Or at least we used to be…

I was an apprentice entomologist.

I spent many happy hours belly down on the grass in my backyard, observing ants foraging for food and carrying it back to their forever active and freshly dug ant hills.

Interestingly, I haven’t seen any ant hills here in the Pacific Northwest since moving here in 2006. At least, not like the ones back east. They were EVERYWHERE in upstate New York. Alabama had a lot of ant hills too, but they were home to the red ant variety (and you didn’t want to be belly down too close to those!)

In New York, we had the medium and large-sized, black ants. I remember being mesmerized by the antennae greetings as they passed each other at the portal to their complex chambers underground. I always imagined that they were high-fiving each other as they passed — but deep down, I knew it was more significant than that.

Hey, I was curious!

I will admit that it was during this same period of entomological curiosity when I experimented with the magnification of the suns rays. What can I say? Curiosity combined with childhood sometimes leads to bad decisions.

And with that childhood blanket defense, I may as well confess that I also explored the magnification of the sun’s rays on the backs of my schoolmates necks when we were standing in line at the Assumption School. But, everybody was doing it. Ouch!

I was an archeologist.

As a young, curious boy, I spent days sifting through the eroding bank of soft dirt at the edge of Lockwood Drive that led down steeply into the Annsville woods. I found some really cool things there. Some native American arrowheads and old medicine bottles from earlier days there. Everything that I brought back into the house at the end of those days was a real treasure to me. For some reason, my mother didn’t think so. But then, she wasn’t an archeologist like me, was she?

Of course, like all young archeologists, we tried to dig to China a few times as well. Once, my brother and I thought that we might find a tunnel behind our closet wall. About thirty minutes later, we climbed through the crumbled plaster into our parent’s room. Their reaction must have been traumatic, because for the life of me, I can’t remember how they reacted. It must be suppressed.

I was a young explorer.

Some of my favorite childhood memories involve long hours pedaling down new streets and paths on my banana seat bike with the center gear shaft. Every turn down a previously unexplored avenue held endless possibilities. As an explorer, the top of every hill had potential to offer the most magnificent view. Each new trail off the road might lead to a secret world, previously unexplored by any other kids in the neighborhood — an undiscovered landmark full of mystery and adventure. A young boy couldn’t resist a mysterious trail or unknown road. We were childhood pioneers and adventure was our game.

We also explored old buildings that were left vacant for whatever reason. There was a sense of danger when we did this, especially if the vacant building had a No Trespassing sign nearby. But, that just made us more curious. Why do they not want people trespassing there? What are they trying to hide?

The fact that we most likely read a Hardy Boys mystery the night before only stoked our imaginations of what might be in the next room or in the concealed cave in the woods. The Fort Hill woods in Peekskill actually had some cool hidden caves, and plenty of Revolutionary War remnants, like old stone walls where muskets once lay.

We had BB gun wars in those Fort Hill woods. Don’t worry, though — we had a two-pump rule and we wore sunglasses.

When I was young, children sought out adventure. We were curious about everything around us. It didn’t take much to get our imagination running wild. I sometimes wonder if children today are filled with the same natural curiosity about the natural world around them?

Are they still filled with adrenaline when a new path is discovered in the woods?

Do they still think there is treasure somewhere underneath their feet?

I hope so, because there is.

There really is.

Maybe we can start a game of kick-the-can later.

Tag. You’re it!

Looking for fun party games for girls?

Look no further…

Super Dad has three daughters, and over the last twelve years has hosted more than 26 epic outdoor and indoor parties for his girls and their active, giddy, fancy, mischievous, loopy, sullen, shy and trendy friends.

With a few exceptions, we host birthday parties for our girls at our house. Both my wife and I grew up in families that did the same. I think that most birthday parties in the 1970s and 80s took place in the birthday boy or girl’s house. At least, I don’t remember going to many birthday parties at the local bowling alley or Chuck E. Cheese when I was a kid.

Interesting historical fact about family entertainment venues – Chuck E. Cheese was founded as Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre by in 1977, officially being labeled as the first family restaurant to integrate food, animated entertainment, and an indoor arcade.

For some parents, the thought of planning and hosting a party in their own home for a group of young girls or boys seems daunting. For me, there is nothing more rewarding as a Dad than to see the big smiles on my daughters when their friends say, “This is the best party ever!”

