is, what are you going to do with it. 

It is a tradition that my sister and I share to make a summer list at the beginning of every summer. Past things on the list have been "Make tie-dye underwear", "Make dessert pancakes", "Do yoga", "Dye our hair", and "Bury treasure". Summer is a time to indulge all those silly whims and do all the things you just didn't quite get around to during the school year. 

I've only been on summer break for a week and I've really been getting down to business. I've rearranged my room, made a flower crown and anklet, volunteered, worked, hung out with tons of friends, and gone to the library. Summer is a block of free time that should not be taken for granted. Instead, it must be maximized, don't you think? Here are some ways you can do that:

-Roadtrip. Go somewhere new!

-Volunteer. One thing I really want to try is volunteering at an animal shelter, and I think it would also be super cool to volunteer on a farm!

-Cull your closet. With all that free time, now is the perfect time to go through your clothes and see what you haven't worn in a while, and what's not working for you anymore. Read my article here for a little help. 

-Visit the library. Looking for something to read? The library's free!

-Discover your style. Give yourself the freedom to dress however you want! Try starting with my article Improve Your Wardrobe. 

-Have a spa day. Give yourself a mani-pedi, use fancy lotions and face masks, and try a bath bomb or two!

-Host a swap meet. Learn how here. 

-Go picknicking. Grab someone you like, pack some sandwiches, apples, and tasty drinks, and get on over to a park, or just do it in your yard! Don't forget a cute blanket. Tomorrow is International Picnic Day!

-Light some candles. They say everyone looks better by candlelight. Get your hands on some nice scented ones and see if it's true. 

-Dye your hair. Summer is the best time to dye your hair with some semi-permanent stuff. I'm dip-dying my hair pastel purple next week!

-Go rollerskating. Or rollerblading, if you're fancy. 

-Ride your bike. Because it's fun and it gets you places.

-Bake some yummies. Pinterest has a million amazing recipes. If you don't believe me, look at my baking board. 

-Start a blog. May I suggest reading this article from A Beautiful Mess to get you started?

-Study up. Take this time to learn about something of interest to you. Take a class, read a book, or do some online research. Right now I'm reading a book on Buddhism!

-Visit flea markets and garage sales. A lot of people are getting rid of things during the summer, so you'll find some cool stuff. While you're yard sale hopping, don't forget to hit up the lemonade stand!

-Have a bonfire. Have your musical friends bring their guitars an ukeleles an have a sing along! My friends and I like to sing the Campfire Song from Spongebob, Hey Soul Sister by Train, and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. 

-Go swimming. In a lake, a river, a pool, or the ocean. Now is the time. 

-Do something scary and/or slightly illegal. May I suggest driving naked?

-See the sights in your hometown. I recently visited The Mystery Spot, and I go to the Boardwalk all the time! Study up on the sights in your town and if you haven't seen 'em, well, go see 'em!

-Make a giant piece of art. It could be a mural, a chalk masterpiece in the driveway, a huge watercolor painting, a big portrait, or a humongous collage. Enlist friends to help if you feel so inclined. 

-Eat some junk food. In moderation, of course, but come on, you know you want to!

-Press some flowers. There are so many flower in bloom at this time of year! Pick some and put them between two pieces of wax paper in the middle of a dictionary of phone book. Close and wait 1-2 week. Voila!

-Tie dye some stuff. It's fun and pretty!

-Practice Radical Self Love. Gala Darling's program focuses on self-acceptance and all of her articles are amazing. 

-Go camping. Because it's rad.

-Go Geocaching. If you've never done it, boy are you in for a treat!

-Use that blender. Make lots of tasty smoothies! There are about a million recipes out there. 

-Have water fights. My sister and I like to put on our swimsuits, fill milk jugs with water, and throw the water at each other while we jump on the trampoline. Good times. 

-Go to a concert. Your town probably has free ones near you if you aren't too particular. 

-Hang out in the nature. Go to the park, the beach, or go on a hike. Just go outside!

-Go to a rave. Because you should try everything once. 

-Make some money. Start an Etsy shop, babysit, petsit, find a job, have a garage sale, so many possibilities! 

-Send mail. Snail-mail is much more meaningful and exciting these days. Send a letter or even a package to a far away friend or relative. 

-Have a dinner party. This sounds scary and formal, but it can honestly just be pizza and ice cream, a potluck, or a barbecue, if you want. Gather all your friends!

-Try meditation. It seems to be very helpful to those who practice it. Why not give it a try?

-Go berry picking. Especially if there is a strawberry farm nearby you. Ripe, warm, freshly-picked strawberries are absolutely the best things you can eat. Every year we go berry picking and then go to the beach, where we eat our wait in berries and play in the waves!

-Find new music. Go beyond Pandora. Ask your friends for their music, surf around YouTube, and peruse the CD section at the library. 

-Go to a Renaissance Faire. If there's one nearby you, you have no excuse! Go!

-Revamp your living space. Rearrange things, get rid of furniture, repaint, or just clean things out a bit!

-Go to a big city. Go shopping, go to a cool restaurant, visit a museum, and have a ball. 

-Keep a journal. Because they help you. Now you have someone to tell all about how rad your summer is! Check out my article on journals here. 

-Think about your life. Some important questions to ask yourself (and maybe even answer in the aforementioned journal) include: Am I happy? How do I define happiness? What do I want out of life? What do I believe in? What are my values? What kinds of people do I like? What do I like to do? Do I like myself? Why/Why not? Where do I see myself in five years? Ten years? Just knowing the answers to these questions or having some idea of them lends a whole new shade of clarity to your life. 

-Start a tradition. Whether it's monthly frozen yogurt with your sister or weekly soccer games with your friends, start something cool. 

-Make a time capsule. You can make it by yourself or with friends. Open it next summer!

-Workout. Just doing simple exercises makes a world of difference, trust me!

-Make a flower crown. They are so simple, easy, fun, and cute! This one is pretty wearable.

This list isn't the only one out there. For more ideas on how to have a rad summer, check out Rookie's Have A Cool Last Summer, Gala Darling's 100 Things To Do Instead of Procrastinating on the Internet, 50 Date Ideas if it's a summer of love, and 50 Things To Do Before Summer Ends.

You can also look at my lists of 50 Fun Things! and 50 More Fun Things!. I also suggest surfing the Life Ideas and How To tags on here for more to see. 

Have a rad summer!