My grandchildren, who went home to Georgia today inspired me to make a list.

I think I'll call it "Ways to entertain kids cheap." I have noticed that the simplest things will hold their attention. (And don't think you won't ever need this information.)

Try milk-jug bowling. Line up some plastic jugs or bottles on the carport or in the yard and roll a ball to see how many you can knock down. Try placing them in a line, a diamond, a triangle or square. In a pinch, aluminum soft-drink cans will do. They make a good noise.

Inflate an intertube and let them roll it around in the yard or at targets (see above). I used to use a car intertube, but found that a smaller one does less damage to flower beds. One from a Vespa motor scooter, which has 10 inch wheels, works well, but boat trailer tubes are good too. Bicycle tubes flop around too much.

Line up objects like dominos and knock them down in a line. Video cassetts work OK if you have enough of them, but short pieces of 2X4 are good. Dominoes work, too.

Paper airplanes.

Draw a face and ask who that looks like. Pretty soon, they will be drawing everyone they know.

Throw a tarp or an old bedspread over a table to make a tent.

Place a few cardboard boxes where they can find them. Nothing fires the imagination of a kid like a cardboard box.

Sidewalk chalk will keep them occupied for hours. The next rain gets rid of it.

Bubble soap.

Use string, a paper napkin, and a small weight. such as a one-inch wood cube, to make a parachute. Drop it off the porch if it's high enough, or wad it up and throw it into the air. Sometimes figuring out what works best is a real challenge.

Turn on a hose and let them build a dam. Cautions: 1. Don't do it in the yard or near a house. 2. They will get muddy.

Have a contest to see who can pick up the most pine cones (hickory nuts, acorns, etc.). This is a good way to get such stuff out of the yard.

Another good contest is to fasten a pine cone down so that it can't move. You can tie it to a board. Then see how many you can stack on it before they fall over.
Howard