My son texted me earlier today, asking whether he could bring his two daughters over (ages 10 and 7.) Of course, I said "Yes!!"

I had been saving a container of "Pick-Up Sticks" that I've had for quite some time, wanting to share something that I had played with as a kid myself. I showed them how to play, and told them that I had played this with my friends "way back when." We all had a great time.

I'm thinking of trying to get some other old-time toys for future visits, like marbles and jacks (preferably with a golf ball - more bounce).

Can you guys think of any other "old-timey" toys that I could add to my collection, for them to play with?

Religious tie-in (or not): I have a little wooden ark, complete with figures of Noah, Mrs. Noah, and a few pairs of animals. I got it because years ago, I saw and enjoyed the Broadway play, "Two By Two." The girls have never been told the story about Noah's Ark, so they just refer to it as "the boat."

One of the girls decided that Noah should be called "Fred," and the other decided to name Mrs. Noah "Maya."

Yes! Have your grandchildren make up their own "Fred and Maya" stories, that are happier and less gruesome than world destruction!

My 8-year-old grandson loves chess! He loves football, and is into strategy. Checkers is fun, too.

Remember "Tiddly-winks"?

My grandchildren like charades, too. They play "Guess what animal I am", and "guess who I am." The littlest grandkids are still toddlers.

Remember those rhythm games, in which the players go around in a circle, all clapping, and they have to remember colors, names of fruit, names of cities, or things that start with A, or B, etc.? Oh--"Categories!"

Kids love to perform, and have someone watch them, and clap with approval. We play the piano and sing and dance in the living room. They have piano and dance lessons, but they also do their own choreography, and made-up piano songs. My grandson does stunts and break-dancing, and the girls do gymnastics.

They would rather do that than TV or video games, and I'm glad about that!

An old fashioned deck of face-cards is sometimes all you need: Crazy 8, Slap-Jack, Canasta, Go Fish, Old Maid, double solitaire, poker, blackjack....

Thank you, Catnip for a great stocking-stuffer idea for Christmas--pickup sticks! There's a fun old-fashioned toy store in Park City, that I'm sure will have them.

These are some GREAT ideas! Thank you!

Just don't give them the death toys that I had growing up. It's like our parents were trying to kill us. Remember Creepie Crawlies? With 380 degree ovens and molds for us 9 year olds to burn ourselves. Then, to make it even better, they came up with Incredible Edibles where you cooked and ate plastic worms and bugs with Goop made by DuPont. (You'd go to jail today if you let a kid eat that crap). Wood burning kits, Leather burning kits, Lawn Darts, etc. Plus, we had real chemistry sets, that Homeland Security would raid us now, for owning. Super Elastic Bubble Plastic, made from chemicals that got us high. Model airplane glue, etc. We're lucky to be alive. Survival of the fittest

I'm laughing at this. We took my brother's grand kids to a museum that had a TON of toys from when we were young. As we walked around pointing out the death toys we had owned, his daughter chimes in with "I thought Grandma was a nurse, how did you get to play with this stuff?"

We pretty much had everything you listed above. Also a vacu-form, an easy bake oven, cap guns where the caps had gunpowder and probably more hazards I have forgotten.

Funny thing, we never burned ourselves, set anything on fire or made ourselves sick. We did get a lot of crap from my Dad for making stink bombs in the basement. We were told summarily to do that outside.

Exactly. We made stink bombs too. (our parents loved them as much as your Dad). The chemistry sets came with manuals how to make them. We eventually graduated to making gunpowder (thanks to Encyclopedia Britannica). Those chem sets came with real hydrochloric acid for God's sake. Yeah, we'd drill out the ends of the cap guns so flames would shoot out. It's a wonder we never burned the garage down.

My 3 precious grandchildren are the stars in my sky. And they are nevermo's to boot.

So you should skip having children and go straight to having grandchildren.

Rocks. Whoever bleeds first loses. I grew in a rough neighborhood.

barrel cacti. It got ugly.

My mother might not agree with your statement. She loves hers, I think, but her grandkids are all entitled, spoiled, brats. Mom was generous to a fault but their parents never taught them to respect, thank, or even acknowledge their grandmother. They are a huge disappointment. They have never tried to hurt her but in her aging years they have just abandoned her in fear they might be asked to do something for her for a change.