Getting children involved in family reunions is always on the top of any organizer’s list. Sonya A. Haskins, Milligan College, Tennessee, suggests a family scavenger hunt. “You can make it a game and provide prizes to children who answer all the questions correctly, which will give them a little more incentive to play in the beginning,” writes Haskins.
Directions for getting started: “Make a list of questions about various family members. Who received a medal in World War II? Whose birthday is August 25, 1930? Who came to the US as an immigrant?”
“Give the children the list and let them go. They can spend the day, weekend or however long your family reunion is scheduled to last. Toward the end of the reunion, award prizes and return the questions and answers for their own ancestral records.”
“This is a great way for kids to learn some fascinating facts about their parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and other family members while having fun doing so,” Haskins concludes. “It is also a great way to keep kids busy.”
Kids rule!
At the Kauffman-Overholt Family Reunion in Goshen, Indiana, special attention is paid to entertainment for the children. There are relay races, water balloons, a sandpile and a “swimming pool” of an 8-foot circular tank set on the concrete drive. Other activities include sand volleyball, horseshoe pitching, croquet, ping pong and hiking in the woods or on local trails. They could go skating and skateboarding on a little used road. Most popular were two old-fashioned rope swings with board seats that hang from tall trees and attract all ages. A number of llamas were haltered and leashed for children to pet and lead around the yard.
