Everyday Fun

Fun in Your Own Backyard! | Talk Games for Family Fun | The Basement Can Take It! | Take the Youngsters with You | Fun While You Motor | Fun for the Sick Child | Fun at a Picnic | Share Your Vacation Planning

FUN IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD!

Just outside our back door is a vacation spot that our youngsters claim is tops for sheer fun. It is our own backyard recreation center that we created to solve the problem of idle vacation hours for our active sons and their friends. In the past our boys, like the others in the neighborhood, always greeted the sum­mer vacation with unrestrained joy, but soon came the complaint heard all too often, "What can we do now, Mother?" We no longer hear this since we made our home playground.

Our backyard is typical of the ordinary city backyard; forty by fifty feet. Gone are the once gorgeous perennials, the rock garden and the beautiful fish pool. In their places are a number of attractions that delight the heart of any boy, and incidentally keep him very busy. We decided to devote one side of the yard to permanent play equipment, while we kept the other side free for games.

First we discovered that such a playground must be enclosed to keep all activities within our own yard—an arrangement any neighbor appreciates. Fences are ex­pensive, and we wanted our budget to provide as much play equipment as possible. After giving the matter some thought we decided upon a four-foot-high snow fence. It's inexpensive, easily erected, and is not unsightly. It comes stained red but can be easily whitewashed or painted. It not only keeps the youngsters in but also acts as a backstop for balls.

When the fence was properly in place we had to choose equipment. By popular vote a "gym" was first. There are various types available on the market. The type with dou­ble apparatus repays you in satisfaction. There is something in children that makes them want the swing or trapeze at the same moment someone else does; hence the advantage of the twin feature.

A source of lasting pleasure to youngsters is our teeter totter. This was easily made with a sawhorse and a heavy plank. Cleats nailed across the underside of the plank near the center prevent it from slipping.

The sandbox is a tradition in American childhood. A plain box filled with sand can be glorified by the ad­dition of four legs, benches attached along the sides, and a top of boards or canvas. The benches not only afford comfortable positions for the children while playing in the sand but do away with the problem of sand being car­ried into the house on small shoes—a fact appreciated by busy mothers.

In the far corner of the yard we have built a brick fire­place. This fireplace can be as simple or as elaborate as one wishes. Ours is a small one, sturdily built, using only three dozen bricks, but it draws well. It never loses in­terest for the youngsters, to say nothing of the oldsters. The boys love to do outdoor cooking. Wieners and buns, po­tatoes and husk-wrapped ears of sweet corn baked in hot coals, and dessert of toasted marshmallows is a favorite. The boys are very proud when their parents are guests at such a meal.

Perhaps you are thinking that the mosquitoes are also guests at such a meal. That problem was solved for us by building a screen house, also a family project. We had no blueprints. Its size was regulated to our needs. It was high enough to admit without stooping our six-foot Daddy. We covered the frame, which was made of crating lumber, with fine wire screen and purchased a ready-made screen door. The roof is of heavy, water-proof awning cloth. A picnic table and benches for five people makes for comfort, not only for eating but for handwork and games.

During the winter months we slide the screenhouse into the unused side of our garage. If the sides of the screen-house are made of screen windows hinged together, it can be folded during the winter months.

The side of the yard reserved for such games as croquet, juvenile badminton, and quoits, is bordered on the west by the garage. So that these games might be played after dark as well as in the daytime we hired an electrician to install an outdoor floodlight. Such lighting is not expen­sive and permits enjoyment of games during the evening. It also means no game must be left unfinished because of darkness.

Hitting the bull's-eye in a game of archery is much more intriguing and safer than shooting arrows wildly about in closely populated neighborhoods. So we set up an archery target using the garage for a backboard. The target is painted on wallboard which is backed by a thick layer of straw.

A basketball basket is also fastened to the garage wall. Youngsters love to shoot baskets and have devised various competitive basketball games.

For everyone's convenience we have one hard and fast rule. All game equipment must be put into a place pro­vided for it when the game is finished. Shelves that provide such a place were put in by the boys and their Dad inside the garage along the far end just high enough to miss the nose of the car when it is parked in the garage.

On these shelves are kept basketballs, horseshoes, shuttlecocks, rackets, and whatever other equipment is needed for the games. The boys soon learned that it is well worth their time to return each piece of equipment to its proper place on the shelves. It's such a nuisance to be continually hunting some piece of equipment whenever you want to start playing. Incidentally, the lesson of order is instilled without tiresome lectures.

For wintertime fun we convert that portion of our yard kept free for games into a skating rink. A skating rink is quite easily made with some snow, some water, and a little work.

First we make a wall around the rink of snow scraped from the area. The wall need only be ten or twelve inches high. Then we freeze the wall by sprinkling it with a garden hose which we connect to the laundry faucet in the basement and run through the basement window. At this time we also sprinkle the scraped ground to give a base for future applications of water.

