<p>crossword puzzles, puzzle books. We used to play with them on trips. I think hand held electronic versions have replaced them (with kids, at least).</p>
<p>And this article made me very sad (although it is good for those who do visit if the parks are not crowded): </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/nation/16561162.htm[/url]”>http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/nation/16561162.htm</a></p>
<p>It says Yosemite and other parks are getting less visitors, perhaps because kids would rather do something more “entertaining” and parents can’t bear to leave their emails and cell phones for a few days. There is something wrong if our world has become so modern that visiting such beautiful, amazing places is out of style. </p>
<p>I did not have the good fortune to visit the National Parks as a child, as my parents did not do that sort of thing. I first went after I got married, but I was lucky in a way, because I did not take them for granted and was totally thrilled to see all of the natural wonders. </p>
<p>My in-laws toured the national parks for 6 weeks on THEIR honeymoon in 1945, and later visited again with their aging parents (my H’s grandparents) and later they took their kids on cross-country trips to see the wonderful sights. </p>
<p>My husband and I have taken many such vacations: before kids, with kids and grandparents, with kids without grandparents, without kids after kids were in college… , and hope to continue to revisit old favorites and new places which we have not yet visited.</p>
<p>I sent the article to both of my kids with an email saying that, if they ever have kids, they must make sure to take them to the national parks!!</p>
<p>"It says Yosemite and other parks are getting less visitors, perhaps because kids would rather do something more “entertaining” and parents can’t bear to leave their emails and cell phones for a few days. There is something wrong if our world has become so modern that visiting such beautiful, amazing places is out of style. "</p>
<p>I have to admit, a few years ago we were seriously planning on a vacation to Yellowstone, but after looking into lodging and other expenses, decided against it. It seemed like a lot of old, overpriced, roadside motor inns or incredibly high priced lodges. Coming from a vacation area (central fl.), it didn’t seem to have the bang for the buck. I’m not discounting the beauty of the parks, I’m talking about the area accomodations and what not. We’ve been jaded by over-the-top all inclusive resorts and amusement parks. You pay $100-200 per night and get a brand new themed hotel with fountains, slides, stocked ponds, talking characters, and transportation to anywhere you want to go, or for the same price you get a 30 year old Howard Johnsons on the side of the road near a national park. (BTW, it’s not that I’m a fan of the Big Mouse, I’m just comparing accomodations.)</p>
<p>In our case, we are campers. My in-laws had a motorhome (not really my style, but they liked it) when we travelled with them. When my husband and I travel in the summer (with or without kids), we brought our camping gear and stayed in our tents at the National Park campsites, which usually have large sites in beautiful settings. Sometimes we cook our own meals and sometimes we dine at restaurants. I realize that not everyone is a camper, but this is our way of doing things. Anyway, when we are visiting these places, the motel, rv, or tent is just a place to sleep - we are out doing things for all of the daylight hours.</p>
<p>Funny story related to above:
When my son was almost 7, his grandparents took him on a six week grand tour across the whole country (mainly National Parks and other such sights) in their motorhome. We flew out and met them with our almost 4 year-old for about 2 1/2 weeks in the middle of the trip. My son loved it - he had a very good attention span and high level interest in things, loved learning to read the road maps and such, as well as very good physical stamina (as far as hiking) for his age, enjoyed the undivided attention from grandparents, etc. But the next year, when it came time to discuss our summer plans, he asked hopefully, “This year, instead of going on VACATION, can we go to Disney World instead?” 
And we did! But we still laugh at his comment!</p>
<p>We loved our stays at national parks & always were able to get places to stay within the park. My kids have a love of nature that owes a lot to our visits. Didn’t mind the rusticness because it gave us the view we had travelled to get.</p>
<p>Motheroftwo- I had to laugh at your last sentence (instead of going on VACATION…) because for us parents, Disney is anything but a vacation. I need a vacation after spending a day there!</p>
<p>HImom echoes our experience with National Parks, as far as our kids having a love of nature. I was happy when my son initiated a group trip to one of our family’s favorite hikes at Shenandoah National Park with his Stanford classmates (many from the West and having never spent much time in the East) when he was spending a quarter in Washington, DC.</p>
<p>I guess I skipped over this thread when it first appeared, but I enjoyed looking through it today.</p>
<p>And I have some additions:
I’m the fastest 10-key operator I know, and I owe it all to a high school “career” placement stint at the local bank, where I ran proof–it’s the process of entering the dollar amount of each check in a deposit in the proof machine, dropping the check into the feeder for that amount to be encoded in magnetic ink on the bottom corner of the check, then reconciling by subtracting the amount of the deposit slip and encoding that as well. Deposits from the big stores would have several hundred checks, 10-12 thousand items total in a typical day, and speed and accuracy were crucial. I wonder how they do it now? I guess a lot fewer people even write checks any more.</p>
<p>And I was a farm kid–anyone else know how to rogue radishes (pick off all the stray pink blossoms in a field of blooming white radishes being grown for seed), change siphons (in the formerly desert region of Washington’s Columbia Basin), or that classic spring break activity, picking rock in the dryland fallow?..oh, my aching muscles!</p>
<p>Then there were the strange things still in my head that I was required to memorize, such as the list of 50 prepositions in 4th grade (aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, among, around, at…etc.) and the names of all of the counties and county seats in the state of Washington.</p>
<p>wow, Renee V, I can still do 8 prepositions in German but think I should keep my menopausal brain alert by reviewing the full 50…maybe if you posted it we could have a contest for the funniest paragraph employing them all.</p>
<p>The whole realm of agricultural skills could be a treasure trove. Though I don’t actually know this one myself, kids I grew up with could set smudge pots (in orange groves to keep them from freezing, S. California) and move pipe (irrigation related)…I guess the closest I get is canning and shucking corn…</p>
<p>OK, mmaah, I’m sure there are many more prepositions in the English language, but this was Mrs. Pittman’s list (wow, I can’t believe that was in 1968!):</p>
<p>aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, but, by, despite, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto, outside, over, round, since, than, through, to, toward, under, until, up, upon, with, within, without </p>
<p>I thought about taking your challenge and combining it with that other amazingly useful memorized list…</p>
<p>I was aboard a train to Ritzville (Adams) and I heard a man talking about a murder in Asotin (Asotin) that happened above the livery stable. The suspect stole a horse and rode across the Palouse to Prosser (Benton), but the county sheriffs were soon after her. Against all odds, the killer rode along the rivers to Wenatchee (Chelan) and managed to hide amid the orchards…</p>
<p>…unfortunately my mind suddenly went blank and I couldn’t remember the next county seat, so I guess I must leave my villain among the rattlesnakes and coyotes of central Washington and hope that someone around here can make better use of all the prepositions than I…and so my little story ends at the end of the “A” prepositions, with a few others thrown in out of order. </p>
<p>I never really thought about how many prepositions we have in English. In Spanish, it is a small set. And usage is so arbitrary. Why do we travel “in a car” but “on a bus”?</p>
<p>
Yes! How anyone ever learns “standard” English when it is not their native language is astonishing to me. There was a very amusing thread probably a year ago or so on regional differences in these things as well (eg: waiting “on line” (the standing kind, not the cyber kind) vs. “in line”; by accident vs. on accident, etc.) </p>
<p>Meanwhile, I am also pondering the kinds of memorization tasks teachers give us (and the random facts …) that linger. I imagine knowing the county seat of counties in Washington has slightly more practical value than being able to recite the first sentence of the Canterbury Tales in Old English. At least you know where to go to look up a deed in the Palouse…</p>
<p>Son is in Walla Walla so now I know where the Palouse is/are…</p>