2 . Activities in November

Holiday Market and Bake Sale in Monkton

This festival holiday event should definitely not be missed! Head over to the Friends Methodist House, 78 Monkton Ridge anytime Saturday morning to shop for some crafts(手工艺品)that were made locally. Also enjoy homemade chocolate, cakes, and other snacks! For more information, call 802-453-2870. NOV. 20, 9 AM-2 PM.

“West Side Story” on Stage in Brandon

If you need an excuse to cry, watching “West Side Story“ live is a pretty good one. Otter Valley Union High School(OVUHS)will be hosting Walking Stick Theatre’s production of “West Side Story. ”Advanced tickets are $ 8 at the OVUHs Library. Tickets are $ 8 at the door for students and seniors, $ 10 for adults. NOV. 21, 7 PM-9 PM.

Lecture on Bali in Bristol

Join the community in hearing a lecture by Dr. Carla Osgood and Dr. David Osgood entitled “Bali: Consciousness, Culture and Community” at the Lawrence Memorial Library in Bristol. They have spent 20 years teaching in Bali, and are sure to provide an invaluable view. NOV. 21. 7 PM-8:30 PM.

Wolfing down and Digestion in Middlebury

Love listening to stories?Attend the StoryMatters meeting on Tuesday at IIsley   Library. The local group will share stories all on the topic of food. There will also be a teaching session after the stories during which trainers will help with the process of storytelling. For more information, email larl7g@ myfairpoint. net. NOV. 24, 10 AM-2 PM.

4 . Social activities for the elderly are necessary because they help in bringing about considerable improvement in their overall well-being.    1    It may be difficult for them to take care of an entire garden, but a number of small potted indoor plants are just perfect for them.

    2    As elderly people cannot move freely, wheelchair dances have become increasingly popular. Gather a group of such people who have interest in dance. Hire one instructor who specializes in teaching this type of dance.

Besides, there are some creative activities for the elderly, for example, encouraging them to make a collage (拼贴画) using all their family photographs and mementos. All of us love to look at the old photographs.     3    They can also decorate the collages with small decorative items like leaves and construction paper.

And they can join a hobby class where all elderly people will learn music and art.    4    Make the necessary arrangements for that particular instrument so that he or she can play that instrument in their leisure time.

Social activities for the elderly in the form of entertainment have a therapeutic (治疗的) effect on their mind and body. Fishing, boating, playing golf, etc, are enjoyed by the elderly as they can be done with minimum physical movements.     5    And some sports equipment should be changed for the convenience of the elderly.

5 . Leisure is the prize, right? We work hard, so we want to play hard; we look forward to our time off, believing that the more leisure time we have, the better life will be.

However, research shows that both having and deciding how to spend leisure time can be very stressful. Some people feel enormous pressure to make the best use of their free time with the best choices. But this pressure to maximize our fun might impede the enjoyment of leisure itself.

Two-thousand years ago, concepts of work and leisure were associated with slavery(奴隶制)and freedom, respectively. In Ancient Greece, most of work was done by slaves, while wealthier parts of society pursued other activities. Leisure was an active state of mind. Good leisure meant playing sports, learning music theory, debating with qualified partners, doing philosophy, etc. Leisure was not easy, but it was supposed to be satisfying.

A shift occurred when the Romans started viewing leisure as a way of getting back energy in preparation for more work. By the 1800s, the kind of leisure that showed social class had shifted too; the wealthy led extremely free lives. A popular example is Walter Benjamin’s description of the fashion, around 1893, to walk through streets with a turtle (乌龟)on a chain.

Today we’re seeing yet another change: a lack of leisure time now operates as a powerful social class symbol. On Twitter, celebrities complain about having no life and being in desperate need of a vacation. In the workplace, being part of the long-hours working culture is still seen by many as an honour.

Some people really struggle to enjoy time off. People from America support the belief that leisure is wasteful. Only 14% of Americans take two weeks’ vacation in a row, a finding in keeping with the overwork culture. The same study reports that as of 2017, 54% of American workers didn’t use up their vacation time, leaving 662 million days reserved for leisure unused.