After the wall and ground are coated with ice we add enough water to cover the whole area. This first water will fill the small depressions in the yard. After these are filled and frozen over, enough water is added to make a smooth surface. The rink comes out smoother if a small quantity of water is added at a time. It will take two or three applications before the rink is smooth enough to skate on. When the ice becomes roughened by too many skaters another coating of water will restore its smooth­ness.

Some springs we have found that the grass is not as thick where the rink was as it should be, although the grass has never died out entirely. We have discovered, however, that any bare spots caused by the ice or left by moving any of the play equipment can be readily repaired by the sowing of a generous amount of rye seed mixed with the grass seed. The rye comes up in two or three days, protects the slower grass growth, and can be mowed with the lawn mower.

Too much cannot be said in favor of a backyard play­ground. Your youngsters will be happy and busy having a good time and will be sharing their activities with all their friends. Also—and this is important—when the youngsters are in your own backyard you can unobtrusively keep an eye on them and know they are safe.

TALK GAMES FOR FAMILY FUN

We play Patty-cake with our babies, Ride-a­cock-horse with our toddlers, and Peek-a-boo with the little ones—then most of us stop playing games with our offspring until they are mature enough to challenge us to a game of bridge.

And that's our big mistake. We shouldn't miss a single chance for fun with our children because we don't have too long a time together. Oh, I know when Jim comes in with a black eye or bloody nose day after day you wonder, "Will he ever grow beyond this fighting stage?" But this trouble­some noisy period between cuddly babyhood and interest­ing young adulthood only lasts about nine years—the grade school years. And if we don't enjoy these young pugilists and tumble tomgirls right now we are losing a wonder­ful chance to establish pleasant relationships with them that stand us in good stead when they reach the supposedly difficult teens.

One time when we were talking about family games, one hardworking mother, hands on hips, snorted, "Humph! With all I have to do I should play games, yet!" She didn't realize that it doesn't take extra time to enjoy a few family games. These games really only take the time often used by brothers and sisters for bickering, or by parents with scolding and worrying.

For instance, at our house when the youngsters during lunch begin to argue, and whose don't, it's fun to say, "I'm going to Chicago. What shall I buy?" Immediately the game is on. The child to my right will respond with three things beginning with the first letter of the town I men­tioned. In this case he might answer, "Cows, cats, and corn." Then he says that he is going to St. Paul and his brother must name three purchases beginning with "S." The rules of this game say that these three items must be mentioned before the next player can count to ten, but for a game to be played during lunch or dinner, we elim­inate the excitement of the speed tests and play the game without it. It provides much merriment and takes no more talking than more unpleasant subjects.

Another good game to be played during mealtime we call "Cities." Dad says, "I'm going to Austin." The next one at the table names a city beginning with the last letter of the town mentioned. In this case he could say "New York." That makes the next one search for a "K" like Keo-kuk or Kalamazoo or Kansas City.

"Cities" has always been a special favorite with our family. We've played it not only during lunch, but in the car when the children get restless, or while we're cleaning up the living room. You'd be surprised how much more willing boys and girls are to dust or wipe the dishes when there's a game on.

"Snap" is a jolly game that in-betweeners enjoy. Start the game off by pointing to one of the family circle, pro­nounce a word, then spell it, such as "Dog. D O G." Then immediately count to twelve—then say "Snap." Before you reach twelve the lad or lass to whom you have pointed must name three objects, the first beginning with D, the second with O, and the third with G. If he doesn't finish before you say "Snap," he is "IT" for next time. Words of more than three letters can be used after a little prac­tice in the game.

Because there's a bit of actor in each of us, most every­one enjoys "Adverbs." Mother thinks of an adverb and then proceeds to do what the players request her to do in the manner of the adverb she has thought of, such as "Wearily," "Hastily," "Ardently," etc. Then the group tries to guess what the adverb is.

Another talk game that can be played anywhere or anytime is "Proverbs." This is enjoyed by youngsters a bit older. One thinks of a proverb. The others ask any questions they please, but in his answer the thinker-upper must use one word of the proverb. The questioner tries to discover the significant word in each answer until he can guess the proverb chosen. For instance, perhaps the proverb chosen is, "All that glitters is not gold." The questioner might ask, "Is your dress new?" and the answer might be, "Yes, but it doesn't glitter."

The person who first guesses the proverb thinks up the next one.

With the dinner work cleared up happily and quickly sometimes there is time left for table games before study or bedtime. When I was a youngster I thought of chess as an old man's game, but today's youngsters enjoy chess from the time they are about eight.

But if you don't care for such a time-consuming game, there are many other familiar games that you should haul out and brush off for fun with the youngsters. Such as checkers, tiddlywinks, parchesi, and all sorts of card games. And if you have an idea that canasta is only for the grown­ups just try the youngsters. They love it and will give you a race to win.