Planning your own party games is also a throwback to simpler times, when it was customary to celebrate occasions in your neighborhood home, with homemade food  (and cake!), handcrafted decorations and DIY backyard entertainment. There is something very warm and cozy about the familiarity and tradition of homemade celebrations. It fills the air with mirth and transforms a house into a home.

So, without further ado..

Top 5 Fun Party Games for Girls
by Super Dad

1. A Dress Up Relay Race

This is a really fun party game for girls and boys. There are many variations, but each involves competing teams of girls putting on a variety of superfluous clothing and accessories and making their way to the other end of the course where the next girl dresses up. This continues until each girl finishes.

To make this game really fun, incorporate silly items such as flippers, snorkel masks, umbrellas and bathrobes.

Below is a video showing one variation of this game. Of course, the real beauty of creative kids play is that games can be (and should be) adapted as needed or desired to either make them more difficult for more advanced players or easier for younger players.

2. An Obstacle Course Relay

An obstacle course is a great idea for a backyard party game because you can adapt the course as needed to suit the age and ability of the children at the party. Your imagination is the only limit in this game. You can make it as silly or serious as you want (FYI – 9 out of 10 kids choose silly over serious every time.)

Add elements of the obstacle course that require the girls to twirl like ballerinas, ride a tricycle, dodge water balloons, crawl through a box, spin around 10 times fast, complete a hopscotch round, complete a round of jacks, push a ball with their noses or whatever else would appeal to the girls at your particular party.

You can either have each girl on a time run the course individually, in turns or; to make it even more fun, create a course that requires all girls on a team to navigate the course together at the same time while connected by a single rope as a snake!

3. A Themed Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt is always a fun party game. I recently created a Sherlock Holmes Mystery Treasure Hunt for my daughter’s 12th birthday party and it was a huge success. Again, you can adapt the game as needed for all ages, interests and abilities.

4. A “You Look Marvelous, Darling” Fashion Show

This fun game can be played inside or outside. Divide the girls into teams of three or four. Each team has 20 minutes to create a fashion style using only toilet paper. Then, each team’s model will strut down the catwalk. You can add whatever silly accessories you want to this game, but the idea is to get the girls to use their imagination, so less is more in this game.

You can have a panel of judges award each team points for creativity, silliness and marvelousness.

5. Sardines

Sardines is a classic childhood game that I included in my book, RetroActive: Skip, Hop and You Don’t Stop (Games We Played). Basically, it is Hide and Seek in reverse.

In Sardines, one girl hides inside and all the others count to 100 outside (or vice versa.) The role of each seeker is to quietly find the first hider without letting the other seekers know.

When one of the seekers finds the hiding place, she asks “Are you the sardine?” If the hider responds “Yes, I am the sardine.” the seeker quietly joins the first sardine rather than announcing that she was discovered. This continues until all but one of the girls are sardines.

The sardines can move to a new hiding place if they need more space or just want to keep one step ahead of the seekers.

This game is always good if giggles is what you’re after and fun for all ages.

When I asked what treats she received on her breakfast tray; she smiled and said, “There was a bottle of ketchup, two apples and a Kit Kat.”

I can’t wait to see what “breakfast” items are on the next tray that gets placed on my bed.

I can guarantee you that it will be delicious, regardless of what it is.

This morning, I was researching instructional technology and soon found myself hunting for images of vintage SRA reading cards. Why did I end up there?

via Journey back to SRA

What a wonderful flashback!

I have been thinking about the fun I had using the SRA card system back in the Assumption School in Peekskill, New York back in the 1970s. My mother was a reading teacher, so we would often wait in her reading resource room after work until she was done for the day. I used that time to make my way through the color coded cards from the SRA box and was always so excited to move up through the colors to the advanced dark purples, even though I agree with Brave Girl Copy that there is something special about those Aqua colored SRA cards.

Here are some links to other old-school SRA memories, information and resources

http://allaboutthe1970s.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-remember-those.html

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=388132

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SRA-Reading-Parade-Lab-Vintage-Set-in-Storage-Case-1977-/300634812800?pt=US_Childrens_Books&hash=item45ff3b3180

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Super-A-SRA-Reading-Kit-70s-Warner-Marvel-Batman-Superman-Wonder-Woman-/150903513655?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item23228ce237

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TONYS-ADVENTURE-Vintage-SRA-Reading-Program-Reader-Level-G-/200711391701?pt=US_Childrens_Books&hash=item2ebb54c9d5

McGraw Hill is still publishing the SRA; but in my mind, nothing can compare to the retro look and feel of the SRA of the 1970s.

