Summer vacation is a vacation time in the summers where school students and teachers get a 4 to 6-week vacation from the school. Summer vacation is probably the happiest period in a student's life. In plains, this lasts for about two months. Though there are schools that strictly allow just 1-month vacation whereas there are few who reluctantly make it a month or nearly one and a half. These vacations generally commence from the second week of May every year and last almost whole of June, which is considered to be the hottest month in our country. The purpose of the summer vacation is multifold. Summer vacation is aimed at giving students a break time from studies, also the month of June is really hot in the most parts of our country and coming to school during such a hot climate and then studying during the hottest tie of the day can be very difficult so this is also a reason for the summer vacations.

A major emphasis is laid on the relaxation. It has been observed that student gets fatigued studying and there needs to be a time given to them for fun and frolic activities. A time when they can have their hobby classes or go travelling and camping etc. Students need rest to recoup health and vitality. The second most important purpose is to tide over the unbearable heat of the summer months; it becomes really difficult to teach as well as to learn during such a hot climate. The third purpose is to provide a chance to a student to make up his deficiency in any particular subject, summer vacation provides an ample amount of time wherein a student apart from having fun can also manage to focus on his studies and make for the subjects in which he may have doubts. Last but not the least summer vacation time also gives an opportunity to visit new places. Travelling is an experience and has its educative value.

These days a lot of students are becoming career conscious and often spend this time taking up tuitions, enrolling them for some informative camp or going for a summer job. Many parents and students inquire about what summer activity is most pleasing.  Everyone is itching for something specific as well as beneficial. While there are some students who are genuinely not that picky about how they fill their summer time and they have thought that after all it is summer time and this time can be well spent in pure relaxation and reflection. Summer vacations can be productively geared toward pursuits that make you happy and, someday helps you in your career also. In your hyper-scheduled existences, the summer is a 2 to 3-month clean slate and you vacation last for about 1 to 2 months and you can utilize this time for a host of activities that can be a fun as well as prove beneficial in your life ahead. Hence use this time wisely.

History of Summer Vacations

Summer vacation has been a part of the education program for a long time, probably the time when a formal education system started. According to few sources, the concept started around 1830 at times when farm children went to school from December to March and from mid-May to August these children and adults helped with planting and harvesting in the spring and fall. This was the time when the summer vacation concept actually started to take shape; otherwise, urban schools in the 1800s also lacked the long summer vacation. Like working families today, new immigrant families needed a safe and affordable place for children to stay while parents worked and hence schools served as those safe places where children could learn in a safe atmosphere.

Earlier summer vacations started from the mid of May and lasted till about mid of August and a 3 month holiday was a topic of debate at that time. Some teachers, principals, parents, and children believe strongly that a three-month summer vacation hurts children, fragments education, and wastes tax money. Hence a need was felt to re-consider the duration period. Since the early 1900s, school districts around the country have offered a longer school year or a school calendar of multiple short terms interspersed with many short vacations. Other parents feel just as strongly that short school years and long summer vacations are essential to growing up. Hence by 90s, this vacation period was shortened to 1 month or by maximum a month and a half.

How to Make Most Out of Summer Vacations?

Summer vacation is a long time that can be utilized for a host of activities like learning a new language, taking up a dance class or an art workshop, taking up a job for a professional experience or going travelling for a change of environment and a break from normal routine. To help you make the most of it, I’d like to suggest a few ideas for possible summer activities. There are a lot of activities to choose from depending upon varied interests and capabilities. Different types of students will be drawn to different types of things, and that’s all well and good.  It is important to choose the right activity according to your interest, rather than following your friends or classmates to a summer camp where you have nothing interesting for you. If you have an interest and skills to be a good dancer then it is wastage of time and energy to enrol yourself for a singing workshop. You can choose from a wide range of opportunities, few of those are:

