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HAVE A PICNIC
under a hot sun. Also, make sure your family has applied enough sunscreen and that everyone has sunglasses to keep the sun out of their eyes.
Give your kids a last hurrah before they head back into the classroom. Don’t let this August slip through your fingers!
Going on a picnic is an excellent activity for the whole family. Not only does it give you quality time with the kids, but they can engage in the activity from start to finish. While preparing for the picnic, ask the kids what they would like, and create a list of food that everyone suggests. Take the kids to the grocery store and let them help you pick out the items on the list. Teach them what to look for in ripe fruits and fresh vegetables. While packing for the picnic, let the kids wash the vegetables and fruits and help put smaller foods into zip- close bags or containers. Traditional sandwiches and juices can be on the list, but it’s more fun to include an assortment of foods. Create your own unique trail mix — combine everyone’s favorite dried fruits, salted nuts, and other small snacks. You can also make a homemade fruit salad by combining bite-sized fruits.
GO CAMPING IN YOUR BACKYARD
Preparing for a camping trip can be stressful and even expensive. Backyard camping can be a fantastic alternative for the family. Not only can you enjoy the pleasures of a campfire, cooked food off the grill, and s’mores, but you are also just feet away from a fully functioning bathroom and refrigerator. This activity can be a family bonding event and a chance to let the kids learn a few important values. Work together to set up the tent, and while starting the fire, take the opportunity to teach your children about fire safety. Play games in the backyard, tell a few campfire stories, and let your kids come up with a few tales of their own. After the sun sets, take some time to stargaze. Encourage your kids to see if they can spot constellations and point out the ones you know to them.
When you get there, find a shaded place to set up your picnic — no one wants to sit
Game Night Goes (Really) Retro The Oldest Games You Can Play Today
People love to play games. When you play Angry Birds while waiting in line at the grocery store, you are actually participating in a long history of gaming that dates back to the earliest civilizations. Through the discovery of ancient game boards, archaeologists learned that the ancient Egyptians played a game called Senet in 3500 B.C. The rules were lost to time, but fortunately, there are plenty of other ancient games we still have the rules for!
GO
Originating in China around the 5th century B.C., Go — or “weiqi,” as it’s called in China — focuses on the virtues of balance, discipline, and focus. Two players go head-to-head, placing their pieces on the board to claim as much territory as possible while simultane- ously capturing their opponent’s pieces. Go is likely the oldest board game still being played today, with an estimated 40 million players worldwide. Though the rules are simple, the strategies take a lifetime to master. These are a just a few games that people have been playing around the world for centuries. If you’re ready to add something new to family game night, try something old instead!
SNAKES AND LADDERS
duced as “Chutes and Ladders” by none other than Milton Bradley in 1943.
Sometime during the 2nd century A.D., people in India started playing a board game associat- ed with aspects of traditional Hindu philosophy — namely, the contrast between karma (desti- ny) and kama (desire). A dice was rolled to nav- igate a game board where good virtues, rep- resented by ladders, allowed players to move up on the board, and evil vices, represented by snakes, would drag pieces back down. The phrase “Back to square one” is believed to have originated from this game. Snakes and Ladders made its way to England before being brought over to the United States, where it was intro-
BACKGAMMON
A blend of luck and strategy, backgammon originated in the Middle East around 5,000 years ago. Possibly an evolution of the ancient Mesopotamian game, the Royal Game of Ur, backgammon has players take turns rolling the dice to move their pieces off the board while trying to outsmart their opponent. Backgam- mon grew in popularity, spreading from the Middle East to the rest of the ancient world, and is still played by many today.
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