Mentor Activities

Most matches, at some point, have a time when they don’t know what to do together. Some mentors get matched up with kids who are a bit shy to say what they would like to do so having a list to choose from is helpful. Following is a good start on a long list of ideas that you can draw from as well as help you in brainstorming ideas of your own that you could add to this list! Be creative and have a great time!

INDOOR ACTIVITIES:

·        Make popcorn and talk 

·        Go to a movie, concert or play 

·        Attend a dance  

·        Play board games or cards 

·        Attend athletic events  

·        Go to the library  

·        Write thank you notes  

·        Celebrate a friend’s religious holiday

·        Go to the YMCA - swim, shoot hoops, walk/run the track or join a group exercise class

·        Volunteer/participate in a community service project

·        Serve a meal at the Damiano Center

·        Study or complete some homework

·        Visit a college/LSC has many specialty programs to check out – Aviation, etc.

·        Plan a menu, go shopping and create a meal together

·        Visit the zoo/pet store/animal shelter

·        Visit the Tweed Museum of Art or the Planetarium @ UMD

·        Visit the Aquarium/William A. Irvin/Marine Museum/Omnimax/The Glensheen  

·        Do a crossword or Suduko puzzle

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:

• Attend a baseball game
• Go hiking in a city or state park
• Go skiing or snowboarding
• Watch or volunteer for the Beargrease Sled Dog Race or Gramdma’s Marathon
• Walk/inline skate/or ride your bike on the Lakewalk or the Munger Trail
• Visit Hartley Nature Center to hike/bike/snowshoe
• Play catch or fly a kite
• Plant a garden & then visit area gardens such as the Rose Garden
• Go swimming/walk on the beach
• Go bargain hunting at garage sales or estate sales 
• Participate in the beach sweep
• Build a snow fort, go ice skating or sledding
• Pack a picnic lunch and spend the day fishing 
• Collect rocks/agates along Lake Superior
• Plant a tree and document its growth through the seasons  
• Visit Tom’s Logging Camp
• Travel 7 Bridges Road, stop & look/take pictures of the waterfalls  
• Try Geocaching at Jay Cooke State Park
• Build something such as a birdhouse to hang in your yard

ARTS AND CRAFTS:

·        Make something together for your mentee to give to someone special

·        Make a time capsule

·        Make a scrapbook or collage

·        Make a volcano with sand, vinegar and baking soda

·        Do a puzzle, glue the pieces together & frame it

·        Collect rocks and paint them

·        Write a story together or make a journal

·        Create puppets & put on a show

·        Learn to sew & make some pillows

·        Enjoy fall by carving a pumpkin or raking up some leaves and jumping in the pile

·        Make a bird feeder or wind chime

·        Make jewelry out of beads or take a pottery class at Snoodle Studio

·        Create a Piñata for Cinco De Mayo

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING/ FUTURE PLANNING:

·        Set mentoring goals

·        Talk about life, the future, relationships & school

·        Bring your mentee to work or find a job shadowing opportunity

·        Talk about your first job, college, vocational school & career planning

·        Talk about personal values

·        Visit different businesses your mentee is interested in

 COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES/EVENTS:

• Annual Mentor Duluth activities - Hockey Game (Feb.), Annual Fundraiser Kid’s Day (Jan.), Annual Summer BBQ, Halloween Carnival, Winter Holiday Party (Dec.)
• Healthy Kids Day @ the YMCA (Spring)
• Visit the Park Point Art Fair or attend Music in the park at Chester Bowl (Summer)
• Attend Hawk Weekend @ Hawk Ridge or visit a Corn Maze(Fall)
• See the Holiday Lights at the Festival of Lights & Bentleyville (Winter)
• Tour the paper mill
• Attend a craft fair
• Check out the events at the library www.duluth.lib.mn.us/
• Attend cultural events at an area college
• Take a community education class together