Now, let’s check your reading comprehension from the story at the top of this post, shall we?

SRA READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

SRA READING COMPREHENSION ANSWER KEY

Unable to sleep, my five year old daughter climbed into bed with me last night. I had been doing some work and was happy to take a break, so I decided to browse hulu.com to see if I could find a short program to watch with her for a little while until she fell asleep.

Lo and behold, I found a classic TV show from 1970 that brought me back to the days when snot ran unabashedly from my nose and the soles of my Pro-Keds were worn smooth from my constant movement.

Check out the cast of the Electric Company;

• Morgan Freeman (, Bill Cosby (um, he’s Bill Cosby),
• Rita Moreno (has won an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony award!),
• Lee Chamberlin (Let’s Do It Again, All My Children),
• Hattie Winston (Becker, Girlfriends, The Game),
• Gregg Burge (The scarecrow in The Wiz and choreographer for Michael Jackson’s “Bad” video),
• Luis Avalos (Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Full House, Hill Street Blues, $5 a day),
• June Angela (MADtv, Hannah Montana, ER, Dexter)

You can check up on The Electric Company cast, then and now.

Did you watch The Electric Company?

There aren’t too many books that I remember reading as a young boy. I was usually too busy climbing trees, building forts, riding bikes, throwing balls or playing games to read much back then. But there was something about A Big Ball of String (originally published in 1958) that captured my attention and sent my imagination into overdrive.

It was my go-to book whenever I was sick and kept home from school.

I jumped into bed
With my string in a ball.
With my string.
With my string,
I can do ANYTHING.
Anything, anything,
ANYTHING AT ALL!
I can turn on my light!
I can put on my gown!
I can pull the shade up!
I can pull the shade down!
I can bring in the cat,
With a mouse on the floor!
I can turn off the light!
I can shut the hall door!

What would you do with your big ball of string?

A few weeks slipped by and before we knew it, the day of the party (and treasure hunt) was upon us.

Suddenly, we realized that this excellent idea actually required some planning, organizing and effort.

So, with an empathetic, parental nod to others who agreed, like us, decided to host a treasure hunt and are now realizing that time isn’t on your side; here is how I structured the treasure hunt mystery game for our daughter’s party.

Mystery Party: Treasure Hunt Clues, Riddles and Ideas

Treasure Hunt Birthday Party Invitation

To get the children in the mood for mystery, I included a cryptogram and a paragraph in pig-latin containing some information about the party along with the invitation. Can you figure them out?

Because we were short on time, I emailed the invitations so we could get R.S.V.P.s in time. I modified the From: name associated with my email address so that the email was sent from Uncle Sherlock rather than Tom O’Leary (just make sure you remember to change it back  after you send the invitations! I received some strange responses after the party from people who received email from “Uncle Sherlock” rather than Tom O’Leary. I can just imagine the conversations, “Honey, do you have an Uncle Sherlock?”

Treasure Hunt Logistics

One problem with treasure hunts that I have observed personally in the past is that some children tend to run ahead of others so they can solve the clues before others have a chance. This creates a competitive, survival-of-the-fittest atmosphere and often causes some children to become frustrated and even upset.

To control the pace of our treasure hunt and to ensure that all children taking part would be active participants, I decided to:

1. group children into several, small groups and create a set of clues for each group;
2. create clues that require the children to sit down together to solve;
3. have clues lead each team to one piece of the final clue (i.e. one-quarter of a note written by Uncle Sherlock which reveals the treasure’s location.) This meant that they had to come together as a larger group to reveal the final location of the treasure.

When the teams sat to dinner after the treasure hunt, they pieced their sections of the final letter which almost revealed the final clue. To control when the final clue was revealed even more, the last quarter of the note (which was needed to figure it out) was hidden on the bottom of the birthday cake platter, which was presented in a way so the birthday girl would find it!

Examples of Treasure Hunt Clues

Below, I will share the treasure hunt clues for one of the three teams I arranged.

Treasure Hunt Clue 1
(Riddle in a Western Union Telegram)

To avoid the confusion and chaos normally associated with deciding who is on what team, the first clue was revealed in the form of a Western Union telegram that [purportedly] arrived for each child that morning. The Western Union telegram was presented to each child as they arrived.

