Laundry Rules!

I have a family of five:  a husband, a junior boy in high school, a sophomore girl in college, and a senior girl in college.  The two college students have had to come home and finish up at local colleges because our family’s single income has continuously gone down since Obama was elected (both times).  I’m back in school recertifying to hopefully attain that non-existent teaching position.  Therefore, it has been my mission to not waste a dime if I can help it. 

Photo from Homemaking for Teen-agers, Book 2, McDermott and Nicholas, 1958, p. 190

Where is Income Being Wasted?

Some major household expenses are utilities, food, and clothing.  These are things everyone basically wastes money on even though we generally have nothing to show for it when all is said and done.  Once we eat food, it’s gone (only the memory of a tasty meal and maybe an extra pound or two remain).  And when we take that extra-long shower (more than 10 minutes), or leave all the lights on and run the TV no one is watching, etc. nothing remains of this expense as well.  Some of us are very good at purchasing and caring for “classic” pieces and shoes that are well worth the initial expense.  However, more than likely, we buy clothes that will be outdated and worn out from misuse well before the expense has been worth it. 

Another Dave Ramsey Reference

I recently heard Dave Ramsey tell a man with a single income of $140,000 (I wish) that if his wife would invest $600 a month on a mutual fund for the next thirty years (she was forty), by the time she was seventy the mutual fund would be worth OVER TWO MILLION dollars!  Her issue was having the latest fancy car, but how much do we spend on clothes each month?  How much does that accumulate each year?  How much would we have if we were more careful with our expenditures and invested the money saved on electricity, food and clothes into a kick-!#* mutual fund.  I would like to be a millionaire if I’m lucky enough to reach seventy!  (P.S.—Dave didn’t mind if she had a fancy new car—just pay cash for it!  And with their income, and only buying a new car every three or four years, why would you not be able to do that?)

Take Care of Investments

Any-hoo, the point of this post is that I find myself at this late date, having to teach The Fam how to wash clothes so they don’t ruin my irreplaceable Whirpool Duet washer and dryer purchased in much happier financial times.  Since I hope to find regular work soon and cannot be on top of the clothes-washing situation, I have to protect our investments of appliances, clothing and utilities.  Plus, it would be nice if everyone knew how to wash clothes properly.  Hence—The Rules. 

The Rules

Believe me, there’s a story behind each rule.  Hopefully these rules posted above the washer and dryer will promote appreciation for how much things cost because “the buck stops here.”  No more Mom buying fancy detergents, clothing for school or gifts, or water and electricity to re-wash forgotten clothes that have mildewed in the washer overnight.  I encourage folks to start their own rules earlier than I did—kids (and husbands) can learn to wash clothes as soon as they have enough to make three loads of just their clothes!  Does this mean they will do it right when they leave home?  Apparently not.  But it won’t be because we didn’t try!  These are the rules for our home:

If you have a problem with these rules, the machine owner (Mom) will be glad for you to take your laundry elsewhere:

1.   Do not start laundry after 9pm.  Fold and put away each load immediately!!!

2.   Never use the Heavy Duty or Whites Cycle without the owner’s permission.  If the clothes are extra dirty or the load a little larger, press the button for more or less soil.  There is even a soak function if the clothes need to soak a while.  Whites and Heavy Duty take much more electricity and most of the time the normal cycle will suffice.

3.   ________ can wash her clothes with Mom’s since she has "so few clothes" because you can never wash all your clothes in one load—that will cost money in the long run due to clothes deteriorating quickly with such abuse.

4.   Everyone has a clothes basket assigned to them.  Only two people—________ and ________—may keep their clothes baskets in the hall bathroom.  DO NOT put your clothes in those baskets unless they are yours!!!!

5.   Everyone should do at least 3 loads of clothes each time they do their wash—DARKS, WHITES, and COLORS.  You can put it on a smaller cycle or get with someone else to make a larger load.

6.   Only ________ washes his clothes with the hypoallergenic detergent.  ________ has bought Gain, and Mom buys Wisk or New Era (red bottles) and Cling Free softeners.  There will always be a $1 detergent and softener available to those too cheap to buy their own.  Most of the time you fill the dispenser only 1/2-full of detergent.

7.   Only wash clothes if you will be available to take them out immediately and start the next load immediately.  With everyone doing their own wash, it will take forever if some refuse to stay on top of their laundry cycles.

