By Wendi Ostroff

• READ – Research shows, and as a former classroom teacher, I can emphatically state that reading over the summer is invaluable. Summer is a great time to find something good to read that isn’t required for school. It’s an excellent way to boost vocabulary and use your imagination too.
• MAKE GOALS – and stick to them. Be realistic and choose a few things that you would like to learn about, explore, or earn money doing.
• BE ACTIVE – Summer days are the longest of the year, with plenty of warm weather and sunshine. Spend more time outside. Enjoy it and stay in shape. Look for new activities to try like Frisbee golf or take lessons in a sport you’ve always wanted to check out.
• NEW ACTIVITIES – explore a new interest. This can be anything from gardening, cooking, jewelry making, singing, running, fencing, sailing, filming a documentary, running, etc. The choices are limitless.
• BE ACADEMIC – high schoolers looking to round out their resume can take a summer class at a local college or online. This can also help prepare them for college and boost their GPAs. Staying active intellectually keeps your mind engaged and there’s still plenty of time for other fun activities.
• GET A PLAN – if you’re in high school and are starting to think about the future, create a preliminary list of colleges. Plan when you want to take the SAT/ACT. Talk to others for suggestions, or set up an appointment at California Learning Center. Go visit a college or two.
• VOLUNTEER – choose an organization or a local camp you would like to get involved with and jump right in. High schools vary as to how many hours they require for community service, but exceeding that amount is a good thing that will make you feel better too.
• WORK – find a summer job, make some money, or apply for an internship in an area of interest. It’s not easy to get that part-time job, but it can be very rewarding and worthwhile. Open a bank account if you haven’t already and watch your savings grow.
• FAMILY TIME – help plan a trip, big or small, near or far, and enjoy some down time with your family. There are many opportunities during summer break to make this happen for all budgets. You can also have game nights, movie time, go for a hike, paint your bedroom.
• MINIMIZE ELECTRONICS – keep screen time to a minimum unless you’re learning about graphic design, how to code, or something meaningful. Being dialed in too much can be a huge time waster and better to strike a balance.