Summer Camp Packing List?!?

Em

Mk, whats the ultimate summer camp check list?! Im 13 and im going to a summer camp in like 3 weeks and i dont want to forget anything!! help!!

Answer
Here is my standard list. I went to summer camp for ten years as a kid, and then I became a camp counselor. So here is what I recommend (assuming you are a girl), some of these things may or may not work depending on what kind of facilities your camp has. This list is made for a more rustic camp:

Enough clothes to last you the entire time plus a few extras (half the time if there is laundry service):
- T-shirts
- Shorts
- Pajamas

Double the amount you think you will need of:
- Socks
- Underwear

Also:
- Sturdy athletic shoes that will be good for hiking
- Extra pair of junk shoes
- Flip flops for the pool area and in the shower
- A couple hoodies for night time
- Jeans and boots with a 1" heel if you will be going horseback riding
- A bandana: Keeps hair out of face and covers it when there is no time for a shower
- Two bathing suits (one to use while the other is drying out)
- Poncho/raincoat (a good poncho is what i recommend...covers the most area and you can put your backpack underneath it)
- Laundry bag to put all your dirty clothes in

Toiletries (pack in a ziploc or plastic-lined cosmetic bag to carry back and forth to shower areas):
-Shampoo and Conditioner
-Soap/Body Wash
-Toothbrush/Toothpaste
-Facewash
-Comb and brush
-Hair ties
-Deodorant
-Sunscreen
-Bugspray
-Shaving gear (if needed)
-Tampons/pads (if needed)
-Extra glasses/contacts (if needed)
-Sunglasses
-Medication (must be turned in to camp nurse)

Gear:
-Sleeping bag
-Pillow
-Extra blanket
-Twin fitted sheet
-Tarp or groundcloth for sleepouts
-Lantern for tent/cabin
-Flashlight for night hikes
-Extra batteries
-Backpack for carrying everything around camp during the day
-Crate or box to use as a nightstand (can pack things inside it)
-At least 2 bath towels (one to use while the other is drying)
-2 Hand towels
-Clothesline and clothespins (can tie to a tree or inside cabin to dry towels, wet bathing suits, etc.)
-Extra ziploc bags (to store wet towels and bathing suits while walking around camp)
-Water bottle
-Mess kit (plate, bowl, utensils) for cook-outs
-Mini hand-held fan

Fun Stuff (optional, but are good to have):
-playing cards
-camera! disposables are always best for camp, but make sure you put your name on it
-a few costumey items (wig, silly socks, funny hat etc.) for fun days or color war at camp
-Stationery, including envelopes, paper, pens, stickers, stamps
-Address book: put all your family and friends' addresses in beforehand so you can write to them while at camp, then you can put all your new camp friends addresses in there when you leave
-CD/MP3 player: depending on your camp, these may or may not be allowed. good to listen to during quiet time
-A few books or magazines
-A few bottles of nail polish to do with your friends during downtime
-Friendship bracelet string
-Glow sticks (can be found at any camping store or craft store)
-White t-shirt for tie-dying

And one last tip - make sure you put your name on everything!

Hope this helps, and have fun at camp!!

Is yogi bear camping site good?

Lavender,

were a middle age couple with grown kids out of nest lol
& were thinking of camping.
i heard yogi bear site is good,
has anyone of you been there?
they have one in millbrook ill & indianna & all over,
please share your experiences, as i havent camped since 1986 & need info...
thanks..

Answer
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts



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Whether you like to tent camp, are an RV enthusiast or enjoy the comforts of a cabin, we've got first-rate accommodations the whole family will enjoy. Prefer to get back to nature? We offer campsites nestled in beautiful settings - with perfect places to pitch your tent.

If you want to reap the benefits of the camping lifestyle while enjoying the comforts of home, try RVing. If you don't own an RV, you can rent one - often for less than it would cost to stay in a hotel. Plus, our fully equipped campsites make RVing a breeze.