So, our daughter Meadbh and the three other children we put on her treasure hunt team received a similar Western Union Telegram with these same instructions. The children on this team would meet each other later at the first location (which was a gazebo in our back garden.) In all of the telegrams, I also let the children know that they could ask me if they weren’t sure where to go.

Adding an element of mystery

To add an element of mystery, I whispered “This arrived here for you this morning. I was given instructions to advise you to find a quiet place to read this, and not to share the contents with anyone. You never know who is listening.” when I handed each guest their Western Union Telegram as they arrived.

When to start?

To make it clear when they should start the treasure hunt, I put “go there after the pre-dinner reception” on each telegram. When guests arrived, I let them know that there would be a pre-dinner reception and we served punch while the guests mingled after arriving. When the time was right for them to begin, I made an announcement that the pre-dinner reception was over and that the guests were free to enjoy the grounds of the estate until dinner would be served later in the evening, at 6:00pm. This was the cue for everyone to start the treasure hunt.

Children on other teams each received similar telegrams with clues that would take them to a different place. They would meet their sleuthing partners there.

Treasure Hunt Clue 2
(Math Riddle)

Before the guests arrived, on the floor of the gazebo, I wrote a math equation clue in chalk that would lead them to the third clue.

Where did I leave my coffee cup?
Try 100 x 20 + 640

This second treasure hunt clue was revealed when the team followed the instructions from their Western Union Telegram and swept the gazebo floor with the broom that I left nearby.

This clue lead the team to a neighbor’s porch (their house number was 2640)

Treasure Hunt Clue 3
(Cryptogram)

Inside a coffee cup that was left on my neighbor’s porch steps, there was the following cryptogram:

The actual cryptogram clue this team found did not have the vowels filled in yet. Remember, each member of this team received a secondary clue in their initial telegram with the solution for one letter of the puzzle. To solve this clue, they each had to contribute a letter/number substitution that was provided in their initial telegram.

(this clue directed the team to the orchard on the property.)

Treasure Hunt Clue 4
(Object Specific Reference)

Before guests arrived to the party, I hung a clue from a branch on one of the apple trees in the orchard.

As you can see in the above picture, there was a clue hanging from one of the apple trees in the orchard.

 This clue read:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. So we had better keep these trees alive.
You can find some information about recommended apple cultivars in
“The Complete Gardener” I think I saw a copy in the Common House.

 (This clue lead them to the Common House of our Co-housing property; where they had to look for a book.)

Treasure Hunt Clue 5
(Word Scramble)

When they found the book, The Complete Gardener in the Common House and used the glossary to find the section about Apple Cultivars, they found a clue that contains the following word scramble.

When solved, this word scramble clue read has anyone checked Meadbh’s mailbox today?

Treasure Hunt Clue 6
(Small print note requiring a magnifying glass)

In the mailbox, there was a sealed envelope which contained a piece of paper with a tiny note that required a magnifying glass to read.

Note: A member from each team was given a magnifying glass prior to leaving the pre-dinner reception and told that they might need it at some stage in the day. To get a very small font, create a note in regular MS Sans Serif and then change it to font size 4 (6 is the lowest, but you can type 4 in and press Enter.) Then, highlight the small text and change the text character formatting to include “Superscript”

For those of you without a magnifying glass, this clue read:

Well done. You’re sliding right along.
As a matter of fact, if you keep sliding,
you just might find another clue where your feet land.

Earlier in the day, I buried this team’s final clue under the wood chips at the bottom of the slide in the park bordering the property. This clue was in a sealed envelope and said. “Do not open. Please bring this envelope with you to dinner this evening.”

When all of the pieces of Uncle Sherlock’s mysterious note were put together at dinner, with the final section of the note being found by our daughter when the cake was served, the guests all went to the final location and found a box with a small gift for each one of them.

Mission Accomplished!

More examples of treasure hunt clues

Here some more examples of treasure hunt clues that I used for the other teams.

Mirror Writing Clue

Crossword Puzzle Clue

Treasure Hunt Links and Resources

1. Blank Western Union Template to print
2. Cool Magnifying Glass
   (you can paste this image over text or another image and still see the other image through it!)
3. Create Cryptogram Treasure Hunt Clues online
4. Create Treasure Hunt Puzzles online
5. Classic Childhood Games

When evening came and we were finished running around, scraping our knees and getting grass stains on our pants; we often played board games with our family. Here are some classic board games from the 1970s. Some of them are still popular today!

