1. Read — Many of us embark on summer with a long list of books we want to read and return in September with a sad sigh that we barely got through the first few. Do yourself a favor and make time around your other summer activities to put a dent in that list — or start a whole new one. Wander around bookstores and try on a best seller for size. Visit your public library and comfortably browse without having to map out jumbles of ridiculously long call numbers from the Socrates card catalog. Revisit an old favorite. Indulge in a novel you would feel too guilty spending time on during the school year. Moral of the story: Read. Extra points if you’re outside.

2. Catch fireflies — Ok, does anybody actually do this? Where I live, the only flies I can catch at night are mosquitoes. Mmm, West Nile. Frolicking into the twilight for fireflies just seems so darn summery though, so do it if you can. Double extra points if you read outside by the light of fireflies.

3. Buy fresh summer produce — Meander around a farmer’s market and sink your teeth into the sweet deliciousness of summer fruits. Peaches, nectarines, apricots. Figs. Strawberries, raspberries. cherries. If you prefer your fruit to flirt with each other, bake a pie or fashion together a fruit salad served with ice cream.

4. Make popsicles — You know the drill. Juice, paper cups, popsicle sticks, sticky fingers. Endless fun and refreshment. Try adding in some of those fresh fruit slices for a flavor boost.

5. SLEEP — Enough said.

5 1/2 . Set up a tent in your backyard and sleep in it — This is a more festive approach to number five — you can tell people you went camping when, in reality, you were just drooling in a slumber two feet away from your front door.

6. Go see a film — Catch a summer blockbuster or one of those sleeper hits as they were meant to be seen on the big screen. While theater tickets can be ridiculously pricey, there’s just something magical about going to the cinema. Hunching over your burning laptop in Green’s Media and Microtext dungeon just doesn’t feel the same.

7. Hit the beach — Summer isn’t summer without getting some sand in your toes, nursing whatever body part you accidentally forgot to put sunscreen on and being horrified by the sight of old European men in Speedos. If you don’t live by water, a kiddie pool and a bag of sand from your local craft store will do the trick.

8. Take a road trip — Whether you do it Kerouac style or go the Britney way on the “Crossroads,” get in your car and go, even if just for an afternoon. Visit a friend who has already started school or just drive until you find a reason to stop. This can prove incredibly cathartic, unless if you live in L.A., in which case, just stay home and play with MapQuest for awhile.

9. Make crafts — Remember summer camp when you’d bring home lots of useless crap that you proudly fashioned with your own chubby fingers? Make a lanyard keychain or try to remember those intricate friendship bracelet techniques. Better yet, work on pretty creations to liven up your room next year. Decoupage boxes and tissue paper flowers are all the rage in the designing world right now. Just try not to eat the paste this time around.

10. Be — Just plunk down somewhere with your homemade popsicle and take a breather from the MCAT-RESEARCH-INTERNSHIP-LSAT-GRE-GRAD SCHOOL-FUTURE-ACHIEVE ACHIEVE ACHIEVE storm that’s been clouding up your summer. Bring back the summers of yore — when all you had to worry about was finishing your assigned summer reading book and cleaning out your trapper keeper before the first day of school — and let yourself rest there for awhile.