Staying Connected: A Newsletter for First Year Students

Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Student During Break

Volunteer together to help with a local holiday meal, gift-wrapping booth or adoption days at the local animal shelter
Take an elderly neighbor or relative out to do something she likes that will get her in the holiday spirit
Go to craft fairs together
Try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or some other sport that could be fun for both of you to try
Ask him to meet you for lunch at your office so you can introduce him to your coworkers
Go on a walk or bike ride together
Try one of those new Sudoku puzzles together—they're Japanese number puzzles that are the current craze
Cook a nice meal together to share with family or friends—see if your student has any recipes to share or if he wants to learn how to make one of your specialties
Ask your student to share some of his papers with you from the semester that he's particularly proud of
Adopt a family for the holidays and make/buy items that will help them have a great holiday season
Have a Father/Student or Mother/Student night at the movies with another parent/student pair that your son/daughter chooses
Head to the wellness center in town for chair massages
Look through digital photos that your student wants to share—it's a good way to see her friends and surroundings
Check out a church supper or firehouse pancake breakfast instead of going out to eat at a restaurant
Go browse through the bookstore or library, comparing things you'd both like to read
Go grocery shopping
Stay in some night, with popcorn and board games—sometimes old-fashioned fun can be the best!
Have a New Year's potluck with friends so you can all enjoy one another's company once the holiday hubbub has died down—and share your leftovers
Participate in the New Year's Day bird count at your local environmental education center
Start a new tradition, whether it's buying a children's book to donate or picking out a Toys for Tot donation—together