IT'S SUMMER! 10 Fun, Yet Affordable, Things To Do On Campus

It’s undeniable that Quad looks the best in the summer. Actually, that’s a very arguable point. Anyone who has seen Quad in Fall with the leaves changing color could easily disagree. However, Quad in summer has a special charm to it with the sun shining down so brightly, the birds chirping, the squirrels fleeing and the odd goose wandering around. In fact, it’s so beautiful and calming that it can even help to relieve any lingering stress from the previous semester and will easily keep you at ease if you’re taking spring or summer courses. For the six months of the year when there isn’t snow on the ground, Quad is the perfect place to join in on some fun and affordable summer activities. Here are some of my favourites that I highly recommend you try out.

1. Throw a picnic. 

Grab your picnic basket, those cute lil’ sandwiches cut into triangles, your sparkling apple juice and get ready to fend off those ants. Actually, even a sub from Subway will do. It doesn’t have to be fancy. After all, we are on university student budgets.

2. Walk your dog. 

Even before I was attending the U of A, I was walking my dog around campus. He knows this area better than I do. And don’t fret if you don’t have a dog. Take your cat, take your bunny, heck, even take the friendly neighborhood geese. (Actually, don’t do that, they wouldn’t like that much.) You could walk your tortoise though.

3. Fly a kite. 

Travel back in time to your childhood and find that dusty kite sitting in your garage. Hopefully yours wasn’t sold in a garage sale like mine was. Wait until the perfect windy day and then go fly a kite. Literally.

4. Sunbathing. 

Nothing feels better than soaking up the sun as you lay on the soft grass. Just make sure to lather on the SPF 60 and plop on a hat and sunglasses. Skin cancer is no joke folks.

5. Yoga. 

Turn a normal session of yoga into hot yoga by doing Downward Dog in the blazing heat under the hot sun. You’ll be sweating off all that stress in no time.

6. Play a game of Frisbee. 

A couple weeks ago, on the day of my last final, I saw a couple of guys tossing a Frisbee around. I have never been more jealous.

7. Hide and Seek. 

Hide and Seek is a game you will never grow too old for. That’s why the U of A even has a Hide and Seek Club. It’s legit.

8. Read a book. 

I think everyone should set a goal of reading at least 10 books this summer, even if that might mean reading your boring Biology textbook. Reading is always more fun in the sun.

9. Water Balloon Fight. 

Just don’t hit random people passing by. They will definitely not appreciate that.

10. Go for a run around campus. 

Exercise is always the best break. You could even go for a run in the river valley. Follow the staircase on Saskatchewan Drive. It’s gorgeous down there.


So, there are my top ten recommendations for some fun affordable activities to do on Campus in the summer. Go grab your friends and blow off some steam that’s still lingering from last semester!

Taylor - YouAlberta Contributor

Taylor is in her fourth year, trying out her third faculty. After getting a taste of Sciences and Education, she decided Business was truly the faculty for her. When she is not studying for that elusive 4.0 GPA, you can find her glued to her computer, writing a new post on her personal style & beauty blog, when-im-older.com. And if she gets bored of that, you can most definitely bet she’s busy taking countless Snapchats of her Goldendoodle, Oakley.