TIPS For Families

Written by:  Ruth Vonderohe, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska Extension

Creating Strong Families (Sixth of Six Parts)

As a group of people try this, the room gets very quiet.  Some faces are lost in thought.  Other faces have big smiles on them.

After listening to happy childhood memories, most groups conclude, happy memories most commonly center on activities that are shared as a family.  Simply being together and delighting in each other’s company is the key.  Second, pleasurable time together almost always focuses on activities that don’t cost a lot of money.  We like to call these serendipitous good times that occur when you’re simply hanging out together, looking for ways to have fun together, and the creative genius of the family members becomes the catalyst for enjoyment.

The list of popular family activities that help cement the bonds of togetherness is a long one and includes: meals together, spending time outdoors in nature together, house and yard chores, attending sporting events, long quiet chats, board games and cards, and outdoor recreation, including camping, playing catch and other yard games, canoeing, hiking and picnicking.  The particular activity isn’t as important as the fact that the activity is a vehicle for human contact.

Family members can record their perceptions in the area of Enjoyable Time Together.  Put an “S” for Strength beside the qualities you feel your family has achieved and a “G” beside those qualities that are an area of potential Growth.  If the particular characteristic does not apply to your family or is not a characteristic that is important to you, put an “NA” for Not Applicable.

In Our Family...

_____ We have a number of common interests.

_____ We like to have fun together.

_____ We enjoy trying out new activities together.

_____ We feel strongly connected with each other.

_____ We often laugh with each other.

_____ We enjoy hearing our grandparents’ stories about the past.

_____ Observing family rituals and customs is important to us.

_____ We enjoy having unplanned, spontaneous activities with each other.

_____ All things considered, we have adequate time for each other, and we enjoy the time we share together.

Now that you have recorded your perceptions, spend some enjoyable time talking together about how your views are similar and how they are different.

Family Scavenger Hunt

Objective:

To get family members of all ages working together with a common goal-having fun!

Supplies Needed: Scavenger hunt clues, any special items needed to fulfill the tasks, bags for collecting the scavenged items.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Develop questions of particular interest to your family.  Questions may deal with some family history, such as: “Go to the spot where Grandpa asked Grandma to marry him, then get on your knees to find the next clue.”  (Hide the next clue under the couch, under the chair, etc.)  You may have to ask Grandpa or Grandma where that spot might be, but what fun!  Or, “Go to the room where most family meals are eaten.”

2. Divide the family into two or more teams.  Write the same questions on two or more different colored papers so each team will have its own color.  Number the questions in a different order for each color.

3. Have the family teams search for clues for their team color only.  Place questions and directions to find the next question in different locations.  Use the entire house, yard, or entire farm for your hunt.  For example, have teams raid the refrigerator and have someone eat a dill pickle and ice cream or put a carton of eggs in the old chicken house and have one person eat an egg-hard-boiled of course, but don’t tell them that!  Look up Aunt Gertrude’s phone number and write it down.  Locate an ice scraper or sun screen.  Have every group member make a basket with a basketball or jump rope five times.

4. End the hunt with the final clue for each team.  For example, the final task may be to race around the house, pulling one or more team members in a wagon or running backward holding hands.

5.  The number and type of questions can vary with how much space you have for the teams to use and your group.

6.  Make sure you plan enough time to set out the clues. It will take longer than you expect to get that done, but the family laughter is well worth the time spent on this project.

Discussion Questions:

1.  What did you learn about your family?

2.  What answers surprised you?

3.  What are other interesting things you learned about the family?

4.  How can you help other family members learn about your family history?

If you wish to leave feedback about this TIPS for Families, click on the TIPS Feeback Form at the bottom of the page.  For more information on Creating Strong Families go to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln publication website at www.ianrpub.unl.edu and click on Families.

Source: Family Treasures, 2006