Q: Dear Annalise,

It seems like every summer me and my friends do the same exact thing. We don’t have our licenses yet, so we can’t go anywhere without begging our parents. What new things can we do that will keep things interesting?

A: I know it gets hard to keep doing interesting things without feeling like you have already done them all. I have a couple of ideas.

First off, try making a bucket list. Don’t put too many things on it or else you won’t get to finish it. If you see your friends often, then you can put more on, and if you rarely see them, them put less. Try to catch photos of you doing everything on the list, and put them all together at the end of the summer. You will have a great time seeing all you have done. You can dress up like superheroes, make spaghetti tacos, or do blind makeovers. You can put fun and silly activities on the list, or you can write down places that you want to go. Just be creative.

Next, get messy. These are fun activities that you can add to the bucket list. Have a shaving cream fight, a silly string fight, a mud fight, or even a water balloon fight. You can always set up a tarp if you don’t want to destroy your back yard. Wear clothes you don’t mind messing up, and if you are doing anything that’s colorful, wear white so that you can see what a mess you’ve made. These things can be really silly, but they are still a fun way to pass the time. Be careful to not use anything that could hurt if it gets in your eyes, and don’t aim at faces. You don’t want to have to flush someone’s eyes out for 30 minutes because they received a face full of shaving cream.

Glow sticks. Who doesn’t love glow sticks? Just don’t pop them open; bad things always happen when people try to let the glow stick stuff out of the tube. Have your own personal rave with lots and lots of glow sticks.

Do arts and crafts. Sometimes when y’all are tired of everything else, it can be fun to make something. You can do tie-dye, crayon art, or really anything. Pinterest has some great ideas to help you get your artsy on.

Baking can also be a really fun thing to do. You can try a cake or cupcake recipe, grab a few friends, and go. Again, Pinterest is a great place to look for ideas of what to make and how to decorate things. Plus, after you have the fun of making it, you get the fun of eating it!

Volunteer. Finally, if you want to do something to give back, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities that you can do around your community as well as little jobs you can pick up. See if you and your friends can sign up together at your local animal shelter or at a summer camp. Also, babysitting together is something that you  can get  paid for. Finding little jobs and volunteering opportunities can help you not waste your summer, and it can also give you some cash, which opens up even more opportunities for you and your friends.

Have an amazing time this summer with whatever you choose to do!