With summer approaching quickly, Millikan students are in anticipation of a long awaited break. Every summer students flock to the beach, the mall, and the park with their friends. But after a few weeks, summer boredom kicks in and students find themselves scrolling on TikTok and spending endless hours playing video games. Here is a list of free things to do instead of giving in to boredom.
When thinking about spending time outside most teens think of hiking, biking, or swimming, but another fun option is geocaching. Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity that uses an app to provide coordinates to hidden containers in real life, called geocaches, in areas around where they live. With the difficulty of how geocaches are hidden varying, it’s a fun, free, activity to do by yourself or with friends this summer.
Yogalution offers free yoga classes every day at 11 am and again at 6pm on the bluff of Long Beach. These classes are beginner friendly and everyone is welcome to join. This is an excellent way to practice mindfulness and relaxation by yourself or with friends while enjoying the summer sun.
The city of Long Beach offers tons of free outdoor entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Free concerts happen all over the area including The El Dorado Nature Center, Shoreline Village, Naples, 2nd & PCH, and the Long Beach Peninsula. The Long Beach Municipal Band also does free concerts all over the city.
If you are less interested in classical music and more into jazz or rock, then the OC parks summer concert series will be more your speed. This summer’s lineup consisting of bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Ozomatli is going to be a lot of fun.
Orange County also offers free movies as part of the OC Parks Sunset Cinema every Friday evening starting at 6pm on Jun. 7 and ending on Aug. 30. In summer 2024 they will be showing newer movies such as “Wonka” and “Barbie”, as well as older movies like the “The Goonies” and “Men in Black”, to name a few.
Another free opportunity to have some fun outside with your friends is the Huntington Library Free Days. The Huntington Library is more than just a library, it is so full of libraries, museums, and beautiful botanical gardens that it would take days to see everything. The Huntington Library offers free admission every first Thursday of the month. In order to get tickets for the event, you must join an online queue the last Thursday of the month before you want to attend. Personally, I have never had an issue getting tickets by joining the que about ten minutes before numbers are drawn.
Like the Huntington Library, many other museums offer free days, and others always offer free admission. The LACMA offers a free membership for L.A. County kids 17 and under which allows them to bring one guest with them for free. The Long Beach Museum of Art just started offering a free teen membership that allows free admission until the summer after your senior year. They haven’t put this on their website yet, but you can get one in person by showing a valid school-issued ID at the main desk. Other museums that always offer free admission include but aren’t limited to the Broad, the Hammer Museum, the MOCA Grand Avenue, the Griffith Observatory, the Orange County Museum of Art, the Californian African American Museum, the California Science Center, and the Hollywood Bowl Museum (check out this article from timeout.com to see more).
Alexa Tafoia, a freshman in PEACE, said that although she likes to hang out with her friends over summer she still experiences boredom.
With all the free options available around our city and cities around us, students should have plenty of things to do all summer long.
Andrew Chavez • May 22, 2024 at 11:58 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
On May 6, 2024, Payton Miller wrote an article titled, “Free Summer Fun” in the article Miller discusses the fun summer ideas and activities we can do over the summer after summer boredom sets in. The article is very informative giving us great activities such as free concerts, shows, and books to occupy us for summer. I would definitely consider some of these options throughout the summer. I wish it had more information on some of the events such as specific dates. Summer is right around the corner and I needed ideas because the article is accurate and I do find myself scrolling through Tik Tok for countless hours. The new activities may push me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things that I may end up liking such as the summer concerts at the Orange County parks. I am glad I read this article as it is very interesting to things Long Beach has to offer.
Riley Ortiz • May 22, 2024 at 10:29 am
I really enjoyed this article as it is something I have been thinking about with summer break approaching. In the article, Peyton talks about many different activities to attend once summer boredom hits. I experienced this issue last summer as I got all of my exciting plans over with in the first few weeks and felt lost the rest of the time. I think that this article was very informative and opened my eyes to a multitude of new activities to try.
I was so excited when I saw that geocaching was mentioned because I have done it before and had a lot of fun. I was also excited to see the OC parks summer concert series. I absolutely love live music and would love to attend one of their concerts. The author mentioned that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy would play which my parents and I love and I think it would be really fun to go and watch. Overall I really appreciated this article and found it to be very helpful in deciding what to do over the summer.
Jenny Martin • May 21, 2024 at 1:36 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
On May 6, 2024, Payton Miller wrote an article titled “Free Summer Fun”. I found this article to be really useful and just in time. I’ve been trying to plan some outings with my friends over the summer, but cost has been an issue. I really appreciate that this is such a concise list of a variety of options to go to! I’m really glad I didn’t have to sift through filler to find any information. However, I would have loved mentions about transportation- price of parking, public transit, etc. Transportation usually is the biggest hurdle to my summer fun, so it would have been really helpful. However, this was still a great article! I’ll definitely be trying to take my friends to some of these concerts and museums, which will be a lot easier when we don’t have to worry about price. It must have taken ages to compile all of these places, so thank you!