Laundry Rules! Printable

In this economy, Dave Ramsey is a hot commodity.  Do you agree that you should "live like no one else so that someday you can live like no one else?"

How to Teach Children Responsible Behavior

I have been really surprised by how irresponsible our society has become—especially in the highschool and college venue.  Twenty-five years ago, my professors didn’t take excuses, you just got a zero.  Now high schoolers and college students can talk their way into extensions and prompting the answer to test questions from the instructor and other forms of CHEATING.  From what I hear, cheating is a real problem in high schools and colleges everywhere.  Apparently it’s a problem in the work force as well.  I think cheating is a form of being irresponsible.

Responsibility and other character issues will be taught by me to my own children now, and the children in my care when I am a teacher.  In the 1990’s, Character Education became important to many Americans.  There was even a movement—I remember getting these great little books and tapes on different character traits every time we went to Chick-Fil-A for kid’s meals.  (I believe there was an immoral president in office at the time?) 

Responsibility is a character trait that I feel needs more emphasis in schools since fewer children attend church regularly and have a very good chance of not being taught responsibility at home.  In a recent education class to recertify, I learned something new about teaching children responsible behavior. 

It was so exciting I immediately made a chart to use in my future class.  Hellison (2011) is cited in the textbook, Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children (Robert P. Pangrazi and Aaron Beighle 2013).  On pages 108-110, the text gives a very good breakdown of his hierarchy of responsible behavior we can teach children.  I found this very enlightening for myself even! 

I’m sharing the chart I created with my D.J. Inker’s Dazzle Daze (2000) graphics I bought (I love her artwork!)  I had a little Family Home Evening lesson with the family and gave each of them a handout with the hierarchy of responsible behavior.  Then I also permanently displayed the chart on the front door.  We discussed what each level beginning with 0 would look like in real life and gave real examples.  Then we judged where we might be on this scale.  It’s a very real possibility that in different aspects of our lives we could be in more than one place.  The goal is to accomplish all levels leading up to the highest as the most desirable responsibility traits to attain.  Of course there might be setbacks to overcome.  I tried to put the chart in terms that even First Graders could relate to and understand.

Hierarchy of Responsible Behavior Printable

How do you help your children learn responsibility and do you think people are becoming less responsible in today's world than they were even a decade or two ago?

The Greatest Gifts to Give a Grandchild

These are excellent excerpts from Creative Homemaking for Happy Living, Relief Society Homemaking Booklet, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1984.  Barbara Winder was the General Relief Society President and her counselors were Jay Evans and Joanne Doxey.  This article was written by Elma S. Bradshaw.

• Get down on the floor and talk to them face to face at that eye level (it helps to see things from that point of view).
• Make it a habit to attend the events in which the grandchild participates, such as: swimming, baseball, football, cheer, gymnastics...
• Let your grandchild practice a speech or instrumental number before you prior to the big performance.
• Grandchildren love to show you how far they can jump, how fast they can read, or how high they can climb--be interested!
• Listen--really listen--with your ears, eyes, and heart to a teen grandchild who has a problem.

Give the Gift of Self-Worth

They like to feel important and to have evidence that what has been done or said is of value:

1. Display drawings on the refrigerator door or kitchen wall.
2. Compliment them in the presence of others.
3. Hire them to wash your car and then lavish with praise for their efforts.
4. Provide opportunities to succeed in a variety of tasks and activities.
5. Write your grandchild a letter on their birthday and list all the special qualities they have for which you admire.
6. Share useful skills such as sewing and building, cooking, etc.

Give the Gift of Heritage

Everyone wants to know who they are and who they belong to.  Grandparents are children's bridges to the past:

1. Write letters (or prepare a taped message if they live in a distant city).  Tell them what you did as a child when you were their age.
2. Write your life story.  Give copies to your married children with instructions to share your story with their children.
3. Share your old photo album with a grandchild--tell about the people in the pictures and encourage him/her to start keeping a picture album.
4. Help your young teen-aged grandchildren to prepare their Books of Remembrance.  Be sure you are also preparing yours so that you can be an example to them.
5. Take them with you to do research--help them to find themselves and their parents on familysearch.org--the church personal history website (or www.ancestry.com).
6. Write the histories of your own mother and father (their great-grandparents); then hold a Family Home Evening with your married children, at which time you can read the history you have compiled.
7. Take your grandchildren with you to decorate the graves of their relatives and ancestors.  A short meeting at the gravesite can be used to explain the relationship of each person buried there.