View Campground Locations | RV Camping | Tent Camping

At Yogi Bear's Jellystone Parks, we focus on family fun. Sure, we have campfires and s'mores, but with Yogi Bear there is so much more!
Our organized activities with on-staff recreation directors provide an unforgettable experience. How about starting the day with a flag raising featuring Yogi Bear? Then fill the rest of your day with arts and crafts, swimming, and a movie. Bingo, karaoke and live bands keep the adults entertained too.
With amenities like swimming pools, mini-golf, arcades, and wagon rides to scheduled activities and theme weekends...you'll never hear "I'm bored!" And don't forget about our popular theme weekends such as Mardi Gras, Yogi Bear's Birthday, Christmas in July, and Halloween.
Plus, a vacation at Jellystone Park is easy on the wallet since most amenities and activities are included in your stay.
Activities & Amenities | Theme Weekends | Daily Activities

So you like the outdoors, but don't want to "rough it"? Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts have the solution for you! We offer cabins with a rustic feel and cabins for those who prefer a little more luxury.
Our rustic cabins have one or two rooms and typically accommodate up to six people. All have a fire pit and picnic table and some have extra space to use for dining.Or consider our deluxe cabins that also include a bathroom and a kitchenette. Many have covered front porches, TV's and air conditioning.
Read More About Our Cabin Rentals | Find Location Near You

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Have a look at all the great times you can have at our Jellystone Park campgrounds. (Click the Play button to start video)










Welcome to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park⢠Camp-Resorts. We are a franchise network of campgrounds focused on providing great family vacations. Whether you are an RV enthusiast, enjoy the comfort of a cabin, or prefer tent camping, Jellystone Park's first-rate accommodations, amenities and activities provide the setting for a fun family vacation that's also easy on the wallet.

Our award winning Yogi Bear's Jellystone Parks have everything you need to make camping memories with family and friends. From swimming, mini golf, wagon rides and volleyball to fishing, playgrounds and of course appearances from Yogi Bear⢠and friends - you'll notice that family fun is the main attraction! And with over 70 locations in the United States and Canada, you can have a quality camping experience close to home.

Great memories last a lifetime. So Yogi invites your family to make some new ones at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts. Where You Camp With Friends.

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Real life camp counselling vs. movie camp counselling?

hellomiste

I'm English, and so my only knowledge of summer camps is through trashy 80s horror flicks - Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp etc.

I'm working in a US camp this summer and I wondered, do the camps in real life bear any resemblance to the movie ones? I don't mean are there serial killers there, I just mean are counselors and their lives at camp similar to how it is on film?

Answer
It really depends on the camp, but for the most it's easier to think of them as all inclusive resorts for kids. The counselors are there for supervision, mentoring, life skills, activity planning, etc. The kids learn crafts, how to swim, sail boat, rock climb, play games etc etc.

The difference from a normal resort is the kids usually live a lot more rustic. Some camps have the kids sleep in one room cabins with multiple bunk beds. Other camps have kids sleep in large canvas tents on wood platforms. What is offered really depend on how "posh" the camp is. A camp in Beverly Hills, California will be a lot different than one in the Adirondacks of New York.

Please answer! 10 points! How to decorate pj's and camp tent in a pirate theme?

OH NOES. M

I need to know how to decorate a regular tent (like for camping) in pirates, Like how to make it look like a pirate ship inside and out.

Also, I need to know how to make pajamas look like a pirate outfit. Please be creative and unique, im looking for detailed answers!

This includes creative props (like a parrot) for the pajamas and tent.


10 POINTS TO THE MOST CREATIVE AND UNIQUE ANSWER!!

Answer
ok first... the pajamas.
this may sound weird, but i think it could really work out in the end.
find a pair of brown or maroon/brick red gauchos. or any kind of loose fitting knee length shorts.
you can make this a craft or do it yourself... but cut out long skinny triangles at the bottoms of each leg so they look ragged and worn down.
then you can get any long sleeved white shirt and cut a V at the top... then put some little holes on each side and find brown yarn or a shoelace and tie it back up. put it on with an undershirt underneath it and roll up the sleeves.
now you can make a belt out of house hold items [maybe even a real belt...] and find cheap hats, vests and swords at any costume shop or thrift store.
let the kids run around in their little outfits and once its time for bed they can sleep either in the long sleeve shirt or the undershirt with the gauchos. everything will be made out of cotton so it wouldnt be uncomfortable at all. especially the pants... they are commmfy :]
and the whole outfit can also easily be done by children so that will take a good hour or so for arts and crafts.
overall, the costume will be simple to make but resemble this: http://www.buypiratecostumes.com/yarn_baby_pirate_captain_costume.html