Incidentally there is no place like game time to teach the small fry good sportsmanship. Unless of course in your family Dad always has to win. One young lad once told us, "At home we have to let Dad win every game."

That Dad was only a spoiled boy grown tall. But we can use family game time to teach our own youngsters to take defeat gracefully, to win without too much gloating over the loser, and to accept parents as people and not as consciences on legs that catch them when they are doing wrong.

The youngsters won't be the only ones who will benefit from family games. Before you know it, you'll be looking forward to those rainy vacation days when Jack and Jill must stay in the house. Fun and laughter will replace the restless scrapping and bickering that now make those days unpleasant.

THE BASEMENT CAN TAKE IT!

Have you thought o£ your basement as an activi­ties room for your youngsters? We are not think­ing now of an expensive amusement room nor a colorful rumpus room, but just plain basement. We are so used to thinking of the basement in terms of laundry and furnace that many of us have never even thought of it as a big, uncluttered place for youngsters to play on the days when for various reasons they can't go outside.

For the little tousled-heads that are always under foot on rainy or sub-zero days a sandbox of white sand in the pleasantest corner of the basement provides endless enter­tainment. The youngsters soon learn to keep the sand in its box and there is no more likelihood of sand being tracked upstairs than there is of its being tracked into the house from an outdoor sandbox.

All small fry love to swing. Rope swings swung low can be fastened to the heavy crossbeams of the basement ceil­ing.

Children a bit older get a lot of fun from bean bags. A clever bean-bag board can be made from a board about two feet wide and two and one-half or three feet long. Holes must be cut in it for eyes, nose, and mouth. The openings for the eyes should be about seven inches long and five inches wide. The mouth should be about four inches long and ten inches wide. The base of the nose triangle should be about eight inches long. This board can be placed either against the wall or supported by a hinged prop.

If the children want to make a regular game of it and keep score, they stand in line ten to fifteen feet from the board. Each player has five bean bags, or five bags may be used by several players playing in turn. A bag thrown into the mouth counts five points, one into the nose ten points, and for each eye twenty points. The first player to get one hundred points is declared winner.

The basement floor makes an ideal roller skating rink. While the younger ones are perfectly happy skating the older ones crave a little more excitement and the smooth basement floor becomes a rink for "Rollerskate Polo." This game is a product of our boys' imagination, is fast and furious and is a vent for excess steam. Each player wields a croquet mallet but only one ball is used. A goal is set up at each end of the basement and the game is on. The boys choose sides and each team tries to get the ball into the opponent's goal. The team first making five goals is the winner.

Another original roller skating game is an "Obstacle Course." Tin cans salvaged from the rubbish box are set up at various distances and skaters maneuver through the openings between cans much as a skier maneuvers around trees on an open hillside.

Tin cans and croquet balls are all the equipment needed for an indoor "Bowling Game." Ten tin cans are set up in ten-pin formation. One point is given for every tenpin knocked over and fifteen is scored if all the cans fall at one shot.

Less noisy but still lots of fun is a "Jar Ring Toss." A board about twenty-eight inches square is prepared by driving at an angle twenty-three nails three inches long part way into it or by screwing into it little right-angle hooks like those used to hold curtain rods. Each hook is given a value of twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten or five points. Figures can be cut from a calendar and pasted on.

The board can be hung against the wall or set on a ta­ble. Its center should be about shoulder high. The players stand ten feet from the board. Each is given twelve rubber jar rings, which he tries to throw onto the nails or hooks having the highest numbers. The players throw three times in a play and rotate four times. It is well to mark the rings with crayon or paint so that each person may identify his own in counting the final score.

"Miss the Bell" is a game that's fun and easy to arrange for. A bell is suspended in a hoop about eight inches in diameter and a small ball is given to the players. They take turns tossing the ball through the hoop without caus­ing the bell to ring. One point is scored each time the ball goes through and three points are scored if the bell does not ring.

"Basement Button Snap" is our glorified version of tiddlywinks. Draw two chalk lanes about a foot wide along the floor and supply each player with two buttons. One he places on the staring line. With the other he snaps the first one down his lane to the goal as soon as the signal is given. Snapping consists of pressing the edge of one but­ton with the other in such a way that the under one flies ahead. If a button leaves its lane it must be put back at the starting line and snapped on its way again. Obstacles over which the buttons are snapped add interest to the game. The player who first drives his button to the goal wins the game.

"Barrel Toss" is a good game for a change. The players stand about twenty feet away from a barrel and throw stones or wooden blocks into it. Each may have five throws and a point may be awarded for each stone or block that goes in. The throwing line may be put farther back when the players are experts.

Boys always like to wrestle and tumble and practice rolls and falls. These lads will have endless fun if you put an old mattress on the basement floor. The boys will need no rules or encouragement to start their fun. They'll soon create their own contests and maybe get Dad to join the fun.

