Saving Summer: Tips for Keeping that Summer Spirit Alive

Remember how just a week or two ago, you were soooo bored with summer break? You were even looking forward to the mental stimulation of school. But now that you actually have to go to class and do homework, you're desperate for the freedom of summer again. It seems the grass is always greener, blah, blah, blah.

Fear not: There are easy ways to recapture the spirit of summer. With a little ingenuity you might even be able to trick yourself into believing that your break never ended. (That is, until you realize you're sitting in geometry class.) On those days when you can't possibly make it through another day of classes, try one of these techniques and see how quickly you slip back into summer bliss:

• Slap on a bathing suit and grab a lawn chair. Sit yourself down in front of a hot oven, close your eyes, and wait. In just a few short minutes, it'll feel like you're sitting poolside on a hot, summer day.
• Set your alarm clock 3 hours ahead so that you can wake up for school at the lazy hour of "10 o'clock."
• Pack a popsicle with your lunch. When you find that it's a transformed into a melted pile of sugary goo, you can convince yourself that it's the work of the relentless summer heat.
• Slather on the self-tanner and add some blush to your nose. Poof! You've just given yourself a sunburn.
• Once noon passes, set your watch 2 hours ahead so that it stays light outside until "9 o'clock."
• Spend a Saturday afternoon cleaning out the junk from under your bed because it's raining and your amusement park plans got cancelled and now you have nothing to do.
• Ask your parents to light up the fireplace. Invite some friends over, turn off all the lights, roast some marshmallows for s'mores, and tell ghost-stories.
• Refuse to eat anything other than watermelon and ice cream.
• Sleep all day Saturday and Sunday. When your parents complain about it, blame it on jet-lag from your amazing European summer vacation.
• Find a clip of people swimming on YouTube and watch it on an endless loop while you twirl a whistle around your finger. (This one has a nice, summery soundtrack.)

Does Labor Day and the new school year have you missing summer already? Share any tips for reviving that summer spirit below.