Whether it be a family gathering during the holidays, a friend hangout, or a school party, activities elevate the mood of a party by a great deal, and some may even argue that they are essential to parties. Here are a few party activities that are key to having a great party.
A party activity that is simple yet extremely fun is a game of musical chairs. Musical chairs are a game where numerous chairs are placed in a circle and music is played. Oftentimes, people dance to the music, but for some, they just like to stay still. Once the music stops, each person must find a chair to take a seat on. Musical chairs are set up so that there are less amount of chairs each round than people participating in the game. This way, when the music stops, one person will be left without a chair. This popular game is simple but easily one of the best ways to change the atmosphere of a party.
This next party activity is not as popular as music chairs and can be boring if not done correctly, but I think it’s worth trying. This particular activity does not have a specific name, but in this game, one person, the host, will be instructing the others to find specific items. For example, the host can say something like “Find me…” and proceed to say an item, such as a belt, a flower pot, or anything you can name. The first person to bring it to the host will typically get a price, but it is not necessary.
Another enjoyable party activity is a game where a person is blindfolded and they have a bowl or any sort of container in front of them. In this game, the person will try to scoop up whatever is on the table, trying to compete with others to see who will scoop up the most. This game is typically done with money, but another alternative can be cotton balls. I think this is a lighthearted game that can lift the mood at parties.
This final activity can be a bit challenging, depending on the party crowd, and is more for parties with close friends, but this last activity is a try not to laugh challenge with people. This one can be difficult and not as appealing, especially if you have friends who are not as easy to make laugh, but if this activity does go right, then cherishable memories will be created.
It was New Year’s Eve, but instead of celebrating with drinks and parties, my cousin and I sat in a cold garage that stunk of bleach. To give some context, my cousin had been inspired by hoodies and shirts that had leaf imprints on them. We wanted to try it out using bleach. It took lots of trial and error to find an efficient and effective process. Here’s what we did:
Materials: Cotton clothing, Paintbrush (that you don’t mind ruining), Bleach or any cleaning solution containing bleach, Paper plate, Book or other flat and heavy object, Leaves of varying shape, Steam iron press, gloves, and a mask.
Go outside or in a ventilated area. Cover the floor if you’re worried about stains, and put on your gloves and mask.
Pour the bleach into a paper plate, start heating the iron, and lay out your hoodie. Decide on a layout for the leaves.
Take your paintbrush and brush bleach onto the leaves. The more you use, the more vibrant the print will be.
Press the bleached side of the leaf onto the clothing and use a book to flatten it; Do not smear and hold for about 10 seconds.
Peel the leaf off and immediately press the iron into the bleached area of the clothing. This should bring out the pattern.
Repeat steps 3-5 for the rest of the leaves. You can reuse leaves as long as they are intact.
Leave the clothing out to dry in the sun, then machine wash.
The result should be an orange-brownish pattern of leaves on the clothing with the leaf’s veins and texture visible. If any of the above steps don’t work, there are a few things you can try. First, make sure your bleach isn’t expired. Second, if liquid bleach doesn’t show on the clothing, try a pasty cleaning solution that contains bleach. We used a Soft Scrub cleanser and painted that onto the leaves. Third, check that your clothing is 100% cotton. This is how ours turned out– Happy bleaching!
Hobbies are things you do in your free time. Hobbies are essential, especially when you are bored, and everyone has hobbies. There are many hobbies out there, but these are some of the hobbies that I think help pass the time.
Crocheting
Crocheting is one of my favorite hobbies that I picked up. All it takes is yarn and a hook and you can make anything to your desire. Crocheting is harder than it seems, but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier. It takes hard work and dedication to start the hobby and make progress with it, but as you practice more, it gets easier.
Jewelry Making
Honestly, this hobby of jewelry making is so fun. It helps express your creativity through bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and anything jewelry-related. For this hobby, you need a bit more resources than usual and it’s hard to start because there is so much material that you don’t know where to begin. However, it’s worth it, so if you want to invest in a hobby, I suggest this hobby. Not only is it full of creativity, but when you finish, you feel a strong sense of pride and joy as you see your finished product.