Samantha Pemari Macanlalay • May 21, 2024 at 1:27 pm
Miller provides readers of her article with an extensive list of free summer activities. She includes very well photographed images that look appealing to her audience and allow for these activities to seem more appealing as well. Her article is very useful by including detailed information on how to participate in the free activities. She not only provides activities within Long Beach but locations within the surrounding areas. Miller also makes it easy for the reader to find the information they are looking for if they were to refer back to this article in the future by separating the different related activities into separate sections. Other than activities that can be done by attending certain places, Miller starts her article off with a free activity that can be done through a variety of places. Geocaching seems like an extremely fun and obscure hobby and Miller starting her article with this makes her article very enticing as well as easily capturing her audience’s attention. Overall, Miller’s article is currently very helpful and will continue being so in the future.
Lauren Cantwell • May 21, 2024 at 1:25 pm
On May 6, 2024, Peyton Miller wrote an article titled “Free Summer Fun”. The article that Miller wrote was informative and a fun read for the audience. It highlights the many opportunities to get out of the house rather than staying at home on your phone. The recommendations were followed up by a description and the fun that comes along with it. Miller does a great job at finding activities that aren’t really known about. The variety of examples listed are all from a wide range which can appeal to a larger audience. Miller wrote about the generic activities in the beginning to show that there are more than just “hiking, biking, or swimming”. The boredom that most teenagers feel can be solved by the suggestion made by the article. Miller does a great job at reeling in the audience and providing much information about free programs that are available.
Julianne Bermudez • May 21, 2024 at 11:47 am
This article is a well written report that provides various activities to do over the summer to prevent giving into boredom. The writer does an excellent job at introducing the article with a wide range of suggestions for readers to take into consideration and pursue. To add on, the writer also offers a description of the activity. This can be seen as beneficial as it allows the reader to be informed about several locations that teenagers can spend their summer days at based on their interests. For example, Miller states that if a person is more interested in music genres such as jazz or rock instead of classical, the parks in Orange County host concerts that are directed towards the jazz and rock community. She also provides a lineup of bands that will be featured at the parks this summer. By providing the lineups, individuals who might favor those particular bands will be more likely to attend and have a fun time instead of being on their electronic devices. In addition, the entertaining activities and events that the writer provides guarantee free admission. I find this information to be very valuable because it helps attract more attention in terms of participation. Many events, such as a concert, can be very costly. Therefore, with participation being free of cost, individuals will not have to worry about spending large amounts of money to have a great time. Overall, I found this article to be very inspiring for teens who often experience boredom over the summer.
Gabriela Gutierrez • May 21, 2024 at 11:29 am
On May 6 2024, Payton Miller wrote an article titled “Free Summer Fun”. This article is very informative. It gives a variety of locations that you can attend for free in the summer. This article is very helpful. Just like how Miller described in the article I have experienced the endless summer boredom that hits you when you continuously do the same outings for many days on end. The inclusion of mentioning this allows us as high school students to relate and connect to the article and create an increased interest in the free activities that are available around Long Beach. Furthermore, during the summer the amount of money that is spent when going out can be expensive and the ability to be able to do fun activites for free is great. The inclusion of the image in the article also allows the reader to get a more in depth idea of what some of these activities are. Lastly, Miller has links to the activites which is very helpful to the reader because it allows them to look into the activites more and get more info on them.
Lilly Alexander • May 21, 2024 at 11:12 am
I like how the article starts off with the obvious thing most people at Millikan are looking forward to, Summer. This is a good way to connect to the title by mentioning what this article will be about right away. I like the approach of activities that don’t cost money. This is good for people who don’t want to spend money going to the mall and other activities that involve money. Having free activities to do is great because you can do these activities multiple times and enjoy it each time without spending money. I like the amount of activities Miller provides with not just one or two activities but lots of activities and where to go and what times they happen. This helps because you don’t have to research the activities with where they are and what time, instead just look back at this article and you’ll know when and where they are happening. I also like how the activities vary. Miller starts off with geocaching and yoga but then talks about concerts, then to museums. With the varying activities, you have multiple options to choose from for what to do for the summer. This helps to stay active instead of laying around all Summer.
Louella Kingman • May 21, 2024 at 11:12 am
This article was really interesting and well written. I think this was a perfect article to publish right now seeing as summer is approaching and lots of students will be looking for some activities to do. I really like the spectrum of activities Miller included in this article, so there is something for everyone. I personally really like the part about rock music at the OC parks, especially Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, because I really like them. I also liked that Miller mentioned Yoga on the Bluff. I think that it’s nice that there are some athletic activities for students in town, as some people might not have cars or ways to go to hiking spots and things. Miller brings up an important point about the boredom students experience during summer, and how that drives them to simply scroll mindlessly on their phone. Hopefully, this article will inspire more students to go out and do more activities this summer now that they know about some of the free ones in our city.