For children old enough to play with sharp-pointed darts, here's a homemade game that's fun. Make three darts by cutting the heads from matches. Slit one end so that a piece of folded paper about two and one-half inches square can be slipped into the slit. Into the other end of the match force the eye-end of a large sewing needle. A circular target whose outside circle is not more than fifteen inches in diameter is drawn on a wall board or a piece of heavy cardboard and hung shoulder high on the wall.

The players stand about eight feet away from the target and each tries to throw the three darts so as to pierce the target as near the bull's-eye as possible. For each dart that sticks firmly in a space the player receives the number of points marked in that space. Nothing is counted for darts touching a line.

Turn your youngsters loose downstairs where the walls won't mar and the floors won't scuff. The kids will have fun and you'll enjoy the quiet order of your living rooms.

TAKE THE YOUNGSTERS WITH YOU

We have made many trips by car from Minnesota to Florida, and from Minnesota to Texas, not to mention numerous shorter trips—with two small active boys as passengers. If we have learned nothing else we have learned this, that if both you and the children are going to enjoy your vacation by car you must plan for it. You can't take an active youngster, plop him down in the car with nothing to do except to ride all day, and have the youngster happy. Or if he is, I'll guarantee you won't be, because if small youngsters don't have something def­inite to do, they'll find something to do, and it may not be in accord with your idea of the proper occupation for a passenger in your car.

We acquired our boys one at a time so when we made our first trips, we had just one small son to cope with. One of the first things we learned was that the youngster wanted to see what was going on. A most natural desire. Can you imagine yourself riding all day and only being able to see bits of the sky as you look up at an angle through the car window? A child's auto seat is a great convenience, but in many instances we found it took too much space. As a substitute we purchased a small straight red chair. The child loved the color. We placed it in the seat between Daddy and Mother. This enabled our young lad to see out the front or side windows with the greatest of ease. From this seat he would ride contentedly for long periods. When he became sleepy it was easy to shift him to our laps or lay him on the back seat for a snooze.

But time went on and we acquired another boy. We still loved to travel. But two small, active boys are more than twice the problem of one. When two boys have nothing to do they can always wrestle, which is bad for luggage and for parents' morale. Then too they can fight, which not only upsets the adults but the children as well. So we learned to plan.

In the first place we try to make as much use of the car trunk for luggage as possible, to allow plenty of room in the back seat for the youngsters. We try to use judgment in deciding on what we can get along without.

Before starting on our journey we have found it wise to talk over the trip with the lads. We show them on the map just where we plan to go, and about how long we expect to be en route, and what there'll be to see along the way. You'll be surprised how it helps if your youngsters know ahead of starting time that they will be riding all day for several days in succession.

We plan with the boys what toys they would like to take along to play with in the car, restricting each to a small bag container. We have found such things as small mosaic blocks, small cars and airplanes, color crayons, books to color, and packages of colored construction paper ideal to take along. Such things require little space and provide much entertainment.

Endless snowflake designs can be made from toilet tissue by tearing off the little squares and folding them into smaller squares, and clipping off various corners with round-tipped shears or making notches in the sides or centers. When the squares are unfolded each one is dif­ferent and surprisingly attractive. To add to the fun the flakes can be colored, even though we've never seen purple snow.

In addition to the things the boys take with them we have a surprise box. From the dime store we buy small articles and wrap them in separate packages to be opened on the way. On one of our last trips we purchased a small cardboard barn of the folding variety, which was set up on the ledge above the back seat in the car. This was sur­prise package Number One. Packages for the following days were small animals, wagons, and tractors. Any small piece that belonged to a farm was wrapped each in a sep­arate package, and each boy had one package a day to open. Great was the speculation as to what each package con­tained. The back ledge made an ideal place to set up the farm equipment. The boys rested on their knees on the car seat and spent many happy hours playing farm.

When they grew tired we all joined in various games. One of our old favorites is "Cities," described on page 198. It is interesting and surprising to note how quickly even the youngest child catches on to the sounds of the letters and soon becomes familiar with the names of many cities.

Another old standby that can be used for a car game is "My Grandmother." Someone starts off with some state­ment like "My Grandmother likes wasps but she doesn't like bees." The trick is for the following players to name objects not beginning with the letter "B" for her to like, and name others beginning with the letter "B" for her to dislike. In this case one could say, "My grandmother likes milk or honey or trees but she doesn't like bread or butter or black walnuts." Another basic sentence can start the game. "My grandmother likes coffee but not tea (T), or "My grandmother likes tomatoes but not peas (Ps)." For young children keep the words simple. The older children like to branch out a bit. This game makes the children very word conscious.

The "Color" game is always good. "I see something blue." Then the rest of the family name "blue" objects in the car. The one guessing the correct answer is "IT" and he'll probably choose some other color.

The youngsters like to play "I'm going to New York and take along—." The first player names something he'd like to take, the second repeats the first-named objects and adds one of his own, and so on around the group. Of course, the sillier the objects named the funnier the game, espe­cially when the list gets long and involved.