Sewing
This hobby is a bit more challenging and can take lots of practice. I don’t engage and practice this hobby much because I lack a sewing machine. I can still hand stitch, but it is too much work. This hobby will allow you to make so many cute things or alter your clothes based on your body. This can also lead to a career in fashion design.
Instruments
Like Sewing, this hobby can be very challenging and requires practice. For playing an instrument as your hobby, you need the instrument, of course, and any additional things to the instrument. This hobby occupies free time, and it can be frustrating at times when you don’t know how to do certain things. However, with practice, you can play your first song, which can make you feel accomplished.
In conclusion, these few hobbies are worth considering when deciding what to do when you’re bored.
As we are nearing winter break, many fun activities are available at this time of year, yet sometimes, it’s hard to choose which ones. Over the years, my family and I have compiled many fin Christmas traditions, as well as fun crafts and activities. I have chosen 3 of my favorite winter activities that are fun, easy, and affordable.
1. Saran Wrap Ball
Although the name is quite confusing, the actual activity is quite entertaining. With a large group of people, a timer is set for each person for one minute, and they are required to put on oven mitts, and in the one minute, they will attempt to unwrap as much of the Saran Wrap ball as they can. With each layer they unwrap, there will be small gifts, and the more they unwrap, the more small gifts they get. The Saran Wrap ball is passed around, each person given a chance to unwrap the ball, until it has been completely unraveled. In order to create this activity, you will need Saran Wrap, oven mitts, scissors, and small gifts(stickers, dollar bills, candy, etc.). Many of these supplies can be found at Dollar Tree and 5 Below. Begin by wrapping one item in a film of Saran Wrap. Add another gift a few layers later, and repeat this until you have wrapped all of the small gifts and you have a large Saran Wrap ball. This game is great for all ages, and I hope that you enjoy this activity.
2. Modge-Podge Ornaments
Creating Modge-Podge ornaments was one of my more recent crafts, as well as one of my favorites. As well as being simple to make, they always turn out beautiful and are the star of all of your ornaments. To create these ornaments, you will need Modge-Podge, an empty ornament, a pack of paper napkins with beautiful designs, and a paintbrush. All of these supplies are easily found at the Dollar Tree. To begin with, cut out pieces of the design on the napkin, and cut until you have a good amount that you are satisfied with. Then, place a small dot of Modge-Podge on the ornament and stick the design onto the ornament. Then, paint a thin film of Modge-Podge over the design. You can repeat this until your ornament is completely covered, or leave space in between and paint the space between the design with Modge-Podge to give it a frosty appearance. This is one of the favorite crafts I have done, and it is perfect to do with your friends, family, and even to wind down at the end of the day by yourself!
3. Create Clothes For Your Elf On The Shelf
In my family ever since I was a small child, our family had an Elf On The Shelf. When I was little, I always dashed to discover the Elf’s new hiding place. As I enjoyed the company of my seasonal elf, my favorite part of having the Elf around was making things for him. Over the years he has “visited” our house, we have created many small appliances for him including a miniature stocking, a miniature teddy bear, and a miniature bed, and pajamas. While you could purchase these things at the store, creating them by hand is a great family bonding activity and the things you create will be special to you forever.
I greatly hope that these ideas are enjoyable and prove useful to you this winter, whether you are having a small get together with your friends, spending quality time with your family, or are just feeling crafty!
It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means the holidays are almost here. If you are looking for activities to do over the holidays, here are some of the best ideas for holiday activities this winter.
1) Go to an ice skating rink.
There are several ice skating rinks nearby in Orange County, including at the Irvine Spectrum. The Great Park in Irvine has one as well, as well as several others nearby. Many of these rinks have other various activities to do as well.
2) Make a homemade wreath.
Making wreaths is another fun activity for the holidays. To make a wreath, first build a bouquet or bundle of plants. Then, either use a wire frame or a wreath base and attach the bouquet to this. Finally, tie the bundles together and decorate your wreath with flowers,
3) Go on a holiday lights tour.
A great activity for the holidays and a family tradition for me has been to go on a tour of holiday lights around the city. In fact, Mission Viejo has a holiday lighting contest with a guide to the best lighted houses in the city. The guide can be found at this link: https://mvactivities.com/all-mvac-events/home-lighting-contest/.
4) Go to a local Christmas event.