Give the Gift of Teaching

Most grandparents have a little more discretionary time than the parents of their grandchildren, so:

1. Teach a child to tell time.
2. Teach a child to tie his shoe.
3. Teach a child to count his money and figure up the tithing owed the Lord.
4. Teach a child to spell new words.
5. Teach a child to pound nails into a block of wood.
6. Teach a child to plant a garden.
7. Teach a child how to cook his favorite food.
8. Teach a child a new art or craft.
9. Teach a teenage grandchild how to shop wisely in the supermarket.  Compare brands, prices, quality, and sizes.
10. Teach a child a new song.
11. Teach a child to recite a poem, a nursery rhyme, or to repeat a special story.
12. Teach a child that Heavenly Father loves him.

Give the Gift of Creativity

Creativity begins with the stimulation of the brain at a very early age in children.  Giving even a small baby a variety of interesting things to look at, listen to, touch, feel, and manipulate helps him to store many different images and ideas in his mind which he can draw on in later life.  It's worth the time, mess and expense to have creative memories with grandchildren.

1. Many creative experiences cost little or nothing.  Many art museums are free to the public.  Look for activity books in the local library and choose activities that use many of the items found in a kitchen.
2. Discuss how things look, feel, sound, and smell by stressing details and differences in color, shape, texture, and size, and by giving simple explanations of how things work.  Encourage discovery and curiosity.  Children need lots of different experiences to expand creative potential.

More Good Grandparenting Tips

Here are few more not found in this article from Creative Homemaking for Happy Living:

• Let children's ideas be expressed in a non-threatening atmosphere.
• Help children to accept change and be flexible.
• Help children learn that some problems have no easy answers.  Be willing to say, "I don't know."
• Teach children how to solve problems and look for more than one solution--to brain storm ideas.
• Reward children for being creative, however, they must learn that good work is sometimes its own reward.
• Help children find joy through their creative efforts and problem solving--It is fun!
• Allow children to be "an original."  This makes them authentic.  It's okay to have your own style, ideas, opinions.  We are more interesting when we are allowed to be unique.
• Appreciate children who stick with a project when everyone else has moved on.  Find ways to encourage this behavior and identify it in the student's work.

Old-fashioned Travel Games

This came from a really early Southern Living Magazine--like from the mid-seventies!  I love to read really old Southern Livings.  The early eighties must have been really good issues and not disposed of cause those are the only S.L. I couldn't find.  As you can see in the scanned photos, these kids are not wearing seatbelts!!!  Well heck! neither did we in the mid-seventies.  I would have been about these children's age.  I had an aunt whose nine kids were all geniuses and they always wanted to play car games that were way over my little pea brain.  But I kept this article cause I think the little ipod thingys and other techy toys need to be left at home, and moms actually find their arts and crafts supplies, dust them off, and prepare games that can involve the whole family.

Anagram--Cut some small squares of paper.  Write one letter of the alphabet on one side of each square, making more vowels than consonants.  Turn the lettered side of each square down.  Draw six squares, and try to use the letters in one or more words.  Score one point for each letter used.
Name Pictures--Try to write your name in as many ways as you can.  For example, you can make tall, short, fat, striped, and polka-dot letters.
Pathways--Make up a theme for a game.  For example, you can choose a treasure hunt or animal safari.  Draw a numbered path of squares on a piece of paper.
Use coins for men, and throw the dice to determine the number of moves for each man.  The first one to get to the end wins.
Puzzles--Draw a picture on a piece of paper, and color it.  Cut the picture into pieces; then try to reassemble the picture.
Spot a Word--Write the letters of the alphabet in a column on the left side of a piece of paper.  Opposite each letter, write a word that begins with that letter; use only words that you actually see printed on signs along the road or the names of animals or objects you see.
Squiggles--Draw an oddly shaped line on a piece of paper; then try to turn it into a funny face by adding other lines.
The following verbal games are good to suggest to children who cannot read in a moving car.
Animal Game--Take turns naming kinds of animals.  The last one to name an animal wins.
Color Game--Name a color, and take turns naming objects that are that color.  The winner is the one who is last to name an object.
Name All Your Relatives--Name a relationship, a cousin, for example; then try to name all your cousins.  Or you can name a city or state and try to name all the relatives who live there.
Tapes--Many families take a cassette player along on trips.  Children can record impressions of the trip, or amuse themselves by recording their voices.  They can also play tapes recorded on previous trips.  (YOU CAN STILL BUY TAPE RECORDERS AND TAPES!!!--They're not obsolete!!!)

