Thursday, April 11, 2024

Lesson on TATAKalikasan: 40 Ways to Spend Summer - A Checklist

                     Lesson on TATAKalikasan Ateneo de Manila University

87.9 FM Radyo Katipunan, 11 to 12 a,m, Thursday
First Session April 11, 2024

40 Ways to Spend Summer - A Checklist*

Dr Abe V Rotor
Co-Host with Fr JM Manzano SJ, AdMU

Summer is here. It is a season synonymous to vacation. To others a time of reflection, extra work, make-up for lost time, an opportunity. It is coming home; it is reunion. It is respite for body and soul. Make this summer a fruitful and memorable one.

Details of mural paintings by the author

Summer in 40 ways. Check those that apply to you.

1. Putting on cool clothes, comfortable field shoes, accessories against sun.

2. Enrolling in summer classes, back or advance subjects.

3. Having a digital camera and taking photos and arranging them in an album, or in the computer.

4. Not wasting the season watching TV and playing with the computer every day.

5. Getting into some classes in craft, art, sports, dance, driving, and the like.

6. Going on vacation to the province, pay respects to old folks. It is reunion with family and relatives, and friends - and having new acquaintances.

7. Going abroad, staying with relatives and friends there, seeing places, meeting people. To be in other countries expand our consciousness about different cultures, and discovering how beautiful our country is. It can make one really feel homesick.

8. Homecoming with former classmates. It is attending to a friend's wedding, or seeing one before leaving to live in another place, welcoming new neighbors and members of your organization.

9. Working on your body at a local gym, play badminton, volleyball, table tennis (pingpong), other sports.

10. A walk in the park, on the beach, walk with nature – nature trail.

11. Learning to market, to cook and prepare the table – specially for girls.

12. Renting a beach house for the whole family and building a campfire.

13. Having an inflatable swimming pool on the garden, for kids - and adults, too.

14. Planting tree seedlings at the onset of rain, and preparing the home garden as well.

15. Putting up a lemonade stand and going into business. Selling halo-halo, gulaman, buko juice,

16. Relaxing at the beach watching the ocean – meditating and recharging energy.

17. Creative writing – poetry, short story, essay, feature.

18. Writing in your journal – The Story of my Life.

19. Giving more chance for the body to recovery faster from ailment and infirmity.

20. Seeing the family doctor, scheduling a thorough checkup – and getting a clean bill of health.

Summer Art Workshop for kids in the neighborhood

21. Making a family video of an occasion, better still a documentary. It is organizing family photos, report cards, birthday cards, artwork, concert programs and other keepsakes from the past year into a scrapbook.

22. Remembering the departed, offering candles and prayers in their memory; above all a whisper or act of gratitude for all the goodness they did for us.

23. Bonding with pets, making them happy and healthy - and teaching your dog new tricks.

24. Learning a new language. The best way is to go to a place where the language you wish to learn is the only language.

25. Improving your English - speaking and writing. And reviving the art of handwriting.

26. Learning to play a musical instrument. Music enhances the mind in many ways. Studies have shown that children who study music at an early age do better in school than those who don’t. Aside from that, it is also just plain fun.

27. Learning to sew, making and mending clothes. Older and more skilled children can even make their own clothes for the coming school year.

28. Taking a special computer class - but make it fun. Learn to type properly, use a spreadsheet or database, design websites, make presentations, etc. Most jobs these days involve computer use, so knowing as much as you can about computers might help you get a higher salary.

29. Sorting through your stuff . Go through your clothes and things and prune out those you no longer want or need. You could donate the things you no longer need or hold a garage or yard sale and make some money to put into your college or retirement savings.

30. Getting a summer job, “earning to learn,” specially for working students.

31. Indexing your books, other references, documents with the computer or the conventional way.

Beating summer heat, San Juan, Ilocos Sur

32. Cleaning out your computer. If there are programs you don’t use, uninstall them. If there are files that you no longer need, delete them. Keeping your hard drive from getting too full will extend its life.

33. Mall Walking - Walking in an indoor, air-conditioned mall is a great way to get exercise away from the heat and smog, and you can also save on sunscreen. You can even window-shop during your walks, but if you think you might get too tempted, leave your money and credit card at home.

34. Learning to swim. Swimming is another low-impact exercise (safer than running) which increases endurance, muscle and cardiovascular strength. Try to swim in an indoor pool whenever possible or wait until early evening to avoid sunburn.

35. Joining prayer rallies, healthy religious activities, bible studies.

36. Making sweet, jams, jellies, for hobby and money. Summer is fruit season.

37. Joining community projects like Clean and Green, supporting environmental campaign such as beach cleaning, prevention of brush fire.

38. Reviving traditional games like kite flying, 
sipa, spinning top, yoyo – make, don’t buy.

Reunion SPC-Ilocos Sur (formerly Rosary College) 

39. Repair, repair, repair. Name it and it needs repair (toys, house, figurine, kitchen wares, china, garden tools, books, etc)

40. Fiestas, celebrations, festivities. It is also a time of retreat and reflection.

From these responses, it is good to keep always in mind this guide.
  • Be frugal and simple,
  • Be productive,
  • Have fun, and
  • Share with others.
*Responses gathered from participants in Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School on Air) DZRB, TATAKalikasan, and followers of Living with Nature avrotor.blogspot.com. This is an open ended list. Please share your experiences and add them to the list. ~

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