By: Hannah Gliedman

Summer is one of the best times of the year. No school and all you have to worry about is hanging out with friends and not getting sunburnt. However, because summer is so long, not having things to do can make the time pass slowly and feel like you’re wasting the best time of the year. So here are 5 things to do when you’re bored and don’t know what to do in summer.

1. Make Friendship Bracelets
A very important summer staple is making friendship bracelets. These are extremely easy to make and have so much room to be creative. Whether you are making them by yourself, for your friend or with your friends they are always fun to make.

There are so many designs and tutorials, on friendship-bracelets.net or TikTok, out there to make very intricate and complicated, or cute and easy bracelets. With limitless colors and designs there is a chance you’re making a one of a kind design.

2. Beach Day
A super fun way to spend your day during the hot summer is at the beach. Find a lake or ocean and a group of friends to spend a day swimming, playing football or volleyball. Bringing a picnic could also be a fun way to pass the time while at the beach.

3. Bike Riding
One way to stay active and enjoy the warm weather during the summer is going on long bike rides. Especially in the Twin Cities there are many places, roads and trails, that provide beautiful scenery with just a little bit of biking. Whether you’re going for a leisurely ride to get some fresh air or on an intense ride for a workout, biking is a great way to mix the outdoors, hanging out with friends and getting in a great workout.

4. Backyard Campfire
Whether you have a fire pit in your backyard or go to a local park with pits, a campfire is such a fun way to pass the time with friends. Setting one up is easy and it’s a cute thing to do while just hanging out with friends.

5. Make a Scrapbook of Memories
One of the great parts about making summer memories is reminiscing on all the fun you had, and what better way to do this than to make a scrapbook. Fill it with a summer bucket list, pictures, quotes, stickers, and antidotes of good memories.

To find more ideas, look up summer scrapbook pages on Pinterest. If you want to splurge to make it extra special get a polaroid or disposable camera to get physical pictures with a vintage feel.

By: Mya Olson – Williams

Whether you’re stuck in the house, or have nowhere to go, being bored is no fun. Whatever the situation is, here are a few ideas to get rid of boredom.

1. Find a new show to binge

There are so many good shows out there. If you have enough time, and nowhere to go, find a new show and watch as much as you wish. This not only is very entertaining, but passes time quickly. This should keep you busy for a while.

2. Cook/bake

Staying in the kitchen is a lot of work, but quite some fun. There’s a variety of things you could make, sweet or savory. This may or may not take up a lot of time, depending on what you choose to do. Either way, at the end you get something to eat!

3. Go for a walk

If the weather is bad, skip this one. But maybe it’s sunny, or warm with a breeze and you wanna get outside. Try walking without having a route. You never know where you’ll end up, and you’ll go home having wasted a lot of time.

4. Call a friend or family member

Talking to someone close to you is always good. You could talk to someone you haven’t interacted with in a while and see what they’re up to. Whoever it is, I’m sure they’d enjoy talking to you for a bit.

5. Clean/organize

It’s officially spring, so maybe there’s spring cleaning that needs to be done! Whether that’s your room, a closet, or anything else. This may take awhile, but turn on some music and get it done.

Now these are only 5 ideas, but there are many more activities that could help get rid of boredom. Hopefully one of these could help.

By: Calla Fragassi and Mackenzie Malek

Yoga is a form of exercise that is very accessible to anyone at any age. There are different yoga practices that you can begin at any point in your life. Yoga is filled with different benefits and is a great addition to your workout routine for your bodily health.

Flexibility

“The most cited reason people selected for doing yoga was to increase flexibility” according to healthline.com. Yoga can improve your flexibility by stretching muscles and joints, and the more you practice yoga the more flexible you will get. As you get older you often get less flexible which is a natural part of aging.

If you want to avoid this and reach the full potential of your flexibility, you should try to practice around 3-4 times a week. Flexibility is a very important part of your health and on its own has many benefits such as increasing muscle blood flow, a decrease of your risk of getting injured and overall helps improve your performance in physical activities.

Balance

Having good balance is essential for daily life movements. Yoga has been shown through multiple studies that it can improve the overall performance of athletes. Famous NFL Quarterback Russell Wilson uses yoga to improve his balance and remain calm in stressful situations.

As people age, we tend to lose balance. Many doctors and physicians recommend elders to practice yoga to improve balance and decrease the risk of falling as people get older. More accessible yoga includes adaptive yoga or chair yoga. This is more commonly seen with people with injuries or elders who aren’t mobile enough to perform traditional yoga.

Increases strength

When people first think of yoga, they might associate it with stretching and flexibility. Although yoga can be helpful in those areas, there are designated yoga classes that are mainly focused on strength and muscle building. By starting with simple movements that test your body and its strength, overtime you will see the difference yoga has made for your body.