now the tent.
heres an idea: if you use the costume as arts and crafts you can have someone else direct it while you make the tent. so when the kids first get there, all they see is a regular tent. but once they transform into pirates they'll go back outside and it will "magically" become a ship. surprise always hypes up children.
first off you can put the tent on a bunch of blue streamers and have the entrance to the tent have a piece of wood or colored piece of paper sticking out of it [or from underneath it]. so you have an ocean and a "walking plank".
for the outside you can just measure the sides and cut out big sheets of brown paper that you can just tape to the outside. you can decorate the paper ahead of time with wood markings and other cutouts of pirates and maidens and a tower... then tape or glue it on later.
a good thing to do would be to find some REAL paddles and lean them up against the side of the "ship".
at the back of the tent you can put a pole or a broom handle sticking up out of the ground and tie a sheet to it. voila! we have sails!
maybe build a homemade cannon.
anything else on the outside can be your choice.... those are just the basics.
now the inside.
you can get like 10 or 20 sheets of yellow or gold paper and just wad them up in balls and put them in a shoebox or old chest and that can be a little treasure decoration. there can be parrot beanie babies everywhere and some eye patches scattered on the floor. if you want to you can find red or brown bean bags for comfort and give them little bottles of root beer or coke and they can pretend they're pirates drinking rum. unless thats a bit too racy.
you can have a telescope in there somewhere too and some skulls or whole skeletons.

urmmm thats about all i can think of... i hope this helps.
good luck!!

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What are some fun activities i can do to keep 5 and 7 year old kids entertained while not spending too much?

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BURRiTO

I am going to be babysitting a 5 and 7 year old for almost 3 weeks and i need a few ideas to keep them busy such as crafts and games, that arent expensive. Just anything that will keep them entertained so they arent just watching tv all day.

Answer
Board games are fun. Like: go fish; uno; sorry; candy land

Playdough. Buy a few tubs and you can use every day kitchen utensils to carve up the play dough.

Play outside in the yard or walk to the local park.

Maybe taking a walk to the local library. Some have guest readers come in and read books to the kids. Or the kids (and you) can just hang out and read books.

Maybe you could do some research on a particular subject and plan a theme day around the subject. Pick a subject; find out some interesting facts about the subject. Insects, Bugs, for example. Maybe you could go outside and search for worms, caterpillars, moths, etc. For lunch, you could make "worms" by slicing hotdogs length wise in several slices and drop in boiling water. They'll curl up like worms. Make nature pictures using cut outs out of magazines, etc.

Use different dried pastas to make artwork. Or string onto yarn for necklaces.

Bake cookies. Let them do all the measuring and stirring.

Have a camp out. Either pitch a tent in the back yard and pretend to camp out or set up a tent (or use a sheet and kitchen chairs to make a tent in the living room). Eat campfire food (make smores in the microwave or over the flames of a gas range); eat hot dogs and chilps in the tent. Make up funny stories. Let the kids just play.

Finger paint.

Get a couple of appliances boxes (big enough for them to get in). Have the kids decorate those up like a spaceship; a pirate ship; or a grocery counter.

Kids sometimes need a few ideas, but for the most part, can use their imagination to entertain themselves.

What are some games and activities to play while babysitting 3 boys?

Squeegee B

I babysit for this family quite often. Their kids are 7, 5, and 2. I always bring games, activities, videos, and books for them so they don't ever get bored while I'm there. (All 3 kids are boys!)Normally I do "themed" nights (We've had Baseball Night- play baseball, eat hotdogs for dinner, and watch a baseball movie. We've had 4th of July- fireworks craft and make cookies with red, white, and blue icing. We've had the Olympics Night and so on...) I'm kind of running out of ideas and activities and games to bring. Normally I'm there at night for 2 or 3 hours (7-10 pm) and the 2 year old is asleep by 7:45 and the other kids go to bed at 9:00... What are some more activities I can bring or games we can play that will be fun for them???
Take into consideration that they really don't like to play games that involve competition... One of them always loses and cries.

Answer
Well, first, congratulations on coming up with "themed" nights. That sounds like fun!

They're still pretty young, which severely limits how much you can do, but let me see...

Bugs Night...Watch A Bug's Life and make "Ants on Log" (Celery, Peanut Butter, Raisins) and/or "Worms" (Crumbled Oreo cookies, Gummy Worms). For a craft, you could make little insect toys/dolls.

Race Car Night... Watch Herbie the Love Bug (or equivalent) and have them make their own race cars out of cardboard boxes so that they can race - non-competitively- around the yard. You could make car-shaped cookies.

If they have a favorite TV show, you could do a night based on that. For example...Wiggles Night. Have a Wiggles marathon and make crafts and recipes based on what they watch (fruit salad jumps to mind).

I hope that helped inspire you!

EDIT: Okay, I've thought of a couple more.