Pioneer Rag Dolls

Christen and Elise's Rag Dolls

"But Laura was the happiest of all.  Laura had a rag doll.  She was a beautiful doll.  She had a face of white cloth with black button eyes.  A black pencil had made her eyebrows, and her cheeks and her mouth were red with the ink made from pokeberries.  Her hair was black yarn that had been knit and raveled, so that it was curly.  She had little red flannel stockings and little black cloth gaiters for shoes, and her dress was pretty pink and blue calico."

When we were studying about pioneers in our homeschool, we checked out so many books from the various local libraries.  I found one book (unfortunately I didn't keep the source), that had crafts for kids.  I remember the cover of the book had the cutest plates made from woven bread dough clay colorfully painted with flowers also made from the bread dough clay.  Inside were the instructions to make these dolls.  The girls were able to make the bowls and they did a great job, but I had to help them make the dolls.

I was in the process of taking pictures of their dolls for this post when Elise fondly reminisced how I had let the girls design their own dolls.  They chose the hair color and eye color.  Christen added a shawl from the scrap bag and fastened it with a pin from her Grandma Rosie.  I designed the little dresses myself keeping them very simple with tiny pin tucks at the neck.

My 15 yr. old son saw these dolls yesterday and rudely proclaimed them ugly :(  I said they were of a "primitive design" and were supposed to look like this!  In fact I followed the picture in the book freehand exactly as shown.  I've always thought they were very sweet and similar to Laura's doll, Charlotte, as described in Little House in the Big Woods, Chapter 4.  (I just remembered that my mom made a bunch of these simple rag dolls for a Relief Society fund raiser when I was a little girl)!

Basically, draw a doll figure on packaging paper or freezer paper, then cut out fabric.  (The pattern includes the head and the body, separately).  You stuff the head through the neck opening of the head, and the body through the neck opening of the body.  Once stuffed, sew head and neck together with a whip stitch.  (I used a 1/2 inch seam).  A knitting needle helped to push the stuffing into the arms and legs, etc. (Becoming Martha has a great rag doll tutorial that would work just as well probably!)

I used yarn in the desired color looping it around about a foot-wide piece of cardboard until it was enough to make a wig.  I carefully slipped the yarn off of the cardboard and used the sewing machine to make a seam down the middle of the yarn.  Fabric glue is applied to the head to keep the hair onto the doll's head. I used fabric paints to carefully paint a face (lightly sketch it out in pencil first).

I made the dress slightly bigger than the doll's pattern and sewed it together basically the same as the doll's but leaving the bottom of the dress and sleeves open and hemming neck, arms, and sleeves.  Even for a novice sewer like me, it was fairly quick and easy and the girls and I were happy with the results since they looked very much like the picture in the book.

Pioneer Chick Lit

Here are my favorite pioneer books:

Little House Series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder ISBN 0590488146
My Little House Crafts Book, ISBN 0439059585
Kirsten, An American Girl: 1854, ISBN 0937295760
Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan ISBN 0618062416
Pioneer Days, by David C. King ISBN 0439259398

This one isn't exactly about pioneers, but describes in an entertaining way what life at the turn-of-the-century was like and has become a favorite of mine.  I especially like the recipes at the end of the book.
Memory of a Large Christmas, Lillian Smith ISBN 0393000389

Children's Pioneer Day Event

Because I didn't Journal!!!  I don't remember why we did this activity indoors.  

I am not exactly sure where I got this wonderful idea.  On my Button Exchange Page, there are a few Mormon sites that this could have come from.  If there's time, it would be nice to use Activity Days (or Cub Scouts and Achievement Day Girls--whatever they call it now--the 8-11 yr-olds) for making invitations, homemade butter, posters for each camp, and learn the games ahead of time.  Then the older children can lead the younger ones in the games that are played at the Fort Laramie Camp.  We had a small group of children in our branch so I mostly used the help of parents.  I typed this program and left a space for names of folks who were helping (I asked ahead of time). It was no problem getting the children to dress up "old timey."  Putting a bonnet on a sister instantly turned her into a "pioneer woman."  A bandanna around the neck did the same for a brother helping with our program.  I always put down the time frame for each part of the activity to keep things moving so we don't go over time by much.  I included my materials list.  I like to keep a list hand so that I don't forget anything.  Butter recipes are included in an upcoming post:  Pioneer Children Recipes.

