By Dani Greer
It’s the week before Memorial Day in the U.S. which unofficially marks the beginning of summer, barbecues, and outdoor activities. At my house, it’s also the celebration of my husband’s birthday, and tradition in my family dictates a visit from various friends and family over the weekend. My folks even make the annual trek to our out-of-the-way country cottage, so to say it’s a bit of an event is to understate the occasion. We give new meaning to food, fun, family, and friends!
The menu will include a mixed grill (which means anything good-sounding I feel like throwing on the barbecue) with beef shish kabobs, teriyaki chicken, burgers, assorted sausages, shrimp skewers, and whatever else grabs my culinary imagination. Side dishes must be low on simple carbohydrates as my Pop is diabetic, but that still leaves lots of options like bean salad and fresh gourmet greens from my garden. My mother always brings one of her fabulous German tortes for the birthday boy.
After eating, it’s time for games outside, starting with a competitive round of horseshoes. Four generations of my family play, and it’s a staple at family gathers. Those who don’t play, cheer on their favorite players. Even the littlest members of the family get to participate, so they can learn rules about safety and fair play. I’m here to tell you that my father is the man to beat, and even with an oxygen tank under his left arm, he can still toss a ringer with his right and put many a younger person to shame. (Guess who I cheer for.)
When we lived in Germany a common backyard game was bocce. Originally from Italy and akin to lawn bowling, it is now enjoyed throughout Europe. We also played badminton, another popular European outdoor sport. Later in the day, a game of marbles wasn’t unusual, and when dusk settled in (and after another round of food, of course), what better than a few rounds of outdoor hide-n-seek?
It’s National Backyard Games Week, so if you need to warm up for a few months of summer fun, think about enjoying some exercise and laughter this week the whole family can enjoy.The "holiday" starts today and ends on Memorial Day.
Do you have favorite outdoor games and traditions your family particularly enjoys during weekends and summer celebrations? Are there unusual games from foreign countries you play? How did you find out about them? Share with us some interesting new ideas or old memories about simple, backyard activities that many generations can enjoy.
10 comments:
My Babbo, brother, and I used to love to play bocce during the summertime. I need to track down the gorgeous walnut bocce balls Babbo used to store in a handwoven produce basket. Thanks for the memories, Dani. Happy Outdoor, Summer Fun, Everyone!
Bocce is the best! I learned from my Grandfather and I was always at his side. I graduated from chasing the balls to being able to actually throw a few and it was the biggest deal ever.
You must keep those traditions alive in your family, Rana! Especially if you have vintage equipment. Those are real treasures. Hubbs and I were just talking about getting a badminton set because it's such an easy set-up and the equipment is light-weight. That's something I hadn't thought of, but it makes the game mobile and fun for even the smallest player. Teaches good eye-hand coordination, too.
Remembering the wonderful times playing "Red Light" and "May I?" with neighbors and family. Great fun! Teaches estimating (the best step to get close), stealth (how to sneak up without being detected) and acceptance (didn't make it the first time but there is always the next time). Playing games again with grandchildren makes them especially fun now!
Did you all play Red Rover? Is that considered too rough for modern sentiments? How about Mother May I?
Growing up, we loved to play tug-of-war. We would take a long rope and put a baby-pool of water in the middle. We also had a lot of simple fun on hot days trying to "dodge the sprinklers". But I have to agree with you Dani- my all time favorite backyard game is hide-n-seek!
In the olden days, haha, we were always outdoors. We didn't have computers, and TV was never an option during daylight hours, not to mention that short of a full-on storm my mom wouldn't let us play in the house. Fortunately, there were millions of fun things to do outside. Least of which was hide and seek. The older we got the more thrilling the hiding places became; up in trees, under scary boards, even in murky ponds. The braver we became the more creative our covers.
A couple of weeks ago I was in charge of a posse of 4-8 year olds. It was sunny and warm so I simply turned on the sprinklers. You would have thought they were at Disneyland, they had so much fun. Granted, not the most conserving approach, but who needs fancy gadgets when you have a beautiful day and a hose or sprinklers! Forgo a few showers-it's worth it!
I love outdoors games and BBQ's! Love anything there is outdoors, my apartment community has a climbing wall and huge Bocce ball court next to the BBQ area and courtyard fire place, biggest reason why I chose this place in the busy city life of San Francisco, so I try to enjoy those whenever I can. I was born and raised in Brazil and we have a very inviting weather for activities outdoors. For us the most popular games are Quemada, a form of tag. Comparable to dodge ball, there are two teams that take turns trying to eliminate all the members of the opposing team using a ball. In hit the coin, the children take turns throwing coins in an attempt to knock an object off the top of a stick standing in the ground. Peteca, similar to badminton, is a game in which the players use only their hands to hit a shuttlecock over the net in an attempt to hit a target. Another popular game is Cinco Marias. In this game, the children throw a stone in the air and try to pick up four more stones before it hits the ground. The children also enjoy jumping rope, and playing hide-and-seek and capture the flag.
Karla, you should have your own post about Brazilian games! Maybe we should do a follow-up of non-electronic indoor games like tiddly winks and pick-up sticks. Does anyone play those anymore? My whole family loves board games, too. We're are all cribbage champs (learned from the ol' Dad), and watch out if I get a good game of Canasta going.
All of these posts brought back a flood of memories not only from "the olden days" when I was a kid but when my kids were growing up! The badmitton net was put up in June and taken down in September, or until ALL of the multi pack of birdies were on the roof! Last summer we had a wild backyard, family BBQ playing the Minute to Win It games! Thank you Dani for this great reminder that outdoor fun is the best kind of fun.
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