Another activity you can do over the holidays is going to a Christmas event. One of the best local events is located in Newport Beach, where there is a parade of lighted boats. It will be held this year from December 18-22. Orange County also has a winter festival in December at the location of the OC Fair.
5) Make ornaments to decorate your tree.
Another one of my favorite holiday activities is making ornaments. It is great for anyone who is interested in crafts, and there are also a wide variety of ornaments you can make, including felt, beaded, paper mache, and salt dough ornaments, all of which can be made easily at home. You can also decorate your Christmas tree and your house with these homemade ornaments as well.
6) Bake holiday treats to enjoy.
Baking holiday treats is also a good idea for the holidays. Cookies always make a great treat, and some cookies that are great to bake over the holidays are sugar, snickerdoodle, and gingerbread cookies. Another great holiday treat and one of my personal favorites is hot cocoa, which is great to make at home.
7) Visit some local Christmas attractions.
There are many great local Christmas attractions to visit in Southern California. The Descanso Gardens in Pasadena has a lighted walk every Christmas, and there are several other local places with lights as well. Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland have Christmas events as well.
8) Play holiday games.
Playing games can also be a fun thing to do over the holidays. One of my favorite holiday activities is to play board games with family and friends. Another activity that is great to do over the holidays is Secret Santa, where you can exchange gifts with family and friends. These are some of my recommendations for the best activities to do over the holidays, so feel free to try them out this winter.
Over the years, my family has visited many national parks. Below you’ll find a small list of my favorite parks (worst to best).
5) Arches National Park
I visited this park in the year 2021, during the summer. Arches is located in Utah, near the town of Moab. This national park is gorgeous and full of hikes that range in mileage and difficulty. I liked this park because the arches were huge in size–I’ve never seen arches that beautiful and colossal. Some other pros about this park are there are many scenic drives if you wish to not hike. One HUGE con to this park is that it gets insanely hot during the summer. One of my memories from this trip was hiking in 100 degree weather at sunset time. Despite the hot weather, you should make a visit to this gorgeous park. Though this national park is beautiful, there isn’t much to do besides hike to the arches. Moab, the surrounding town is nice but small, so plan your visit to be around 3 days.
My Hiking Recommendations:
Delicate Arch (most popular and my favorite!)
Double Arch
Broken Arch
4) Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park was one of the recent national parks that I traveled to. I believe I went to this park in June or July. Glacier is located in Montana and spreads to the border of Canada and the US. Since I visited this park in June (or July), there were MANY fires, so most of the lakes and mountains were too smokey to see. Glacier is known for its icy-blue lakes; I was able to see maybe one or two. But, because of the fires, the lakes appeared gray. Despite this, I enjoyed this national park when we saw a glimpse of the huge mountains. Also, I remember seeing black bears, grizzly bears, and other wildlife. Glacier has great hiking trails and scenic drives; one of the most popular things to do is to drive through the Road to the Sun–which goes through most of the park. Known as the Europe of the United States, Glacier is a beautiful park to visit.
Awesome Hikes/Things to do:
Avalanche Lake
Hidden Lake
Highline Trail
Road to the Sun
3) Olympic National Park
My third favorite park is Olympic National Park, located in Washington. This park is extra unique because it has three different: rainforest, forest, and the ocean. I enjoyed this park because there was a variety of places to visit. The fact that Olympic Park has different biomes was extremely interesting. Personally, the rainforest ecosystem was my favorite, because it was lush and had amazing trees. If you are looking for a unique park to visit, I would recommend Olympic. A perk to this area is that there are delicious cherries in the summer; you can’t go to Olympic without eating them!!
My Hiking Recommendations:
Mount Storm King
Hurricane Hill
Hall of Mosses Trail
Hole-in-the-Wall
2) Zion National Park
Coming in a close second is Zion National Park, also located in Utah. I’ve visited this park twice, once in the winter and once in the summer. There are so many good things to say about this park–I love it so much. In my opinion, Zion is the best park to drive through. When you enter the gates, you are greeted with cosmic mountains that are unlike any other mountains I’ve seen. Zion houses a myriad of hikes, each with its own treasure. One of the most popular (and dangerous) hikes is Angel’s Landing. Although my parents did not let me finish the hike, the end of Angels Landing provides a 360 view of Zion. However, this hike is extremely challenging (it is all uphill until the lookout), and at the end, there are drops on each side of the path. The narrowest part of Angel’s Landing measures 24 inches–keep in mind there is traffic from both sides. Even though I have visited this park twice, I would like to go again (and try Angels Landing).