Yoga can help to build and tone muscles in your body, improve endurance, and improve cardiovascular health. If you plan on solely doing yoga to increase strength, it is important to stay consistent and incorporate different movements into your sessions.

Better posture

Good posture is something that everyone wishes to have, it can reduce pain and lower your risk of injury. Yoga can help with your posture in a few ways, the first being it strengthens your core. This might not be what you always think of first when thinking about good posture, but when having a strong core you are more likely to both sit and stand tall.

Another way yoga benefits your posture is through body awareness. After practicing yoga for a while you are more aware of your own body which helps you notice how you are sitting, and if you are slouching you are more likely to quickly notice and change your posture.

Improves mental health

Yoga is essential for your physical well-being, but many yoga users start for the mental benefits over the physical. Yoga is commonly used as a way to relieve stress and anxiety. Breathing exercises, sound baths and meditation have been shown by the National Institutes of Health on multiple occasions to relieve stress in the body.

MDD (Major depressive disorder) is one of the most common mental health disorders in the world. In 2017, 23 different people living with MDD observed that their symptoms significantly decreased after going through yoga-based treatments. Yoga therapy and breathing practices have become more common in the past few years, and are used to decrease depressive symptoms.

Yoga can also help improve self-esteem issues in teenagers and adults. Practicing yoga may be helpful with body image and confidence with patients with anorexia.

If you want something that can improve your physical and mental health, yoga is the perfect practice for you. Taking that time from your day to slow down and focus on yourself is beneficial for many different reasons. Having a consistent yoga routine where you are practicing a few times a week, can overall keep you clear-headed and relaxed.

By: Mackenzie Malek and Calla Fragassi

With the summer months coming up, we wanted to share with you some fun indoor and outdoor activities you can spend your summer days doing if you are bored, or you just simply want to try something new.

Outdoorutdoor activities

In the Twin Cities area, mainly Minneapolis, there are a variety of different lakes that have many different trails, parks, and beaches. Biking around the lakes is a great way to spend your day in the Cities. The lakes are all within a couple of miles of each other which allows you to get a good ride in during the warmer months. Each lake also has its own unique qualities, for example, Lake Nokomis is a very popular lake where people rent boats or paddle boards, go bridge jumping, or play volleyball on the beach. This could be compared to Lake of the Isles, which is a much smaller lake that is mainly just for walking and biking. Some of the other main lakes include: Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, and Lake Hiawatha.

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the highlights of the year for residents in the state. It lasts 12 days every year beginning at the end of August, and ending on Labor Day. The State Fair was first held in 1859 in what is now downtown Minneapolis. The fair traveled throughout the state until the early 1880’s when they found a permanent home in Ramsey County that is currently standing at 322 acres. The fair hosts an average of 2 million visitors annually, increasing more and more every year. It attracts people from all over the nation for its different foods, rides, music, and entertainment.

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a great way to spend some time outdoors while enjoying many iconic sculptures. The sculpture garden is free and is open all year long from 6am to 12am every day. You will find 40 different kinds of modern and contemporary arts here, and they are most known for the cherry on a spoon sculpture. The average time it takes to walk around and look at all the sculptures is about 2-3 hours, so come prepared and be ready to take lots of pictures.

Indoor activities

Since 1883 the Minneapolis Institute of Art has been sharing artwork with the community. The Minneapolis Institute of Art, often referred to as Mia, is an art museum filled with over 90,000 pieces of art. Different kinds of sculptures, paintings, artifacts, from different cultures are all found at Mia. Mia’s goal is “Inspiring wonder through the power of art.” Next time you’re looking for something to do, stop by Mia to learn a little something new.

Located in St. Paul, the Como Park Conservatory is a great way to spend a rainy summer day. The conservatory is entirely free but accepts donations from visitors. Open 365 days a year, the conservatory welcomes visitors of all ages with something for everyone. Filled with colorful plants and flowers, you will find yourself spending hours inside here. It’s a great place to study, walk around with a friend, and even a popular place to take prom pictures!

If you have younger kids or siblings and you want to bring them somewhere fun, the Minnesota Children’s Museum is the perfect place to go. The museum has three floors filled with different fun activities that kids are sure to enjoy. Some well known exhibits include:

• The Scrambler, which is a four story jungle gym
• Our World, which is a fake town with a post office, and fire station
• And the Studio which is an area for kids to do arts and crafts

The museum also always has a special limited time exhibit, depending on when you are there. They currently have an exhibit called Framed, which allows kids to look closer at famous art pieces. The Children’s Museum is a perfect option for a rainy day in the summer for kids!