Nauvoo 10:00-10:05 am
The children are gathered together to begin.
"Brigham Young" (__________) tells about Joseph Smith and the mobs then a 'Missouian' comes and tells the Saints (the children) to leave.
"Brigham blesses (opening prayer) the "Locust Fork Company" and we begin our trek.

Sugar Creek Camp 10:05-10:15 am
The children gather round a "campfire."
They are offered a piece of Brigham Young's favorite candy -- horehound candy.
A pioneer sister (__________) tells about traveling on the plains:  "We traveled all day on the plains and if we could not get water, we traveled all night.  When we would camp, we gathered buffalo chips and wood where we could, and built our fire and cooked a little bacon.  Then the boys would get their fiddles and we would clear off the brush and dance and sing songs.  Then we would sing hymns and have prayers and go to bed.  We had to make our beds right on the ground, and if in the morning when we woke up there was a snake in bed with us, we'd just kick it out."

Winter Quarters Camp 10:15-10:25 am
Another pioneer sister (__________) offers the children a taste of horseradish.  They learn that it was used to cure scurvy, a sickness from not getting enough vitamin C.
The children taste homemade butter and bread.
She tells about pioneer cooking:
"Bread was mixed in a home-made wooden bread tray in the morning and placed in the wagon to rise during the day as they traveled along.  When camp was reached in the evening, it was baked in one of the rock ovens built by the previous pioneers.  Cows made the entire journey and furnished milk and butter for the family with some to spare for others.  The milk and cream not used immediately were put in a tightly covered wooden churn and fastened firmly inside the wagon; the butter was already churned when they reached the evening camp."

Chimney Rock Camp 10:25-10:40 am
The wagon master (__________) tells about pioneers eating dried prickly pear cactus and gives a taste of dried apples.
He tells about the Goodridge family:
"In Captain Hardy's camp there was a family by the name of Goodridge, father, mother, several young girls and an 11-year-old boy.  They were a musical family, full of fun and made the best of most every situation.  The girls sang and danced; they gathered berries on the way; they laughed.  But they also counted the graves and wondered about the sadness and hardships of the travelers and wept for those who had died along the way.  They helped nurse the sick, washed and mended, cooked and carried water; they knew how to work.  When necessary, they would wade streams without complaining, shake the dust out of their clothing without resentment and gather buffalo chips without disgust.  They could fall on their knees night and morning and thank their Heavenly Father for their health and strength, their safety, their food and clothing, and the boundless sea of grass that paved their way to freedom..."
Brigham Young tells the "pioneers" they are too discouraged and cannot leave until they sing a song to lift their spirits.  So as they leave (walk around the property) towards the  next camp, they sing pioneer songs (i.e. Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked, The Handcart Song, and Come, Come Ye Saints).

Fort Laramie Camp 10:40-11:10 am
The school-teacher (__________) tells about the work the children did:  "boys helped the family to find food, and sometimes using the slingshot or a gun, brought home a rabbit or squirrel for dinner.  They would tend the animals and drive the wagons or pull the handcarts.  Girls helped gather wood and buffalo chips for the fire, they would help make food and tend to the younger children.  The pioneers walked 1,297 miles!  Sometimes they carried a brother or sister because they were too tired to walk and there was no room in the handcart."  (Have a child try to carry a sibling about 20 feet).  But pioneer children also found time to play some old-fashioned games."
(Lead the children in games such as, Button-Button, Duck, Duck Goose, Spin-the-Bottle, Mother, May I?  and Pioneer Laundry Race.  These games and more are found in the next post Pioneer Games.)
The children taste jerky and drink lemonade.

Salt Lake Valley Camp 11:10-11:25 am
A pioneer sister (__________) tells about the seagulls and the crickets:  "It was June and the Saints were struggling to plant crops in the Salt Lake Valley...they planted rows and rows of corn and vegetables.  The crickets covered all the crops and were eating everything green.  First they tried to drown crickets with water, but it didn't work.  So then they got sticks and clubs and tried to kill the crickets.  As soon as the sun came out the next day, the crickets came out again in more numbers than before.  When almost all hope was lost the seagulls came from out of the sky, swooped up the crickets and took them away."
The children plant crops (seeds in egg cartons--cut each opening so that it makes a little bio-degradable container that can be planted directly into the ground).
"Brigham Young" arrives and declares this is the right place, blesses the "crops" and offers a closing prayer.
As the children leave, we give them an old-fashioned peanut butter cookie.