When you think you'd like a little quiet in the car sug­gest that the first one that speaks is a "Monkey's tail." You'd be surprised how quiet small fry can be to avoid being a "Monkey's tail."

This is the pattern we follow when vacationing by car with the family. We have found that not only the young­sters but the oldsters as well thoroughly enjoy these family trips. So don't postpone that trip by car, waiting for the children to grow up. Always remember that nothing is more educational for all ages than travel.

FUN WHILE YOU MOTOR

We have found the following games delightful family entertainment while motoring through the country.

One of our party favorites is "Shopping." It is easily played in a car. You will find variations of it described on pages 198 and 208.

Another excellent car game we call "Air, Water, and Fire." The one who is "IT" points to one of the players and calls out one of the three words "Air, Water, or Fire" and then quickly counts to ten. The player designated must name an animal living in the element called; unless the word "Fire" is called, then he makes no answer. For instance in answer to "Air" a player can say "blue jay" or "dog." If he fails to answer correctly before ten is counted or if he mentions an animal another player has already mentioned, he then becomes "IT." This game is lots of fun and educational as well because eventually a great many animals are named and their habitats learned.

There are several variations of the game of "Cities" which we have described on page 198. Another version of the same game is to restrict the names of the cities or towns used to a specific state or country. Everyone learns a lot of geography with this game.

A spelling match in the car is always fun. The spelling master chooses any two letters of the alphabet, for instance "F" and "D," announces them and says that "F" will be indicated by the spellers raising the right hand and "D" the left hand. Then the master pronounces the words trying always to pronounce as many words as possible containing "F" and "D." To spell the word "Ford" the speller raised his right hand for "F," then says "O" and "R" and raises his left hand for "D." After a bit of prac­tice the spellers can use more difficult words and more signs. Take the word "find." For "F" raise the right hand, say "I N," for "D" raise the left hand. For the letter "I" touch the eye, for "U" point to the spelling master, for "R" whistle, and for "S" nod the head. The player who misses becomes the next spelling master.

Another game that is exciting is a word builder. The first player starts off with a two-letter word such as "he." The second player adds a letter, perhaps "t," to make the word "the." The third player adds still another letter, perhaps "n," making "then." The next player can add the letter "i," making the word "thine." And so on until no more letters can be added which will make another word. Then the next person in turn can choose another two-letter word to start another chain of words. It is sur­prising what long words can be built up in this way.

FUN FOR THE SICK CHILD

When your youngster is sick, whether he is re­covering from a case of sniffles or convalescing from a more serious ailment, remember that play is as important for him while he is in bed as when he is well. According to the doctors, a child who is happily occupied recovers much faster than a child who is irked with having to stay in bed.

From a mother's standpoint we all know that a happy child is much easier to care for than an irritable one. If the youngster has something to do he won't be constantly calling for mother, and neither will he be wearing him­self out with threshing about.

While doctors urge us to keep these convalescing young­sters happily busy they do not tell us how to do it. How­ever, there are many excellent play materials right at hand in almost every home that can be put to use to keep Junior happy although in bed.

Before launching into any play activity for your sick youngster keep in mind certain basic principles. Because a sick child tires very easily it is better to give him too little to do rather than too much. A bed cluttered with toys is very confusing to the sick so it is better to give him only one thing at a time to do.

An excellent way of handling play material for the con­valescent is to have a number of trays. For instance, a child might think he'd like to work on a puzzle. Then find after putting a piece or two together that he is tired. The tray can be set aside without disturbing the puzzle and can be given to him at another time to work on when he is rested.

Pick the type of play you give your child so that it will be within his strength and ability to handle. Nothing must be too exacting, for ill children seldom care to exert them­selves.

Do not start any play activities until the youngster has had his morning bath and whatever attention he needs. If possible, it is wise to move the child to another bed for the day. Even a very young child will appreciate a change of scenery and surroundings. And incidentally it encour­ages better sleep if his night bed is not his daytime play­ground.

After the young invalid is all set for the day produce a magic hat. Father's old top hat will add a touch of magic, but any hat will do. Let the youngster draw one of the many slips you have prepared and put into the hat. When he reads the slip he has drawn, or you read it for him, he will know what his first activity for the day will be. These slips can contain this type of information: "You may play with your puzzle; you may have the paper dolls; or you may play with the surprise box." There should be enough slips in the hat to cover all types of activity needed for a full day. These same slips can be put back into the hat for another day.

The surprise box can be a shoe box covered with gay crepe paper in which you can put bits of things for a child to play with. Your own child's tastes will govern the con­tents of this box, of course. For a little girl bits of silk and lace to dress a doll are always a joy. I well remember a surprise box of my childhood given to me on Christmas.

It contained nothing more than odds and ends of materials and laces collected by the family from the scrap basket. It delighted my little girl's heart more than all the other expensive toys put together.