Camping Night...Set up a tent and sleeping bags in the living room. Eat hot dogs, s'mores, and tell "scary" stories around the campfire, I mean, flashlight. Perhaps when their parents get back they can join them down there.

Healthy Night...A night where you teach them about the Food Pyramid, and they learn what various parts of the body do (heart, lungs, etc.). I'm sure there are movies out there about it. They could have an impromptu "teddy bear clinic." Have them help you put together a balanced meal.

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tips on fun activities to do with the children i babysit?

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Q. ages are between 5-8. Need something we can do together that would be fun for a 5 year old and a 8 year old at the same time.

Answer
games (board and other)

hiking

swimming/water guns/sprinklers

movies

camp out in the back-yard. make smores in the microwave and eat them in a tent under the stars.

make cookies or cupcakes.or muffins. very easy, especially if you make it from pre-made dough or box mix.

play barbies or gi-joes.

make popsicles by freezing fruit juice.

let them play with their food. build houses and cities out of olives, carrots, celery, chips, etc. or make cars and bikes. or anything else creative.

story time is always good. take them to the library or bookshelf and ask them to choose three books or so.

depending on their maturity levels, tell spooky stories in the dark with a flashlight.

build a tent in their room.

make puppets out of socks and put on a puppet show. OR let them put on the show for you while you watch.

for bath time, get out all the boats and plastic water toys you can find. make bath time fun, almost like swimming.

build a fort with them. outside if it's not raining, inside if it's not. for the outside, you can use ladders, buckets, lawn chairs, tarps, sticks, leaves, grass, logs, rocks, and other stuff. for the inside, use blankets, pillows, the couch, tables, and other stuff. the best basic fort is a fold-up card table with a large thin blanket over it and pillows or a quilt inside.

dress-up time. let them go through their parent's scarves, hats, dresses, coats, etc. (with the parent's permission, of course) and make costumes.

organize a skit or play to show the parents when they get back.

karioke. enough said.

tape recorder/video recorder. for some reason it is really fun to record one's self and play it back....

crafts.

host a very small party with just you and the kids. theme ideas: star wars, harry potter, dora the explorer, blue's clues, the wiggles, charlie and the chocolate factory, pirates of the carribean, my little pony, the incredibles, monsters inc, my little pony, toy story, any other disney movie, whatever the kids like. create simple games that don't take up a lot of brainpower or materials (aka, set up an obstacle course and tell them to pretend to be luke skywalker or mr. incredible or something while completing it...)

make a treasure hunt. start by hiding a box of either candy or cheap toys or some other prize somewhere in the vicinity. take a post it note and write down where the location of the box is. then hide the post-it note and write down the location of it on another post-it note. then hide that post-it note, and write down the location of that one on yet another post-it note. and so on and so forth. when you've done about 20-50 locations, depending how much time you have to burn, don't hide the last post-it note and give it to the kids. they will enjoy themselves running around trying to find all the clues.

computer games or video games are always safe options, but most parents prefer you to be a little more interesting than that. who knows, for your extra effort, they might throw in a better tip. plus, if the kids get to love you, they'll clamor for you again and again...lots of business...

How can you camp inside?

Anthony

My son and daughter want to camp inside. Any tips?

Answer
Oh how fun! My kids are in high school now, but this was one of their favorite things to do. Best part about camping inside is NO BUGS!

Some of the best parts about this was the "packing up" of all the supplies we would need. They would each take a backpack & go around trying to find things to bring on their camping trip. If they're old enough, give them a list of things to pack - pillows, blankets, sleeping bags... Flashlights are a must! There are battery operated lanterns (we have one) that give an authentic feel.

Set up the living room to get a campground feel. If you have sleeping bags set them out on the floor or air mattress. If you have a tent set it up or for easier take down & set up just throw a tarp or blanket over a couple of diningroom chairs. You can even put those stick on glow in the dark stars inside the tent ceiling (keep them under a lamp during the day so they'll glow strong at night).

Of course no campout would be complete without a campfire - fake of course. Here's a great craft you can do with them during the day for the fun evening ahead:

Get some foam and cut it into log shapes, paint with brown acrylic paint to look like logs. Then make a play fire out of red, yellow & orange crepe paper. Sandwich some pipe cleaners between the sheets and glue them together, then you can bend the "fire" into shapes to place between the logs. Crackling fire downloads could be played in the background! (MP3, IPOD or even CD's are easy to find).

