In a message dated 11/8/2002 5:00:51 AM Mountain Standard Time, NJ-MEMORIES-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > I never see kid's jumping rope any more. Probably to much work > for today's kid's. Most are just happy setting in front of the TV. You see it a lot more in Mexico. When I used to go down to Mexicali and Tijuana when we lived in California, we always took a nice big rope, and the girls would jump. Occasionally a boy or two would come along and try it, but they always looked ridiculous. Don't ask me why boys can't jump rope the way that girls can! :-} I think I remember seeing the boys playing a game with a pocketknife similar to the one you describe. In our neighborhood we did a lot of roller skating (those old-fashioned skates with the keys) and bike riding (and of course sledding in the winter; our street was a good one for that). For some odd reason we'd all get the idea to get out the skates on the same day, even without talking about it. And there was "building forts" on the vacant lots around the neighborhood (most of which aren't there any more; they've been built over). And chalk wasn't just used for Hopscotch boards; it was also great for writing things like "Linda stinks" and "Joanne loves Fred" on the sidewalk. Of course about a month later, you'd be best friends with Linda and writing "Janice and Ruth Ann have cooties" on the sidewalk with the same chalk. As far as kids being glued to the TV these days instead of getting outside: I see plenty of kids outside around here. They play roller hockey in the cul-de-sac by our house and kick footballs and soccer balls around in the park that we can see from our upstairs windows. And in one neighborhood that we walk our dog through often, the kids are always drawing chalk-line road maps, complete with pictures of buildings and labels of kids' houses, in the cul-de-sac and then riding their bikes around it. It's a regular "community project," with at least a half dozen kids getting involved. Doris in Colorado (Up2Nutrix@aol.com) "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." -- Jim Elliot, missionary and martyr