For a boy the surprise box can contain mosaic blocks, a new knife and some soap for carving, hammer and nails, and a saw to be used at a later date when he is up and about. He'll love looking at them and dreaming and plan­ning about the things he'll be able to make later.

Perhaps the slip the child draws from the magic hat will say "You may draw a package from the grab bag." Be sure to have the grab bag ready into which you have put little boxes, spools, favors from parties, old Christmas cards and other odds and ends you have gathered up around the house which might afford a youngster a bit of fun.

A sick child always likes to watch things grow. An in­door garden can be fashioned from a heavy tar-paper box. A landscape scene can be arranged in a flat box with tiny slips of plants for borders, real grass growing in the center and tiny stepping stones. Grass seed will begin to sprout in three days and can be loads of fun for the youngster to watch.

Children like to watch bulbs grow, but for fast action grow a carrot top. Scoop out the inside of a carrot about half way down. Hang it by a string near the bed and keep some water in it. It will sprout new greenery in a hurry.

That favorite of our childhood, a Cinderella garden, is fun for a youngster and simple to make. Soak in clear water a large coal or coke clinker or a number of small ones for several hours. Rinse thoroughly and place in a low flat bowl. Mix one cup of salt with two cups of water and pour the solution over the clinkers. The solution should be about one inch deep. Drop in a little mercurochrome, bluing or water-color paints for color. In a day or two crystals will begin to form and grow. More salt and water can be added later if needed.

If your youngster likes pets, and most of them do, try having a goldfish bowl nearby or a tiny turtle, or a tad­pole or two in the bowl. Of course a bird is company too, but if you don't already have one it would run into more money than these other pets I have mentioned. Dogs are usually too active to have in the room, and cats are usually frowned upon as sickroom pets by the medicos.

If the child must have medicine on schedule, make a medicine clock out of a paper plate. Use cardboard hands secured with a metal paper fastener. Then set the hands on the medicine clock at the time when the next dose is to be taken. Place near this a real clock. When the hands on the real clock coincide with those on the medicine clock, even a rebellious youngster will think it fun to remind you that it's medicine time. At least he'll be mentally pre­pared for the visit of bottle and spoon.

A play clock can be made in a similar manner. Perhaps the invalid will enjoy making this second clock himself. On this clock set the hands ahead every hour. When the real clock catches up to the play clock the young patient will enjoy an automatic change of occupation.

Another interesting sickroom adjunct is a bulletin board. This needs to be no more than a large sheet of paper on the wall. On it post messages for the doctor, news from Dad's office, and cartoons snipped from the cur­rent papers or magazines.

And don't forget pinwheels or windmills. They are lots of fun for young patients. Take a piece of colored construction paper about four inches square and cut or tear from each corner to within three-fourths of an inch of the center. Pick up on the end of a pin—piercing from the back to the front—four alternate half corners. After you have the four half corners on the pin, put the point through the exact center of the paper and mount the wheel on the end of a stick or against some flat surface where the wind will make it whirl. The eraser end of a pencil is a good spot on which to stick your windmill.

Youngsters will spend oodles of time blowing the wind­mill, or the wind will blow it if it is fastened in an open window. To add variety to the windmill making, let the child use white paper and color designs on the square be­fore it is pinned into shape.

Young children love "Finger Fairies." They can be drawn or traced on heavy white paper. Two fingers are inserted into the holes in the body to take the place of legs. You can make the finger fairy walk or dance up your arm or over the bedspread. And the fairy can tell Junior it is time for this or that. As soon as the youngsters get acquainted with your finger fairies they'll want some of their own. Draw one for the young invalid, except that you make the holes to fit his fingers. He'll love marching it up and down.

The mailman can help you with your sick child too. Drop postal cards in the mail addressed to the invalid. If you have time and the knack you can write little letters or draw funny pictures for the bed-ridden one—then mail them. They'll be ever so much more interesting if they come through the mail. The arrival of the mailman will help break the day's monotony.

Let your imagination run riot. When you enter the sick­room don't always be just plain Mother. Be a lady coming to call or the garbage man stopping in for a chat. Before you know it Junior will become another person—maybe a king or a queen, and you'll have to curtsy when you enter the room. Chuckles will greet you instead of whines if you catch his fancy in this game.

The radio can be your child's friend, but for Heaven's sake watch what programs he is listening to or he may wear himself out listening to too many thriller-dillers.

Beside the puzzle we spoke of there are many kinds of handwork that are diverting. All of this equipment can be served on trays as needed. Scissors and paste, modeling clay, crayons, paper dolls, mosaic blocks, soap for carving, and doll furniture. The doll furniture can be made by the youngster or for the youngster out of safety-match boxes and cardboard and heavy paper.

Whatever you do, don't fail to be proud of the results of Junior's efforts. Even though his work turns out to be very poor, remember that he needs encouragement and praise. It doesn't matter how well he carves a horse, what counts is that he is busy carving.