Lay a tarp down on the floor and sit on some pillows in front of the fire to eat some camping food. Popcorn popped on the stove and s'mores made in the oven are great snacks as are corn dogs on a stick. You could make cupcakes decorated with candy bars cut in the shape of logs or gummy fish and licorice string for a fishing line.

Finally because the best part of a campout is not sleeping, campground stories, songs and games like hot potato are a fun way to round out the evening.

And NO TV, video games or hand-held electronics!!
Have fun & make sure that like all good campers they help you break down the "camp" in the morning!

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Free printables for sons b-day party, campout/ourdoor theme, can anyone help?

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mjwc999

Hi I am looking for some free printables for my sons 9th birthday on sat. He wanted a outdoor adventure/campout party, problem is they have NO party supplies for this theme, so we have to make or print them all. Looking for bears, tents, anything outdoorsy or campout related. Any help or direction would be great. Thanks a bunch from a momma and her cubs.

Answer
Here is a few links that have some good campout theme printouts, crafts, food ideas, games, etc. for kids parties

http://familyfun.go.com/parties/kids-games/specialfeature/campout_sf/

http://www.kidspartyfun.com/pages/themes/campout.html

http://www.bhg.com/lhj/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/camp_kidbdaytheme_07312001.xml&catref=cat4550025&psrc=storyrl

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/freeprintables/ss/campingprint.htm?iam=metaresults&terms=windschermen+camping

Hope this helps! Good luck to you and Happy Birthday to your son!

I am looking for fun activities to do with my 4 year old when we are staying in for the day?

Ash

We love to cook and do crafts together but could use some new ideas to mix things up!!!

Answer
My niece and nephews love "Theme Day". When I know that I will have them all day, and we have to stay indoors (which is already a challenge), I pick a theme ahead of time and use it all day. For example, we had a camping/picnic day.

We started the day of reading books and coloring Yogi Bear. Then, we fixed lunch, and I let them help (as much as a 3 and 6 yr old can). They especially loved making homemade trail mix and sugar cookies in the shape of bears (Yogi). Then, we made a tent out of a whole lot of crap (hey loved it) and we ate in the living room...a big no no at my house...lol. After we finished eating, we watched "Open Season". I taught a little bit about camping safety. Which bugs and plants are ok and bad...etc (not that they will remember any of it), but they had fun looking at the pictures in the encyclopedia and online.

Anyways, the sky is the limit...have fun with it. Kids have such great imaginations and love to use them.

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What are some ideas of things to do at nine year old girl's birthday party?

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Brittany

My sister turned nine during the summer and is having her party this week. It was supposed to be a pool party, but because it's so cold out side, there will probably not be much swimming, although we would like to keep it outside. It is 2 hours long, though, and we need ideas to keep all the girls (15) together and excited and having fun. We need ideas from crafts and games. Already, we are doing sparklers and marshmallow roasting, and other ideas like those that can be done in the dark/late afternoon would be great!!

Answer
Have your guest bring sleeping bags, flashlights, pajamas, fuzzy slippers, etc.

1. Tie a balloon with string around your guest's ankles. On "go" everyone tries to stomp on everyone else's balloon.

2. Give all guests a toothpick to put in between their teeth. They form a line and try to pass a lifesaver or any candy with a hole in it to everyone with using only your toothpick.

3. Put truth and dare cards in a balloon and have guests pick a balloon pop it and answer the truth or do the dare.

4. Play hide and go seek at night

5. Have a silly string war

6. Put a cookie on your forehead and get it to your mouth by using facial expressions only

7. Have one girl be the pointer. She points at one girl to start off a random story then she points to another girl to continue it, and so on

8. Have a girl leave the room while everyone hides in their sleeping bags. The girl comes in and feels the bodies to guess who it is.

9. Have an equal pile of m&ms for every girl. One teen starts off by saying I have never... (I have never gone to Hawaii) If it is true for you, eat an m&m. Whoever has the most left wins!

10. Have a bowl of small multicolored candy (like skittles) Have everyone grab 2 candies. If they have the same color you get to eat them. If not you must keep this in your mouth. Round after round you stuff sweets into your mouth until you have 2 of the same color.

11. Play a classic game of truth or dare

12. Watch a movie.

13. Freeze dance

14. Put on mosquito spray if your going to be outside! Mosquito bites suck!

15. Play "Do You Like Your neighbor?".

16. Play hide and go seek in the dark!

17. Treasure hunt in the dark. (have people bring a flashlight to use)

18. Have a dance off... with bubble wrap. Try to pop the most bubbles.

19. Tea party! Pull out your finest doll china (if the kids can be trusted with it) and serve hot cider, finger sandwiches, and fancy cookies. As you play you can even teach your guests proper manners for a formal occasion (ediquete).

