am a firm believer in getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new. I swear it helps stimulate your brain in new ways and helps get those juices flowing!

With that in mind, here are a few ideas for you to try on your lazy, summer days…

Have you heard about this new audio based app? It’s fantastic!

No video, no camera and no makeup needed. It’s all audio conversations. 

If you’ve never tried it, let me describe it this way: It’s kind of like going to a conference at a hotel (remember those, back in the day?). When you first log into the app, you see a “Hallway” with a bunch of different “Rooms” available for you to enter. In each “Room”, there are people on the “Stage” who have a microphone and are making informal presentations, asking questions, or leading discussions with anyone who wants to participate. 

You can easily go in and out of any room that seems interesting to you. If you want to just listen to the conversation, no problem. But if you want to “raise your hand” and get microphone access, you can do that too. Once you have a mic, you can participate in the conversation as much or as little as you want. 

When you start to participate, THAT is where the real magic happens. The amount of interesting people you meet, the conversations you have and the connections you can make is incredible!

There are tons of Rooms dedicated to education topics … and any other topic you could think of. 

As I’m writing this, here are some education-related Rooms available: 

• “Project-Based Learning & EdTech Tips”
• “Is higher education necessary anymore?”
• “Q&A with School Admins”
• “Growth Mindset in Education”

But there are lots of other rooms about everything from politics to dating to entrepreneurship to cryptocurrencies. 

So check it out. Jump into different rooms, stretch your boundaries, talk to new people and try something new!

Ever heard of this one? It’s super fun! 

It’s kind of like a gigantic, public scavenger hunt.  Through a free cell phone app, you are given clues and coordinates to find specific geographic spots in your community where there are hidden “geocache” items (like a box with some type of little surprise inside). You then sign and date the geocache (to prove that you actually found it!) and write about your experiences. 

The network of worldwide Geocaching is amazing. There are literally millions of geocache locations all over the world.  So, get out there and have an adventure!

So why do you want to do this?

• You will probably see places you’ve never seen before
• It gets you moving and active
• It’s a fun challenge  
• It can be done as a family or alone. 
• It is fun for any age 
• It gets you out and enjoying nature! 
• You might even discover something in your own neighborhood that you didn’t know existed.

Get out there and have some fun darnit!  Find out more information here: https://www.geocaching.com/play

“Everyone should learn how to code because it teaches you how to think” – Steve Jobs.

And honestly, it’s much easier than you think.

We use computers all day long and we “consume” code every single day. There are little computers in everything we can think of, from refrigerators and car stereos, to kids toys and doorbells. They are everywhere!

So it’s about time we start to understand how coding works and contribute to the world of code.

You can start to code with Scratch.mit.org. It is a free website dedicated to teaching kids (and adults!) how to program for free. It takes you step by step, through basic programming language, teaching you how to think creatively, code in a linear fashion and reason systematically. They make it fun by helping you create animated stories and little games that you can share with others when you’re done.

The first time I learned how to code, I used this website with my students. It was a great way to see exactly what they were doing in IT class and it taught me the fundamentals of coding in the space of a week. 

Or you could try an Hour of Code at Code.org. It literally takes you step by step through the coding concepts you would need to create a short video, a game, a dance or an animated scene.  The idea is to show you the concepts of computer coding and linear thinking. Don’t worry, it’s not meant to train you to write lines and lines of code for a massive website or a business.  It is a fun and non-intimidating way to step out of your comfort zone and learn something new. 

Log off your computer.  Ignore social media. Get outside. TRY SOMETHING NEW. 

There you have my recommendation for summer!