My Hiking Recommendations:
Angels Landing
Scout Lookout
The Narrows
Weeping Rock
1) Grand Teton National Park
My all-time favorite national park is Grand Teton, found in Wyoming. I would say this is my favorite park because of the beautiful mountains, lakes, flowers, and wildlife. One of my memories of going to this park was seeing a mother grizzly bear with her three cubs. Besides the wildlife, this park has AMAZING hikes with waterfalls, huge trees, and great views. Known for its jagged (and snow-topped) mountain peaks, Grand Teton is filled with gorgeous sights to see. A memorable lake to visit is Jackson Lake, which reflects the mountains in the water. I went during the summer, and at Jackson Lake, I remember there were many wildflowers around the perimeter of the lake. That, along with the backdrop of the mountains and its reflections made this park my favorite of all time. Whenever you are looking for an adventurous place to go, I couldn’t recommend Grand Teton enough.
My recommendations:
Jackson Lake
Jenny Lake Trail
Cascade Lake Hike
TA Moulton Barn (you NEED to visit this landmark!!!)
Start a side project: Sometimes time can get too busy, but it’s also important to support your hobbies and interests. A small side project can help you with this and cater to your interests.
Join a club: It’s not too late to get involved or try something new on school campus. Joining a club can help you reconnect and meet others, so don’t be afraid or regret that you should have joined earlier. Joining right now can also be the perfect time.
Playing games with friends and family: It could be simple board, card, word, or even video games. It’s best to make the most of the time you have together.
Attending events: All schools have events like school dances and spirit weeks, but a lot of cities also organize events for residents. Check out the local events around you to reconnect with your community.
Writing: Maybe it’s a letter to your future self in ten years. Maybe it’s a diary or a scrapbook that you can look back on to remember old memories. Either way it’s sure to bring nostalgia back to your future self.
Cooking: It’s one of the most useful life skills to learn before graduation, and it’s also rewarding to eat and see your recipes come to life.
Exploring different cuisines: There are countless different cultures out there, so why not take the time to explore them all? You can learn how to cook them (like in #5) or you could also explore and support local, small businesses.
Learn a new talent: There’s always something, no matter how small, that you want to learn. It could be a magic trick, photography, drawing, literally anything! Learning a new skill can truly bring out a passion of yours that you didn’t know.
Go somewhere new with your friends: Instead of just sticking to the usual campus and hang-out areas, explore or travel somewhere different and fun.
Something new!!!: It could be small; it could be big. Sometimes just trying, despite what fears you may have, is the best way to go.
It’s summer, and one of the summer activities that are always good but especially on hot days is to take a trip down to the beach. There are a lot of local beach spots that are great for swimming and scenery or to just relax and unwind, here are some of my personal favorites.
Laguna Beach: Laguna Beach is one of my personal favorite beach spots. There are many beach choices in this area. One of the best beaches at Laguna Beach is Heisler Park. This is because it is great for walking on as well as swimming since it is sandy and not rocky. This beach also has a marine reserve with tide pools that you can explore as well. Another great beach in Laguna Beach isTreasure Island Beach. This beach is a great spot to snorkel and observe sea life, and it is also good for swimming and has clear water as well.
Balboa Beach: Another great local beach to visit is Balboa Beach near Newport Beach. It is a very calm beach and is great for swimming, and is a great place to relax as well. There is also a pier with fishing and restaurants, as well as a ferry to the nearby Balboa Island. The beach is also very clean with clean restrooms as well.
Crystal Cove: One of the best local beaches to go to is Crystal Cove in Newport Beach. The surf is also very calm and it is also a good spot for swimming. It is also a good spot for snorkeling and has coral reefs and lots of sea life as well. It also has several tide pools to visit and is great for taking a walk as well. There are also hiking trails above the beach that give great views of the ocean.
