“I can’t stand it. No can surf in all this rain and wind.” “Yo Bra, I know what you mean. I going crazy. There’s nothing to do.” This was a conversation overheard more than once this week in the life
“I can’t stand it. No can surf in all this rain and wind.” “Yo Bra, I know what you mean. I going crazy. There’s nothing to do.”
This was a conversation overheard more than once this week in the life of young folks. I thought I’d reply with some “rainy day things to do” suggestions.
My first thought was that if a person is used to a certain level of exercise, it’s gotta happen, or they might feel restless and grouchy. I just called the Kaua’i Athletic Club. Teens can register for $45/month, and it’s a month to month enrollment. You can drop out for awhile, and drop back in. There are different classes offered free at various times. This is true for both KAL locations. One is located near Nawiliwili at 3371 Wilcox St. The other location is at 5611 Kawaihau Rd., below the mini-mart.
Get a group of friends together and work out. Or put your money together and buy some equipment of your own. Used equipment is often available for resale. Check Craigslist or the paper. Weights, stretching cords, and mini-trampolines can be bought either at Walmart or K-Mart fairly cheaply. I used to jump while watching my favorite TV programs. Just be aware that you need to be careful and not overdo or lift incorrectly.
And there’s dancing! Zumba is the big dance exercise concept. There are classes offered at the Kaua’i Athletic Club. I went to the website for “Zumba Fit Kauai,” and that no longer exists, but when I Googled Zumba Kauai, I saw a listing for Amazon Zumba and found that for $67.26 one could get:
· Easy-to-follow steps for more than 30 rhythms, including merengue, salsa, reggae, calypso, cumbia, hip-hop, and belly dance.
· Comes with maraca-like Zumba Toning Sticks to sculpt your body while dancing. Two-in-one DVD feature lets you listen to verbal cueing or music only.
· Easy-to-follow choreography and muscle engaging routines.Workouts include a breakdown of basic steps, a 20-minute “Rush” workout. Free shipping
And if you don’t want to spend the money, I bet you can’t go to Pharrell Williams Academy award nominated “Happy” video without wanting to get up and dance. I play it when I have to do some housework!
We all know about the movies, and bowling. But our libraries have an amazing amount of information. Check out the magazine section. Some libraries let you take them home.
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand and strengthen library services for teens, aged 12-18. The Teens’ Top Ten is a teen choice list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in 16 school and public libraries around the country. Their list of top ten choices for 2013 are:
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Disney/Hyperion)
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Scholastic/Scholastic Press)
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Harper Collins/Katherine Tegen Books)
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (Harlequin Teen)
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole (Simon & Schuster)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic/Scholastic Press)
Crewel by Gennifer Albin (Macmillan/Farrar Straus Giroux)
Every Day by David Levithan (Random House/Alfred A. Knopf)
Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross (Egmont)
Butter by Erin Jade Lange (Bloomsbury)
You might want to check one out or order one to see what kids in other parts of the country are reading.
Try learning how to cook something you really like. Google the recipe of your choice. If you don’t know some of the words, Google them! I just Googled “blend,” and found the definition. Or while at the library take out a whole book on Mexican, Hawaiian, Italian, or Chinese food.
Plant some lettuce, cilantro, basil, parsley or another herb or green in a big pot with good growing soil. The rain will keep it wet, but you’ll have to remember to water it about every two days if it doesn’t rain. Trim bits of it and add it to salads, but not cutting below 4 inches.
I’ve written before about how if we don’t use the brain’s neuro-networks, they get weaker and may lose power as things that we do use get stronger. So perhaps now is the time to experiment with art! Buy or borrow an eight-color inexpensive Prang watercolor set, and paint. Just play with colors and textures: dry brush on wet paper, wet brush on dry paper, dry brush on dry paper, and wet brush on wet paper. Place different colors next to each other to see how they make each other look. Let them bleed into each other. Paint one color and spatter other colors on it.
Trace an image on paper, either by seeing through it, or rubbing your pencil on the back of your image, and then pressing down on the outline with your pencil while it is over the paper you want to work with. Then paint it. Just remember that if you can use thicker paper, like card stock or watercolor paper, there will be less buckling. Wet paper is fragile, so let it dry before moving it. Try painting sea and sky over a crayon drawn scene. Just play with it, no judging allowed.
If you play an instrument you are blessed. You can use the time to practice, or learn new songs. When my son first moved over from the mainland, he surprised me by using his little sister’s ukulele, and playing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” when I got home from work. He had Googled “How to play ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ on ukulele.” We couldn’t find the “white haired Uncle” he learned from but there were over 8,000,000 hits and references to some Bob Marley songs too. It’s also featured it for guitar.
Catch up on chatting with family. You know they love you and want to know how you’re doing. I know that my mother always had suggestions for things to do: Clean room, vacuum and dust, babysit the kids, etc. I’m sure you’ll find something that you enjoy and that is good for you too. Did I mention catch up on sleep?
• Hale `Opio Kauai convened a support group of adults in our Kauai community to “step into the corner” for our teens, to answer questions and give support to youth and their families on a wide variety of issues. Please email your questions or concerns facing our youth and families today to Annaleah Atkinson at aatkinson@haleopio.org
