Once you finish your after-school hibernation in bed during the summer, you should get back on track to prevent forming bad habits or moods, and after this article, you’ll agree from now on that staying in bed all summer can stay as a memory in the past summers.

Exploring St. Louis: We know exploring or driving around may sound like a hassle, but the extraordinary places you can find here in your hometown can make that hassle turn into an unforgettable memory.

• Visiting the Arch, if you haven’t already it can be a great way to experience what makes St. Louis unique, as its our very own monument.
• Visiting the St. Louis Zoo, if you love animals, this is the place for you. Not only is it free to enter, but most of the animals are free to see! Who doesn’t like red pandas?
• Going downtown to see the City Museum, the city museum is filled with jaw-dropping art, and activities, such as the arcade or their pedicure activity of Doctor fish that eat dead skin off of you, and as disgusting and painful as it sounds, all it does is give you a little tickle!

Geocaching with friends: For those who like solving clues and mysteries, it can be an even more exciting activity to do with your friends to get out. Geocaching allows your brain to start thinking and growing over the summer, and so as your physical state! And obviously you can’t earn any treasure maps, but if you decide to take you must also place something in the geocache. (Below presents what you can earn from a Geocache according to Geocaching).

• A small collectible like a toy, such as an old Hot Wheel, or even a deck of playing cards.
• Small jewels, rings, bracelets, and some wheat pennies.
• A Travel bug is intended to be taken and placed in another geocache.

Remember to check the rules of Geocaching to improve the experience of yourself and others who may geocache as well, and always remember that you can create your own geocache for someone else to find.

Sports: Even if you are an introvert or an extrovert, sports can be for anyone, and beneficial to all!

• Baseball, an excellent way of staying in shape, making friends, and creating wonderful memories, and you may even get a trophy.
• Archery, a great sport for those who are introverts, as it has you create a calm mindset without any pressure or people screaming and watching your every move. Unless you decide to go into the Olympics, of course.
• Volleyball, a fun sport you can do whether you’re in your backyard/front, a beach, or even a gym, just remember, if you play on a hard floor to wear knee braces to prevent injuries.

Summer camp: Going into a summer camp can offer a lot of beneficial aspects, such as time away for those who need it, or even if you wanna build relationships or new skills. A good St. Louis summer camp is at Fun4stlkids. They offer… 

• Camps from outdoors, sports, or nature education, and all the way to indoors, from cooking to coding.
• Free camps, don’t worry, these camps are not always expensive and rarely will take any money.
• Defense and photography camps, such as martial arts or learning how to take a perfect picture as a photographer.

Gardening: As boring as gardening can sound, it can be very impactful to your mindset. Research shows that gardening can decrease mental health issues, according to Mayoclinichealthsystem. Below shows the benefits of growing a garden.

• Stress relief, gardening has been shown to lighten moods and decrease stress.
• Eating freshly grown vegetables or fruits, eating fresh can improve your diet and make it healthy. You ask why not just buy a pack of vegetables at a store? Eating freshly grown food is healthier as it doesn’t have any added spices or preservatives.
• Prideful, seeing a plant that you planted grow within months can feel accomplished, for keeping it alive is a huge compliment.

I personally have grown my own small garden of tomatoes, watermelon, and jalapenos so far, and I can admit it does feel very accomplishing. From planting a seed the size of an ant to seeing it sprout 5 inches in a week feels very accomplishing.

Whether you choose to make this summer into an unforgettable memory or to waste it, remember, do not become a couch potato this summer of 2025!