All of these places and activities have a little something different for you to try. Whether you’re into biking, looking at art, or simply just spending time outside, the Twin Cities have many great places for you, always feel free to come back to this list when you find yourself bored in the summer.

By: Thea Berg and Rose Ramadan

As students in high school getting ready for college, we face many challenges and choices during this time of our lives. Getting good grades, participating in activities, impressing those around us; all examples of only part of the anxiety us students receive.

As we become young adults, as well, it is important for us to learn how to become successful. Part of success is learning how to work in an environment with other people and make money for ourselves to spend on future necessities.

Tying this all together, we will cover job opportunities for those looking for money and a strong learning environment. The jobs below are all located in Minnesota and are specifically for teens.

A Day Camp Counselor at the YMCA is a great way to start a job this summer. Learning to connect with younger children involves much training and social skills and is a great way to learn about patience. They are hiring for $15 an hour this summer as a temporary job. Work days are Monday through Friday.

Another amazing job opportunity would be a Nursing Assistant that includes classes that train. This would look great for anyone who is looking into a medical career job in the future. It is a part-time job with an estimated $29k-37k per year.

A job that may be interesting to work would be a Stand Attendant at Target field. It would be a great opportunity to interact with all types of people as well as learn leadership skills. It is a seasonal job. The starting rate is $15 an hour. Weekend availability is highly praised.

On the note of more of a fun job, there are many job openings at Dogtopia, a doggy daycare. They are looking for attendants who would interact with the dogs, teammates, and customers. This involves many leadership skills as well as social skills. It is a week job, Monday through Friday. The starting rate is $14 an hour. This summer, it is available as a full time position for those looking to make a good amount of money.

Lifeguarding is also a great opportunity that many teens in the 15-and -up age range can enjoy. Around the Highland-St. Paul area there are many different pools that need lifeguarding such as the Highland Pool, the Como Pool, and at swim schools such as Foss. Before becoming a full lifeguard there is a training that you need to do. After the training you can work as a lifeguard or teach swim lessons, or water aerobics.

You could also work as a Teen Specialist at the Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities. Some qualifications of this job would be a positive, energetic person who is passionate about discussing the Teen Pathways Program in schools and working with young people. This job requires a lot of working with children and interacting with other people.

Other jobs that you can easily find and start on your own are nannying or babysitting jobs. A lot of families do require you to be CPR certified before becoming their nanny or babysitter, but other than that you can find an employer through family friends or looking online for those in need of a sitter. There are many websites that you can also enroll in to be shown on so families can easily contact you for a sitter, or you can easily contact families to seek out if they need a sitter.

In the end, the jobs above are highly recommended and easy to get for teens. Most are hiring this May which is a great start to the summer for anyone looking to get a job soon.

By: Calla Fragassi

Being a pet owner comes with many benefits, including the fact that they can give their owners better mental and physical health. According to an article from AHA (American Heart Association), dogs can help improve someone’s mental and physical well-being. Dogs have been proven to help lower symptoms of anxiety, increase physical activity, and help with creating structures and routines in a person’s life.

Anxiety Decreases

In times of high stress, like the COVID-19 pandemic, people tend to get bad anxiety. The whole world was shut down, not knowing what was happening next. Millions of people were stuck in their homes for weeks at a time, with no one to go through it with. Many people adopted dogs or other pets during this time to try and get through the rough patches more easily.

“More than 23 million American households — nearly 1 in 5 nationwide — adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).”

Washington Post, January 7, 2022

Having a dog provided companionship for millions of people, which is just what was needed in times of uncertainty. Having someone/ something to ease anxiety is also beneficial for your heart. Having high stress and anxiety levels has been proven to increase risks of heart disease like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Staying Active

Another way dogs are beneficial to a person’s well-being is by keeping them active. For a dog to live a long, healthy life, they need to get regular physical activity. This will help increase their owner to become more active by going on daily walks, or just walking around a dog park.

Staying active is also proven to help decrease symptoms of depression. Being able to go outside and get fresh air can lower levels of anxiety and improve the amount of sleep you get. Walking your dog outside also makes it more likely that you would interact with others in your community. This will also help with social anxiety or symptoms of depression.

Structure and Routine

More than any other pet, dogs need a routine to thrive. This includes getting up around the same time every day, walks every day, food, medication, and anything else that suits your dog’s needs. Following a certain routine every day with your dog will make it easier for you to create a routine of your own. As they do with dogs, people thrive when they have a structure in their lives or a daily routine. Having a routine can help lower stress and anxiety levels by being organized, and not disordered.

Dogs are more than just cute pets for many people; they are caring animals that can improve a person’s life. This is also why you see service dogs because they can help their owner when they can’t help themselves. Dogs help improve a person’s mental and physical well-being by being good companions.