6 . Summer isn't over yet! There’s still plenty of time for camp fun. Need last-minute camp plans? The following programs are here to help!

Pono Summer Camp

From book clubs to cooking classes and even travel, the camp lets kids design their own activities and brings them to life through field trips and online lessons. It runs from July 6 to September4 for children aged6 to 14.

Rise

This performing and media arts program has invited some artists who have professional acting, writing, clowning, dancing, directing, photographing and film-making experience. From July 6 to August 27, weekly camps take place Monday ~ Friday 1 p. m. ~3 p. m. and run until the last week in August for $150 per week.

Shack Camp

This six-week camp includes DIY activities such as putting together a juice stand, making campaign buttons and making your own ice cream. For $79, campers buy a Shack Camp Box that includes $175 worth of materials. The money from it will help support the Fresh Air Fund.

New York Sewing Camp

From June 15 to August 7, those interested in fashion can explore their love for clothing during the New York Sewing Camp offerings for ages 7 ~ 10 and 11 ~ 14. Classes will be broken up into three time slots（时间段） five days per week and focus on the basics before kids work their way up to projects like skirts and bags. The cost is $375 per student.

8 . When we were kids, summer activities were a great escape. My only goal each day was to figure out the bigger thrill: hide-and-seek with my cousins, a ball game with my brother, or rereading detective stories for hours on end. Fun was the only endgame(最后阶段).

    1     That comes with its own benefits. We can stay up as late as we’d like, go sailing on the sea or gather a group and go exploring islands.     2     However long ago it was, your next awesome fun day or week is on the way. Joy is the name of the game this Summer!

The first step towards having more fun with summer activities is setting aside time for it.     3     For example, turn off work email on Friday afternoon and leave it aside until Monday morning; say no to time-wasting requests.

Then be a tourist in your own town. When you live somewhere long enough, it stops being an interesting destination and becomes just the surrounding area.     4     Is it known for its museums, rivers or food? Take some time to tour some famous attractions.

Your interests have probably changed as you have got older, but that doesn’t mean what you did as a kid isn’t exciting. So invoke(唤起) your inner child. Head to the park and play a game of basketball with your cousins or take your dog to the park for a game of Frisbee.     5    

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you enjoy yourself to the fullest because summer’s best days will be here and gone before you know it.

A. Girl Scouts (女童子军营)

A way to bring international girls together to experience sisterhood and leadership, Girl Scouts Shenzhen houses girls from many countries, bringing a lasting cultural influence.

B. Window of the World

Take a trip to Shenzhen Window of the World where kids can enjoy copies of world attractions such as the African Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, and the US Capitol.

C. Shenzhen Safari Park

A place where people can enjoy pandas, Asian elephants, and giraffes. There is also an ocean world section where a number of playful dolphins live.

D. The Shenzhen Museum

Check out the Shenzhen Museum. Here kids can learn about the history of Shenzhen. Beautiful art will keep kids interested for an afternoon.

E. Open Studio

This club offers chances to students who want to have more independent studio time in the Visual Arts. It is aimed at high school students.

F. Art Works Preparation

This club offers chances to students who would like to apply for a university programme related to Visual Arts or Design. Students can ask for advice on improving their art works.

10 . This New Year, it may be time to include a little football in your family traditions. Maybe the grandkids are old enough to play.     1    . No matter how you spend your holiday, a good game of pick-up football might just be what you need to make your New Year more interesting.

Most people already know the basic rules of football. There are a few choices you can make about how seriously or how informally you want to play. Team sizes will depend on the number of people you have in your group.     2    . But you can include many more if you have the number.

    3    , you will also want to figure out a scoring plan or decide how long you want to play. If you’ve got a group of friends together, you may want to play a longer, more serious game. A family group, made up of people of various ages and physical abilities, may prefer to limit the game to a shorter period of time, or end the game when one team has scored five or ten points.

Even if you have people who aren’t able to play or aren’t interested in playing, you can still include these people in the fun of the game.     4    , you can set up chairs for the watchers. They can also cheer for players, making it more enjoyable.

Over the New Year, a game of football is a great way to break up the day.     5    .