Huntington Beach: Huntington Beach has a large variety of activities to do as well. The areas close to the beaches there are good for swimming as they are mostly calm, but some areas of the beach have larger waves making them a great spot for surfing and there are in fact several surfing competitions held in the area. This area is also great for paddleboarding and there is also a pier on this beach, which has fishing and views of the ocean as well as great spots for photos.
Corona Del Mar: Corona Del Mar is also a very scenic local beach with plenty of things to do. This beach has views of much of the local coastline and is a great place to get photos, with cliffs and rock formations, and you can even see as far as Catalina Island on some days. The beach is located in a cove which makes it very calm and good for swimming. It is also a great snorkeling spot as it is clear as well which allows for great views of the sea life. I would recommend walking on this beach as it has walking trails along the beach, and it has great views of the sunset as well.
I hope everyone has a great summer and that this helps you to find the best activities this summer!
During my time in Palo Alto, which is unfortunately many hours away from Southern California, the thing that I’ve missed the most are our beaches. I would consider myself to be an authority on the best beaches in Southern California, and I’ll go over some of my favorite ones.
Laguna Beach (Main Beach): Large, irreproachably beautiful, but often crowded with tourists. In the summer, the sands are filled with people escaping the Midwest cold, and it’s hard to find a spot to sit down. Another result of the beach’s popularity is that people leave their garbage on the sand, which is fun for no one. If you’re new to the city of Laguna Beach, this is definitely a place you must visit but there are better options.
Laguna Beach (Victoria Beach): Victoria Beach is a smaller, more private beach than Main Beach. While still taking advantage of the warmth and beauty of the area, Victoria Beach is cleaner and better for large gatherings.
Salt Creek Beach: As another very popular beach, Salt Creek is famous for its great waves and exciting atmosphere for all levels of beach-goers. You may have to walk down a very long, steep hill to get down to the water, but when you really feel the struggle is on the way up. While I’ve seen every age group at “Creek,” it’s most likely you’ll be surrounded by teenagers when you stop by. It’s also worth noting that you must pay for parking during certain hours.
Strands Beach: Strands Beach (which is really just “Beach Beach,” because Strand is German for beach) is a free, slightly less exhilarating version of Salt Creek. Many people appreciate this beach for the fact that you can see the sunset on the water, but its clean shore and laid-back atmosphere are also great!
Seal Beach: Although I’ve only visited Seal Beach a few times, what struck me about this beach were its rich culture and its clean, warm sand. It has a very easygoing feeling about it and seems like it would make a great day trip for any family out there.
Aliso Beach: Aliso Beach is a relatively small beach that you can drive right up to. When you get into the water, you’ll notice its sharp decline very quickly. This beach is great for small events, but its not my favorite on this list.
Doheny Beach: Doheny is definitely a surfer’s beach. It’s rocky, not sandy, so no need to shuffle on the sand to scare away stingrays, but I always feel like I’ll freeze to death in the water. This beach also has paid parking, but that shouldn’t be a deterrent. No matter what level of surfer you are, it’s a great experience.
Linda Lane: This hidden gem is a fun, family-friendly getaway. The unfortunate parking situation is typical with most beaches, but the only bad thing about this beach is its slim wedge of sand separating the rocks from the water. If you stay until high tide, it’s likely you’ll run out of room, so plan your stay accordingly. While I may seem overly critical of this beach, it’s truly an amazing place!
One of the amazing opportunities I had this summer was going to an amazing camp at the University of Kansas for Engineering! This week long sleep-away camp was such an amazing experience since I am currently looking at careers in engineering.
Through the week I went to different classes where I learned more about the field of civil engineering and got to meet many different personals from the campus as well as see some guest speakers, like Phd students and professors.
Overall I would say this was a super fun camp and I would recommend it not only for people who are interested in engineering but also because of all the different people you get to meet from many different places.
Some of the cons of this camp were that it was in a different state, so it was definitely less of an environment that I was used to and in addition to planning for the camp you must also figure out the transportation. However, this camp was much more reasonably priced compared to many camps in California. Even including my flights, round trip it costed around one third of some of the other camps I was looking at located at some UC’s.
I would definitely recommend this camp for everyone because I think it’s such a fun experience, even if you aren’t too interested in engineering since it provides great insight into career options outside of engineering too, along with college guidance.
Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice 