What's Up This Long Vac?
To have a profitable vacation, you need to plan your time creatively and make it an experience worth remembering. Don't take a long break and then wake up at the end of it wondering where all that time went!
If there's any vacation that most young people look up to, it is the long vacation. On the day of vacation, millions of young people will burst out of school, celebrating a break from classes, books homework, assignments and an opportunity to rest and enjoy a change of place.
Those of you who will get out of school during vacation — do you have anything planned, or will you just let the time go by?
To have a profitable vacation, you need to plan your time creatively and make it an experience worth remembering. Don't take a long break and then wake up at the end of it wondering where all that time went!
So how do you plan your vacation? What can you do to get the most out of it? Here are some steps you can take to make this break both productive and profitable.
Make the most of your time
Take advantage of opportunities. The break is a good time to catch up on all the things you've been wanting to do but haven't managed to do yet. Visit new places in your town or those within a few hours' drive.
If you've always wanted to go to a particular vacation camp (provided it is affordable), make this the time that you finally go. Perhaps visit some SHS or universities you're considering attending.
Try some new experiences. Learn how to swim by enrolling in a swimming school. You can also organise a family trip, picnic or some other activity.
Set a goal for next year. What do you want to be a year from now? Do you want to be the best shooter in your basketball team or the best goal scorer in your school football team? If so, you'd better start practising now.
You can also learn how to sew in a few months. Find a school around your area which might be taking people on for such short courses. Who knows, you might be able to learn how to sew in a short time. So set a goal for yourself and get to work on it. It will surprise you how you can learn something new and excel in it.
Here's a list of several things you can do to keep your brain active and develop your talents effectively: Get a head start on school next year.
If you know you'll be taking a history course next academic year, read one or two history books this vacation. If it is a course in English literature, read some Shakespeare, Charles Dickens or African writers series.
If you know you'll be taking a course in geography, get an atlas and start looking up all the places that are mentioned in the news each evening or read several travel books.
Don't get glued to the television. After all, the news stories are often repeated every hour so once you listen to one or two you can use the rest of your time for other things.
Get into the library habit. This is one of the best things you can do to educate yourself. With books you can travel around the world right from your house. You can travel through time back into history or even into the future—from your own room. You can meet all kinds of interesting people, experience all kinds of things this vacation, through books.
Reading is a great habit that will serve you well throughout your life. Read widely; try a variety of books and magazines.
Develop a hobby or other special interest. This is a great way to keep your brain from taking time off. If there's something you're interested in, follow through on that interest and learn more about it.
It could be just about anything: Painting, drawing, photography, or reading on a particular topic. You'll find it's a great way to pass the time, keep your mind in gear and develop your own talents and abilities.