Summer Time - How to Make the Most of it!

What to do with two whole months of vacation? Great question!

Whether you have a summer job or not, there are things you can do to make your summer a great experience and have memories that last a life time.

Personally, my favourite thing to do in summer is to travel. However, I can't always afford it and I'm assuming you can't always travel either. So what are somethings you can do at home or locally over the summer?

Here are some of my favourite things to do if I'm spending a summer at home.

1. READ - read non-stop. Read a series from your favourite author. Try a new author. Try a new genre of books. Read outside. Read at the beach. Read indoors on a rainy day. Just enjoy the art of reading for FUN. Not for school. Not for work. Just for the love of reading.

  

The Forks

2. Pretend you are a visitor - take in the sights. Have you ever noticed that you only take in the local sights when you have visitors from out of town? Change that. Pretend you are visiting the area. What are the must see and must do items. Go do them. Have you been to The Mennonite Heritage Village in the last 5 years? If not, go! Have you been to The Forks? The Canadian Museum for Human Rights CMHR? The Manitoba Museum? (They have a new display of dinosaurs. Have you seen it?) Go to the zoo! Check out the Assiniboine Park. Have a picnic at the St. Malo Grotto Be a tourist at home. Go to St. Pierre Museum and Sugar Shack. Check out all the museums in the area Museums in Manitoba and maybe visit Lower Fort Garry - it's only an hour away.

CMHR

3. Find interesting things. For example, did you know that there is something called the Cinnamon Bun Trail here in Manitoba. Cinnamon Bun Trail Manitoba. Google top 10 bakeries in Manitoba or top 10 places for a burger in Manitoba. See what google gives you and then make a plan to visit those 10 places over the summer. 10 Ten Manitoba Sweet Spots. I recently found the top 10 places in Winnipeg for a sweet tooth. I am making that part of my summer plan list.





4. Have fun in the kitchen. Bake. Can. Make jam. Learn how to bake bread. These are fun things to do with your family or a group of friends. Isn't homemade strawberry jam the best jam ever? Go pick strawberries and make your own jam. It's easy. Even I can do it. So can you!

5. Volunteer somewhere  - even if it's just for one weekend, one day, or a few hours. Volunteer at a local fair (ie. Summer in the City) or at your church's kids club. Volunteer to babysit for a neighbour or to mow their lawn. Do something nice for your family, siblings, parents, grandparents or a family friend.

Caddy Lake

6. Go exploring. Go hiking. There are so many cool places to hike nearby including in the Sandy Lands and the Whiteshell. Whiteshell hiking trails. The fresh air and the exercise are good for you. (and for me too)

7. Take some time to relax. Don't go, go, go all the time. Sleep in if you can. Have a lazy day or two or three. Let your body and brain chill and rejuvenate.




8. Try a new hobby. Learn how to paint, knit, build or any thing else that catches your interest. I'm trying my hand at gardening. If all goes well, I'll have some fresh vegetables in the late summer or fall.


9. Spend quality time with those close to you. Play board games. Visit. Cook. Eat. Enjoy the simple things of life with your family or friends.

10. Come up with something on your own.

Take this list with a grain of salt. Take what you like. Leave what you don't. What ever you do - Be safe!

These are just somethings I like to do in the summer. They are not in any particular order. You may have your own list. Perhaps it would be good to make a list, add to it as you think of new things and check off the ones you do. Sometimes at the end of summer, we can forget all the great activities we did. Making a list or writing one as you go may help you appreciate what a great summer you have had or great moments. It can also help you feel grateful for all the important people in your life that have been a part of those memories. Take the time to enjoy the summer and then come back in September ready to take on a new school year.

How do You Begin the Summer Job Search?

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Summer is just around the corner! YAY!

Now comes the fun part, or maybe the hard part. How do you find a summer job?

There are a number of helpful things you can do to gain employment for the summer.

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1. Use your contacts.

 Do you have family or friends who own businesses? or manage businesses? Ask them. They may be able to connect you with a summer job where they work or with an associate. Many people find jobs from personal connections or close acquaintances. It never hurts to ask.

2. Make your resume and go knock on doors.

Have you always dreamed of working in retail? or at an autobody shop? Go knock on their door. But arrive prepared. Have your resume done properly. Ask your references ahead of time and let them know you are on the job search. Dress well for going to businesses - a good rule of thumb is to dress up better than you would need to for the job you want. Every student at SRSS has access to this website:  https://myblueprint.ca/hanover This website has a form you can fill out online and it makes your resume for you. Ask your guidance counsellor for more information if you have never used it.

3. Search. Search. Search.

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Check out local websites like www.steinbachonline.com or
mysteinbach.ca   - check them for job listings or even just names of businesses where you can walk in and ask if they are hiring.

Use myblueprint.ca/hanover and find the icon that leads you to local job listings.

Read the local paper. I know.... Read? the newspaper? yep - some people still post advertisements in there... Maybe you'll find a great job that way.

Open your eyes, look in windows of local businesses you frequent. They may have a help wanted sign in their window.

Visit the local youth job centre. These offices open every year in mid-May and are meant to help you - the students and youth of the community. Steinbach has one at 395 Main St. Stop by. Fill out their forms. Register. Look at postings there. The Provincial website has more information - check it out: http://www.gov.mb.ca/cyo/youth/services/manitobayouthjobcentres.html


4. Can't find a job. VOLUNTEER

Sometimes you have exhausted every avenue and done everything right and you just can't find the perfect summer job.

VOLUNTEER.

Find something you enjoy doing and see if you can volunteer at that business, organization, association, church, camp, or neighbours.

Volunteering doesn't pay much at all. Most of the time you earn nothing. But that's not really true. You gain experience. This experience may lead to you having a job in the future. Sometimes you will even get hired at the place you are volunteering - if they see how valuable you are and how well you work. Sometimes that job, maybe volunteering by working at the hospital gift store, gives you the right skills to get a job working at your favourite store in Steinbach. Or maybe volunteering to help your neighbour paint his / her barn will help you get a job working on his / her farm or working with his brother-in-law's painting company.

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