When mealtime rolls around be sure that the helpings on his plate are small. It's very discouraging to face a big plate of food when your appetite is skittish. It's easy to fold a sheet of paper and pin it tepee fashion to set over his plate. He'll think it lots more fun eating a meal the Indians left.

Here's hoping all your children will stay well, but if they should be laid up don't let the worry and work keep you from bringing play activities to the child. For a busy child is a happy child, and a happy child recovers more quickly.

FUN AT A PICNIC

Does your family enjoy a picnic? Is there any better way to enjoy the balmy air and bright sunshine than to get the family, and perhaps some congenial friends, together in some pleasant spot out of doors, lay aside your dignity, along with your town clothes and join the children in a real frolic with some good things to eat thrown in?

The lunch need not be an elaborate one because the enchantment of the outdoors makes the simplest food delicious. Roasted potatoes, sweet corn roasted in the husks, and steaks grilled over the open fire never fail to please, or if you are not the boy-or-girl-scout type, and do not enjoy outdoor cooking, the food can all be prepared at home. Good old potato salad with deviled eggs, hearty sandwiches and fruit are always easy to serve.

A true and tried way to prevent too many fist fights and too many duckings in the creek by the younger members of the crowd is to keep them busy with games planned ahead of time.

On the way to the picnic ground usually excitement pre­vails. To calm the younger members of the family and to ease that sense of tenseness, we divide our carload into two teams. One team watches the right-hand side of the road and the other the left. The teams count cows, win­ning one point for every cow seen except for the white ones which count five points. This keeps the children busy, and busy children are not restless. To add spice to the game for the older youngsters we have a ruling that when­ever a member of one team sees a white horse on the op­ponent's side of the road, it cancels all the opponent's points, and that side must start over again. Usually a total of 100 or 150 points is agreed upon as game.

If our chosen picnic spot is so secluded that we must hike through the woods to reach it, we play the game by giving one point for every tree of a certain variety seen and five points for something special. For instance, in our locality we award one point for every spruce spotted, and five points for every white birch. This is a most fascinat­ing game and incidentally teaches the children to be ob­serving.

Right after our picnic lunch we try to have a game that is not too active and still exciting enough to interest even the most energetic. "Air, Water, and Fire," mentioned before on page 209, is quite a favorite with us. Many times we have played it as a car game while motoring through the country. Here, at the picnic spot, all but one of the entire group sit in a circle. The extra player stands in­side the circle and throws a small ball or knotted hand­kerchief at someone and at the same time calls out one of the three words, "Air, Water, or Fire," and then quickly counts to ten. The player at whom this was thrown must name an animal living in the element called; or if the word "Fire" is called, there must be no response. If he fails to answer correctly before ten is counted; or if he mentions an animal that another player has already named, he must change places with the thrower.

After this game the youngsters and oldsters as well are ready for a more active game. "Duck on Rock" is loads of fun to play out in the open. Each player must have a bean bag, which is called his duck. A large rock or a stump is chosen as the duck rock and twenty-five feet from it a line is drawn. Each player throws his duck from this line. The one whose duck falls nearest the rock becomes the first guard. He lays his duck on the rock and stands by it.

The other players then stand behind the line and take turns in throwing their ducks at the duck on the rock, try­ing to knock it off. After each throw a player must recover his own duck and run home (back of the line). If he is tagged by the guard while trying to do this, he must change places with the guard. The guard may tag him whenever he is in front of the line, unless he stands with his foot on his own duck where it fell. He may stand thus as long as he wishes, awaiting a chance to run home; but the mo­ment he lifts his duck from the ground or takes his foot from it, he may be tagged. He is not allowed to lay his duck on the ground again after he has once lifted it to run.

The guard must not tag any player unless his own duck is on the rock. If it has been knocked off, he must pick it up and replace it before he may chase anyone. This re­placing gives the thrower who knocked it off some time to recover his own duck and run home. As long as the guard's duck stays on the rock, several throwers may have to wait before they can try to recover their ducks.

A player tagged by the guard must put his own duck on the rock and become guard. The one who is no longer guard must get his duck from the rock and run for the line as quickly as possible, because he can now be tagged as soon as the new duck is on the rock.

If a duck falls very near the rock without knocking the guard's duck off, the guard may challenge its thrower by calling "Span!" This gives him time to measure with his hand the distance between the rock and that duck. I£ the distance is shown to be less than a span (the distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger), the thrower must change places with the guard as if he had been tagged.

"Duck on Rock" is especially good for family groups because it does not entail running great distances and even the most rotund can compete. Also strategy enters in to such an extent that adult strategy can often offset youthful agility.