• Get a Job: Not just a source of some quick bucks, a summer job also provides you with professional work skills as well as an experience which can be of great importance at times for your career. Early forays into the workforce can serve many purposes. Besides earning some income for you there is also a good chance to develop professional skills and you tend to have a good experience instead of wasting your time lazing around or wasting your money on a summer camp. Earning money, resume-building and development of organizational and interpersonal skills all come to mind. Teenage employment is also often the source of stories and life lessons that will carry you through to adulthood.  You can find a lot of summer jobs that can be interesting also. You may take up a job of teaching younger students or you may take up a job in a call centre or a writing job with a printing house or a website.  Jobs are a pretty practical option, and sure to build character.
• Take up a Hobby: A lot of us have heard about this before but never got to make it happen. Every time students waste their precious time thinking what to do and certainly end up with wasting their vacations just thinking about the hobby start with. First of all choose your hobby well. Let it be something you've been dying to do all your life. First of all, remember to list all the things you've wanted to do. Then identify the hobby that best fits your time, budget, and location. This way you can spend the right time doing the right thing. Make sure that you pick up the right choice for you, a hobby that would be useful for you in your future also. Maybe you could choose a hobby like singing, dancing or anything that you want to take up as a career. Learn a new skill during your vacation. Let it be a crash course on enhancing communication skills gaining this has become very essential for everyone. It could be a short typing course to enhance your typing skills or anything that you like.
• Adventure Trip: Going for an adventure trip is another option that can be really exciting. Exploring the natural world can put you out of your comfort zone, and force you to see yourself in a new way.  It’s no doubt that our planet is incredibly diverse, so take time to travel or try something new.  It can be very interesting exploring the natural beauty as well as wildlife during your vacations which can give you some everlasting life experience. If you keep the company of peers exclusively, sink time into a social situation with adults.  Just spend quality time outside your bubble and see what happens. Going for an adventure trip, it is very important to have adults by your side as it may get dangerous at times. Also, don’t forget your security gears. There are many other options also like athletic training, academic programs, camps, caring for little siblings, you name it. But whatever you do, do something that is worth spending time on and also gives you some memorable moments that you cherish your whole life.
• Volunteer for a Cause: There are a plenty of people that may need your help. A little generosity shown can change someone’s life forever. There are poor kids who don’t have enough resources to afford education you can help them by taking classes. Plenty of deserving causes need any help they can get so, with a bit of spare time on your hands you can bring in some big changes.  Whether it’s reading to kids at the local library or teaching them about healthy living, the outcome is the same: you add to society in a hands-on way.  From hospitals to homeless shelters and puppies to people, pick something you care about and contribute to the greater good.
• Join Yoga Classes: If you are looking to relax and attain peace of mind then a yoga class is the best option for you. Yoga is a great way to keep calm and be patient. If you are really tired of your studies and need some quality time to freshen yourself, then yoga or meditation is best. Round up some of your friends and try out a yoga class. You don't have to go to yoga classes; you could also find a book or search on the internet to practice and try out basic and easy yoga skills, but is well advised that you should practice yoga under expert guidance only unless you may hurt you at times. Be careful if you are practising on your own then do not pick up any difficult pose, keep it simple.
• Create a Study Group: Summertime is meant to be for fun, but if along with fun activities you can add some knowledge also then what is harm with that? A study group is the best way to share knowledge. In your study group, you can add like-minded people, who come together to share thoughts and ideas. Also, you can help each other with the topics that someone else may have difficulty with, studying in a group is always beneficial. Some of the greatest thoughts in history have come due to interactions with the young, hence studying together you may come up with some interesting and innovative ideas. Decide on a place and a time. Choose a topic to discuss and run it to ground. This way you can spend time with your best buddies and also get to learn new things from them that you may not have known.
• Get Membership of Local Library: Reading is a very good habit and always benefits you in one way or the other. If you don’t have anything else to do then reading can be an interesting option. Spend some time there reading books that you like and are interested in. Novels, magazines, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, etc. and lot more are all there for you to read for free. Pick what you like and read on. Also, libraries offer exciting quiz and debate competition during summer vacation time. Lots of libraries also have summer reading clubs, so consider joining one of those if you enjoy reading.

Things to Avoid

There are a set of few things that you strictly need to avoid during your summer vacations. Summer vacation is a long time that must be utilized for something constructive and does not waste time thinking about what you want to do. Act on time so that you make most of your time. However, you strictly need to avoid a few things:

• Don't stay indoors and play video games, watch T.V and surf the Internet too much. Go outside and get some exercise.
• Outdoor exercise can be dangerous because of heat but is recommended. Just use your common sense.
• Do not try doing yoga on your own. It can be dangerous at times.
• Summer vacation is when most teens try using drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Don't do any of that stuff! Remember that you're better than that.
• Don't get into plants you don't know.
• Don’t waste a lot of your time sleeping. Oversleeping may cause obesity.