If you want to relive the memories of these classic, retro board games, you can buy them at VintageGameWorld.com

You can find much more information about other classic childhood games, both indoors and out, on Games We Played.

Kick the Can is one of the best classic childhood games that I can remember. There aren’t too many adults in America who didn’t spend at least some hours of their childhood kicking a can down the street to free their captured teammates. Next time your children have some friends over to the house, gather them up for a game of kick the can.

Here are the rules:

What you need: An old coffee can
Ideally played:In the street

HOW TO PLAY KICK THE CAN:

This is a great game of cat and mouse. Place the can in the center of the street. One person is selected to be “IT”. That person starts the game by standing with their foot on the can, facing away from everyone and counting to 30 with their eyes closed while everyone else hides.

Unlike hide-and-go-seek, the hiders don’t actually try to stay completely out of sight, just enough so that “IT” can’t see them clearly. This is because the hiders have to keep and eye on what’s going on. When “IT” sees you, she has to call you out by name. For example, “I see Jody behind the red car.” If it is Jody behind the red car, then she must go to jail (which is behind the can.) If it isn’t Jody, then the person doesn’t come out from hiding.

The hiders are not allowed to stay in one spot, so when “IT” isn’t looking in their direction, they shift around from place to place, being careful that they aren’t seen. “IT” can wander as far from the can as she wants to, but must be careful not to stray too far; because when somebody is in jail, the others can free them by running up and kicking the can before they are tagged by “IT”.

If “IT” tags them when they’re running towards the can, they have to go to jail too. If they manage to kick the can before “IT” tags them, then everyone in jail is freed and “IT” has to count to 30 again with her eyes closed while everyone hides again. The object is for “IT” to capture everyone. When this happens, the first person captured becomes “IT”.

Often, those in jail give signals to the remaining people hiding when they have a chance to get to the can before “IT” so they can be freed.

I don’t know how many hours I spent playing kick the can when I was young, but I do remember how fun it was every single time we played. Over the years, we would adapt the rules to keep things challenging (not that it’s not challenging enough as it is.) Sometimes, we would have two “ITs” to make freeing those captured more difficult.

However you play it, you’re sure to have fun.

You can find the rules, memories and magic of other classic childhood games right here on Games We Played.

At first, I thought that I was reading a satirical piece from The Onion. But there is nothing funny about it. The New York State Health Department has published a list of risky activities to be used as a guide to determine if organized playgroups in the State should be regulated or not.

Apparently, if your after-school program or kids club includes high risk activities like Wiffle Ball, Kickball or Steal the Bacon, then it should be regulated and subject to fees required to register as an official day camp.

“…That’s right, officials have decided the age-old street game – along with Wiffle Ball, kickball and dodgeball – poses a “significant risk of injury.”

And classics like Capture the Flag, Steal the Bacon and Red Rover are also deemed dangerous in new state regulations for day camps…” [It's true! continue reading...]

Thank goodness that our kids are safer today; cushioned in the corner of that cozy couch with their ears protected by the softly padded ear buds and their hands warmed by ergonomic video game controllers. We’ve come a long way (okay – so this paragraph is intended to be satirical!  Just in case you were wondering.)

I believe that making play (and fun) easily accessible to my three daughters is one of my most important jobs that I have as their father.

We have dozens and dozens of board games in a hall closet upstairs. We all know where they are, and we do play them quite often throughout the year.

But, we never play as much as we do when we have a stack of them within reach, piled next to our family table during the holiday season. The mere sight of that “pile of fun” tickles the desire in each of us to start a game. This time of year, sitting around the family table to play a game or two becomes a regular event. Inevitably, you will hear someone in our house ask “Does anyone want to play….?”

When I was a young boy, my Aunt Irene arrived from Bayonne, New Jersey each year to spend the Christmas season with our family. Each night, we would spend a couple of hours at our kitchen table playing Scrabble — often, while enjoying the delicious doughnuts that she always brought with her from Judicke’s Bakery in Bayonne. Man, I miss Irene, the great time we had sitting around the kitchen table playing scrabble and those old-fashioned doughnuts with sprinkles from Judicke’s.

Do you take your boardgames out during the holidays?

What are your favorite holiday games?