20.Camp out! Pitch a tent, pull out your sleeping bags, and let the kids sleep inside.

22. Do a huge puzzle all together! Put your smarts together to figure it out!

23. Dance! Teach the kids your favorite dance.

24. Test Your Taste Buds! Have one person make something from ingredients in the kitchen and then other person has to put on a blindfold and eats the food. The person with the blindfold on then makes a guess at what the food is or what ingredients are in it.

25. Drama Bag Game - Fill shopping bags with 5 different items in each bag. A shoe, hat, party favor etc. - but fill each bag with different things. Divide into teams and give each team one bag. Go to different rooms and create a skit which includes all items in the bag. After 15 minutes come back and perform. Variation: Create a song or commercial.

26. Play Mafia. It's really creepy in the dark!

27. Have friends bring over board games to play

28. Talk! Parties are a good time for friends to just get together and talk too!

29. HAVE FUN!!!!!!

For dinner have a "Mystery Meal". Give each guest a menu, but have the items coded like Dr.Pepper is Physicians spice. It is funny to see your friends so confused! Here are some more ideas:
âNeptune's Tridentâ (fork)
âPucker Upâ (lemonade)
"Shovel" (spoon)
"Finger Puppets" (olives)
"Early Morning Alarm" (chicken)
"Gold nuggets" Clue- Pocahontace (corn)



Party Menu

Pizza - take out or have more fun making your own with fun toppings.
Chips and dip
Veggie tray with dip
Fruit tray with dip
Make Rice Krispie Treats, Brownies or Cookies at midnight
Fondue
Hot Chocolate
Sleepover Smores
Smoothies

Make a Tutu! Instrunctions here: http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com/tutu-craft.htm

What's your favorite activity to do with your children?

Greywolf

I'm looking for new ideas for family time. When giving your answer, please give the ages of your kids. THANKS!

Answer
I can't speak to my favorite activity to do with my kids as I don't have any yet, but I can tell you what my favorite activites were with my parents when I was growing up.

The zoo was a perennial favorite for me and my siblings, throughout our entire lives (we currently range in age from 16 to 26). I loved going on hikes with my mom in our local parks and forest reserves, as we took bird and flower books and learned to identifiy the different species. One of the reserves we went to also had an interactive area where we could hold snakes, lizards, turtles, watch bees in their colony, etc. I grew up with a deep respect for nature and a knowledge of all things natural that few of my peers have. Along those same lines, we loved going to the Natural History Museum and seeing the stuffed animals and skeletons. We also took this love of the outdoors and nature to our annual vactations, where we visited almost every state within driving distance and went camping - not RV camping, but tent camping. We camped at the headwaters of the Missouri river in Minnesota, in the badlands of South Dakota, in the forests of Arkansas....camping is still a favorite activity as an adult, and it teaches a lot of life lessons too - I'm proud that I'm not a "girly" girl and can sustain myself by building a fire, knowing what is okay to eat in the wild, building a shelter, etc. I can tie knots, set up a tent in minutes, chop firewood, etc.

We also went on many picnics, where we'd pick up KFC and take a kite and a frisbee and toss it around while enjoying the sun and outdoor family time.

Building something together was always memorable, whether it was a simple birdhouse or a more elaborate fort outside.

My mother and father were both artistic, so we had many craft times. We painted and glued our own ornaments when it was Christmas time, made paper turkeys at Thanksgiving, etc.

As we got old, family game night became the highlight of the week. It started with a few games geared toward the youngest of the kids, like Chutes and Ladders or Hi Ho Cherry-O, then when they went to bed it would continue with more advanced games like Clue, Scrabble, Sequence, Scattergories and Pictionary, and card games like Poker and UNO and May I. Right now our favorite games are Settlers of Cataan and Apples to Apples. It's a tradition I hope to continue with my children when the time comes.

When we were very small, like three and four, I remember our dad making us into pizza and we'd always clamor for him to do it again. He'd lay us out in his lap, spread us out (pretending that he was rolling out the dough), toss us in the air, then spread sauce on us, put pepporonis (or whatever kind of pizza we decided to be) on us, then sprinkle us with cheese (light tickling). Then into the "oven" where we'd cook for a few seconds and out we'd come, where we'd be gobbled up. It sounds cheesy but younger kids absolutely delight in it.

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