If your family is a musical one a nice way to end a picnic and to calm everyone down before starting home is to sing a group of songs around the camp fire. But if singing isn't your forte, perhaps your family would enjoy going "Shopping." As you may have read on page 198, a player who is the shopper walks around, stops before one of the group, and says, "I'm going to Denver. What can I buy?" He then counts to ten. Before he finishes counting, the player before whom he is standing must name three ob­jects that begin with "D" (as dolls, dresses, and daisies). If he fails, he must take the place of the shopper. Any city may be named. However, the things to be bought must always begin with the same letter with which the name of the city begins.

The purchases that pop into one's head might be a re­vealing study for some psychiatrist, so if there is one in your group you'd better sing songs instead. Many times the most staid member of the family will purchase the weirdest assortment of objects, much to everyone's amuse­ment.

I hope you enjoy your picnic.

SHARE YOUR VACATION PLANNING

More than half the fun of a vacation trip is in anticipation; especially if your family has young­sters in it. At least, that's the way it is with us. If the whole family becomes interested in a coming vacation the trip itself is more enjoyable for everyone concerned. We try to bring our travel interests out of the abstract into the concrete long before vacation time arrives.

When our third-grader comes home from school and says, "We're learning about Indians," he starts something. When he tells of some of the interesting things he has learned of Indian lore someone pipes up, "What fun to visit an Indian reservation this summer!" At that the bars are down. Opinions fly thick and fast in good old family style.

After days of discussion, pro and con, we agree that a trip to the Navajo country would be fun—that land of fifteen million acres where tall men and graceful women weave the famous Navajo rugs.

The fascinating pastime of gathering information is on. Daddy brings home travel folders from the railroad and plane companies that tell how best to reach the Na­vajo country. Jim, our oldest, who is history conscious, brings home library books on background stories of this Indian tribe. Sometimes we read these stories and some­times Jim reads them and tells us about them.

Fourteen-year-old Bob, the family mathematician, looks up the various routes by which a present-day family can visit the colorful Navajos. He then figures mileages and costs. He compares the advantages of travel by plane, by rail, or by car. He finds out the various scenic spots to be found on the way.

Grandma, whose interest is music, looks up old Indian songs and brings to us either in record form or piano music some of these songs that we can hear and learn. Closely connected with the Indian songs are the Indian dances and legends. The younger boys love to beat out the Indian rhythms on the drum. Not to omit anything we learn some Indian war calls and let the youngsters whoop it up (when they are in the basement).

We discover that our public library has an extensive Indian display in their museum. We find fascinating In­dian relics at the museum of our State University. Trips to museums are so much more fun for youngsters if they have a definite purpose in making the visit.

A forth-coming birthday brings a gift of a stereoscope with a set of third dimensional pictures of the Indian country. The entire family from the oldest to the young­est enjoy looking at these and they make an ideal quiet-time activity for the youngsters.

Incidentally we find our travel interest a help during a siege of chicken pox. The youngsters cut out from the various travel circulars we have accumulated pictures illustrating our vacation trip-to-be, and paste them into an inexpensive scrap book. They print or write under each picture a few facts concerning the picture.

When the question of clothes for the trip arises Tommy is all for wearing only Indian feathers and war paint. However, with the help of the older boys we are able to persuade him to dress more in keeping with the white man.

We plan our wardrobe with an eye on the season and the climate, of course, but more than that we try to be travel wise and take only clothes that will pack compactly and will not wrinkle too much. If you are traveling with boys this is fairly easy. Polo shirts with either long or short sleeves as well as "T" shirts can be packed into an unbe­lievably small space. This leaves more space for the few dress shirts and other necessary clothing.

By this time our family is so well informed and so en­thusiastic about the Navajo Indian that when summer comes the entire group is all set for the well-planned vacation. The travel time will not be dull or tiresome to the younger children because they will be aware of what to look for. A child is a poor traveler only when he is bored and time hangs heavy on his hands. A well-planned and discussed trip makes even a young child interested in the changing scenes.

For the year when our budget just can't squeeze out a vacation trip we use our travel technique for family fun on a different scale. For instance, a trip delightful to think about might be a trip to the moon. Silly you say? Not a bit of it. A family of youngsters is always highly interested in the sky world. Such a trip was the beginning of our Jim's interest in astronomy. We got books from the library that introduced us to the heavens. The boys were delighted to find the big dipper, the little dipper, Bruin, and the various other constellations.

Of course, Bob couldn't figure the cost of such a trip, but our mathematician got a kick out of computing dis­tances, the speed of the rockets and the time it would take to reach the moon if such a rocket could go all the way.

Our astronomical interest took us to the University for views of the heavens through their telescope. The youngsters learned of Chicago's planetarium which we were fortunate enough to visit at a later time. If a trip to the moon ever does become an actuality I'm afraid our young­sters will be clamoring to go, for their interest in the sky world is very real.

Whether we plan an imaginary trip or some honest-to-goodness one, we have found that there is no more satis­fying family fun than getting ready for it. Our vacation fun is really threefold; the fun of planning and anticipating, the actual trip, and the reminiscing during the following weeks and months.