Materials List:
Invitations
Homemade butter
6 camp posters
Horehound candy
Wheat bread
Peanut butter cookies (I used Archway Molasses Cookies)
Button
Bottle
Egg cartons (biodegradable)
Potting soil
Bean seeds
Plastic spoons (to fill cartons with soil)
Horseradish
Dried apples
Jerky
Lemonade
4 buckets
Two boards
Campfire wood
Photographer __________

Pioneer Children

by Sandy Halvorson

Sometimes when I must walk to school, it seems a long, long way.

I get to feeling tired and would like to stop and play.

But then I think of pioneers who walked by sun and star;

And suddenly my little walk doesn’t seem so far.

Sometimes on cold, dark winter nights I crawl beneath the sheet

And wish I had a cozy place to warm my chilly feet.

But then I think of pioneers who camped outside all night

And only had a fire’s glow to give them warmth and light.

Sometimes when I am hungry and want something good to eat,

My mother gives me carrots when I’d rather have a sweet.

But then I think of pioneers who thanked God and were glad

For anything at all to eat—my carrots aren’t so bad.

Sometimes when I have chores to do and I would rather play,

I think of pioneers and know they worked most all the day.

And so I guess I can’t complain about things that I must do,

For when I think of pioneers, I’m very blessed—aren’t you?

http://lds.org/friend/1983/07/i-think-of-pioneers?lang=eng

Here is a real story of just one of the thousands of pioneer children who migrated west in the late 1840s and early 1850s.  This is a good one to tell children at a Primary pioneer activity, or a pioneer-themed family home evening.  It would be fun if a dad or granddad could dress up for the part and tell the story as if  he were Albert reminiscing when he was one of the pioneer children.

"Children Pioneers," by Fay McCracken, Friend, July 1995

Chick Lit for July

I love anything of Jan Brett's, but Comet's Nine Lives (ISBN 0590109723) definitely evokes a summer vacation feel--plus I love cats!
Comet Coloring Page
Nautical Flags
Summer Bookmarks
Sailor's Bracelet

Sending your little critters off to Scout camp this summer?  Prepare them by reading:
Little Critter at Scout Camp (0307126293) by Mercer Mayer, and The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest by Stan and Jan Berenstain (0394805658)

For something patriotic, Across America, I Love You (0439235901), by Christine Loomis and beautifully illustrated by Kate Kiesler is a panoramic view of our beautiful country.

Homeschoolers (and other conscientious parents) might include the following books by Jean Fritz for kid-friendly historical accounts of our country's founding fathers:

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? 0590412000
Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? 0590412027
Where was Patrick Henry On the 29th of May? (my ancestor!) 059041206X
What's the Big Idea Ben Franklin? 0590412051
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? 0590412035
(Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman)

My favorite Values-Based books are by Stan and Jan Berenstain:
The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed (0394873319), Get in a Fight (0394851323), The Golden Rule (0310712475), and my favorite--Forget Their Manners (679860347).


Go to my post, Chick Lit, for more books to read to and with children.

Art Badge Camp

Our Temporary Art Gallery

In the South, the advent of summer vacation is always marked by church posters advertising VBS ... Vacation Bible School. You can't miss it--they're everywhere! I can remember one summer, as a little girl, walking with my cousins to the nearest church to attend Vacation Bible School. VBS is mostly given in the evenings these days, but back then, there were enough homemakers sufficient to provide it during the daytime.  

For the most part I enjoyed the experience and many times when my children were young, I wondered why the LDS didn't do something "like unto it." So one summer, as I was helping with Cub Scouts and Webelos, I offered to put on an "Art Camp" in order to get through a pretty involved Cub Scout Art Badge. I think it was only two or three days, and I had one other mom as a helper. I think we did pizza one day, and they brought their lunches the other days.  

Most of the boys pictured are wearing one of their first art projects: screen-printing t-shirts. Of course our's say "Scout Art Camp." Each boy brought their own t-shirts and I had plenty of paints left over from past Girl Scout projects. These shirts made good art smocks so their clothes stayed clean.