Interests, hobbies and leisure time

5. INTERESTS, HOBBIES AND LEISURE TIME

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The leisure time means, how people spend their free time. It´s usually time for having fun or relaxing. We can divide leisure activities into two groups:
1.) Actively spending free time. (Doing sport, working in the garden…)
2.) Passively spending free time. (Watching TV, reading a book, playing computer games…)

ACTIVITIES - aktivity
Doing summer sports like cycling, swimming, playing tennis, golf, football etc.
Go out with friends to the concert, to the cinema, to the theatre, to the pub for a beer etc.
Some people cook or make big barbecue party for friend and family.
Walking in the nature, hiking, go climbing, harvesting mushrooms, gardening.
Doing winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating, playing ice-hockey.
Going to the fitness centre to work out or cycling.
Collecting for example, stamps, dolls, pictures or postcards.
Play a musical instrument like a guitar, a piano or violin.
Men can do some work around the house. Woman can decorate the garden or house.
Some people learn in their free time. They usually study languages or IT technologies.
People who are tired of work usually watch TV, read books, play computer games or do the crosswords.

AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – mimoškolské aktivity
Some students joint sport clubs, some visit the library and study. Some of activities are mostly paid and people do them regularly. For example: language courses, musical instrument, drawing, ballet, football, hockey, tennis, dance, singing, driving course.
Others spend their leisure time at home alone, with siblings, friends, or schoolmates.
Students usually want to earn some money in their free time so they can take a part-time job. They earn money to spend them for clothes, travelling, parties, new experience, new contacts, future studies or they just want to be independent from their parents.

On this picture there is a girl and her driving teacher in the car. She is having a lecture of driving to achieve her driving licence. Driving licence is important for transport. People usually start driving course when they are 18 years old because they need the driving licence for their future job.

FREE TIME ACTIVITIES – aktivity vo voľnom čase
ART: taking of photos, drawing, painting, visiting galleries and performances.
MUSIC: Listening to music, playing the musical instrument, membership in some group/choir.
CULTURE: Going to the Cinema, theatre, concerts, folk performances, festivals.
READING: It is possible everywhere, and book is for everybody because everybody can choose a genre, for example, adventure stories, love stories, detective stories, sci-fi.
SOCIAL GAMES. Chess, cards, quiz, domino, riddle, puzzle, crossword puzzle.
SPORT. Healthy for body, it´s for everybody, better form, football, volleyball, squash, tennis, jogging, cycling.
HOUSEHOLDING Useful leisure time activity that usually handy people love to do. For example, gardening, decorating, car maintenance, plumbing.
NATURE. Climbing, hiking, walks in a wood, harvesting mushrooms, fishing
CREATIVE WORKS. Sewing, needlework, knitting, crocheting
COLLECTING. Stamps, postcards, cards of football players, butterflies, minerals.
TRAVELLING. Some people like to travel alone or with family and friends to relax or learn something new.
EDUCATING. Foreign languages, IT, cooking, marshal art, dancing, yoga.

FREE TIME BEFORE and NOW – voľný čas predtým a teraz
Spending of free time changed. People in the past were more interested in folklore, their farm animals, gardening, reading, creative works. Nowadays people have less free time more duties and they sometimes work at after working hours. They just want to relax with their devices TV, computer, mobile, and they sometimes go to the gym because it is kind of modern lifestyle.

FREE TIME ACCORDING TO AGE – voľný čas vzhľadom na vek
Free time activities depend also on our age.
1.) Children play with friends outside in the garden or playground some ball games, or sing, draw, watch TV cartoons
2.) Young people, and adults rather relax, cycle or work out to stay fit, they also like reading, gardening, favourite is going shopping, going to parties and spend time on-line.
3.) Seniors spend most of their free time with watching TV reading, music, gardening, pets, they take care of grandchildren, travel, talk with friends, neighbours or random people in the streets.

Which of those are your free time activities? – Ktoré z týchto aktivít sú vaše?
For example, on this picture there is a man who collects butterflies. It is one of the hobbies that people do in their free time. It is very interesting and difficult activity, because person needs to know where to look for the butterflies or to catch them and set to the collection.