Debbie Jacob

THE JULY/AUGUST holiday is the time for students to unwind from school, but not a time to put learning on a shelf. The idea is to have fun but engage in experiential learning. Active learning combines academic and practical experiences.

Here are some ideas for experiential learning:

1. Find tropical plants that thrive in the heat: Most students are interested in saving the environment. Use the long holiday to research projects to meet this goal. One interesting project is identifying plants that survive and thrive in the hot, dry season. The internet has much information about the best plants to survive drought in temperate climates. Challenge yourself to find local plants that will beautify your yard and conserve water during our dry season.

2. Grow a kitchen garden: One way to help your family save money is to start a kitchen garden. Do your research to find the best spot in your yard for a small garden. What kinds of plants, soil and sunlight do you need? How do you create a successful grow box if you don’t have a yard? Sharpen your research skills, save money, be productive and help your family with this project. Help a neighbour start a kitchen garden and you’re engaging in community service.

3. Commit to community service: Community service offers invaluable learning experiences. Match your interests with the needs in your community. You will learn selflessness, empathy and self-confidence – all values you can’t get from a textbook. Universities in the US pay close attention to community service in students they accept, so it could benefit your chances of getting into university.

4. Experiment with sleep: Getting enough sleep is a challenge for all teenagers, so make better sleep your holiday research project. Find good books, internet articles and academic studies that show how to improve your sleep. Check Google Scholar for you research, collect the information you need and devise a plan. More sleep will improve your concentration and health. Consider these books: Restful Sleep by Deepak Chopra; Eat to Sleep by Karman Meyer, or Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. When I was a librarian, my students enjoyed their research projects on sleep and found them beneficial.

5. Create a fitness habit: Unless you are into sports, fitness can get ignored during the school year. The misconception that sports or exercise take time away from studying is unfortunate. Exercise energises you, keeps you calmer and more focused. It helps to fight depression. Experiment with different sports or exercises to see what you enjoy; then figure out how to make exercise a routine.

6. Explore your family history: When you’re a teenager, it’s difficult to imagine what will be meaningful to you decades from now. But trust me, in the future you will look back and wonder about your family tree. This is the perfect time to do that research. Knowing your family’s history can be an exciting and rewarding pastime.

7. Write your family’s oral history: Take charting your family tree a step further by interviewing as