Ella • May 21, 2024 at 10:54 am
On May 6, 2024, Payton Miller wrote an article titled Free Summer Fun. In the article, Miller talks about the eventual boredom that comes across teenagers during summer. After repeatedly doing the same things, the repetition can start to get old. Miller gives alternate experiences that teens can do in the summer to prevent boredom. All the activities Miller lists are free for all to do and experience. She does a great job of listing well known outdoor activities, like hiking and biking, but she also goes into specific activities that some might not even know about. Her example of geocaching shows how she was thinking out of the box when looking for free activities. By including the image of her own free activity she did of going to the Huntington Beach Library, readers can truly see how fun and intriguing these free things can be. Miller does a great job of not only stating why these ideas would be good, but giving examples of free things us teens can do. Her examples are unique and I am definitely going to be trying them this summer!
Kailyn Khamkhensouvann • May 21, 2024 at 9:26 am
The first thing that caught my attention was the image of the sunset that paired well with the title. School is coming to a close, and summer is inching closer which made this article all the more interesting. I think the list of free things to do this summer was a great idea! I know I’ll find myself wondering what to do over the summer, and this article gave me some ideas. I like how you gave specific activities, detailed descriptions, and a wide range of examples spanning from geocaching to a trip to the Griffith Observatory. The tone of your writing was open and comfortable which made it enjoyable and easy to read. Aside from the actual text of the article, I found the images suitable and eye-catching, and I think it contributed to the article’s overall visual appeal.
Chiala Villanueva • May 20, 2024 at 1:33 pm
This well written article spotlights various sources of entertainment for high school students for the upcoming summer. With summer right around the corner, Miller’s suggestions offer a great source of inspiration for readers to gain ideas of activities they would like to participate in. With listing a variety of activities, followed by a detailed description of what each of them have to offer, Miller is effectively able to inform readers about local places that teenagers can spend their summers productively. It is appreciated that Miller acknowledges the common issue among the younger generation to resort to social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube to resolve their boredom. As this issue likely directly relates to Miller’s student audience, it offers the readers solutions to fill in their free time. Taking yoga classes at Yogulation in Long Beach, going geocaching, hiking at the El Dorado Nature Center, and going to 2nd and PCH with friends, are all examples that were listed in the article. Each of the options will allow teenagers to find new experiences and hobbies instead of staying home and going online. It should also be highlighted that each of Miller’s examples are free of cost. This is beneficial to the audience because if they want to participate in any of the activities, they can expel the worry of spending large amounts of money in order to have fun. Overall, this article had little room for error and effectively described each statement with great detail. As a teenager always looking for new hobbies and things to try, I will take into account these suggestions.
Caroline Klein • May 20, 2024 at 11:00 am
On May 6, 2024, Payton Miller wrote an article titled “Free Summer Fun”. The article provides many enticing solutions to summer boredom; such as, going to museums, attempting yoga, watching movies, and going to concerts. While Miller introduces the issue of summer boredom well, she may be able to improve by bettering her line of reasoning. For example, in the second to last paragraph, Miller says, “Alexa Tafoia, a freshman in PEACE, said that although she likes to hang out with her friends over summer she still experiences boredom” (Miller 2024). However, the placement of this evidence interrupts the flow of the overall article, as it is mentioned directly after providing solutions for such boredom. If Miller were to include this quote at all, as it is slightly repetitive, her article would most benefit with it placed in the introductory paragraphs. Besides that one suggestion, the article provided lots of helpful insight for students experiencing such feelings of boredom during summer break.
Dayanara Zamora • May 20, 2024 at 9:21 am
This article mentions lists on what you can do during the summer. Summer can be pretty boring if you have nothing going on. Even if you have friends you can still feel bored at times. Spending time outside can help with your mental health. It can also encourage physical activity. In this article it gives activities you can do nearby here in Long Beach. Miller gives us free opportunities everyone can do. There’s geochoaching, yogalution, free concerts, free movies, free admission into museums, and free memberships to libraries. These are all free activities you can do with no spending! Students now have lots of things to do in the summer. And there are way more activities you can do in the summer that have not been mentioned in this article. Say bye to being bored all the time during the summer.
Mikaela Gan • May 20, 2024 at 9:18 am
On May 6, 2024, Payton Miller wrote an article titled “Free Summer Fun.” Payton Miller’s article is about free activities that students can do when they are bored over the summer. I appreciate that she gave options of what to do and her point of view on them. She talks about geocaching and how it can be fun by yourself or with others. Traveling and going out on adventures trying to find the hidden containers. I have never done it before but it sounds interesting. Another activity that she suggested was yoga at Yogalution was a free way to relax, think, and be mindful of others. Another free activity that she suggested was if you like music there are free concerts all over the city playing different types of music. If you just want to experience a movie at the Orange County Parks Sunset Cinema there are free movies being played. Lastly, another free activity that I like that she suggested was the free museums. For example a good one is the Huntington Library that has libraries, museums, and a botanical garden. These activities are such a great idea for students to get out of the house during the summer.