Summer boredom busters

School is finally out, and the season of late night movie marathons and sleeping in past noon is upon us. However, with summer come those lazy days where you have no plans and end up sitting in your house with nothing to do. Instead of lying around, call up some friends and try some of these summer boredom busters.

Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.
Located right near Dupont Circle at 1600 21st street, the Phillips Collection features an incredible variety of artwork in the home of founder Duncan Phillips. One thing that stands out is the Laib Wax Room, a small room about the size of a closet that is coated entirely in wax. A soothing beeswax aroma emanates from the wax-covered floor, ceiling and walls. The only other object in the room is a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Visitors can stand inside the Wax Room one at a time and admire its simplistic and quiet aura. The Phillips Collection features work from artists such as Wolfgang Laib, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mark Rothko and Georgia O'Keeffe. Admission is free for students under the age of 18, so grab some art-loving friends and experience great artwork along with the unique and peaceful experience that is standing in a room made of wax.

Washington D.C. Scavenger Hunt
This one requires more people and a bit more preparation, but is fun nonetheless. Come up with anywhere from six to 12 friends and split yourselves into two equal teams. Then, make a list of things that each team must find and document. This could mean getting a picture of tourists wearing matching shirts or fanny packs, of people doing the "Charlie's Angels" pose or of you next to a famous piece of art. Keep in mind that the location is D.C., so try to use its many attractions to your advantage. Try to have a variety of easy and hard tasks as well as ones that require interactions with people. Arrange for everybody to meet on the mall at a certain time and make sure both teams have a camera. After that, the game can begin. Spend a predetermined amount of time locating as many items from the list as possible. Once the time is up, meet back at the starting place and see who got the most items. Looking through the pictures is sure to bring some laughs, and there will no doubt be some funny stories to tell as well!

Washington Animal Rescue League
Calling all animal lovers! WARL is a great place to spend an afternoon for those with a soft spot for adorable dogs and cats. While the ultimate goal of the shelter is to find these animals a loving home, you don't need to be looking to adopt to pay a visit. The dogs and cats staying at WARL love to have visitors. WARL is a great shelter that takes extremely good care of its animals. It attempts to create a stress-free environment for dogs and cats without a home, and has several mini parks where volunteers can take the dogs for daily walks. There is always classical music playing and running water on the roofs of the dog dens to keep the dogs calm. The cat room features lots of play structures and toys. Cats are able to roam around freely. If you want to make a more long-term difference, you can take a class and become a volunteer. Still, if all you want is to spend a day with some adorable furry friends who are looking for someone to brighten their day, take a visit to WARL, located at 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20011.