Outdoor Fun

You may recall, about midway through Just Following Orders, how excited my big brother Joshua was when we arrived, late in the evening, and saw a crowd playing Annie-Over. When you’ve been cooped up for a long time, from being sick or whatever, it feels so good to get back outdoors.

How nice it was for us to get settled in our new home where it was finally safe to play again, not worrying about staying out of sight from those who might hurt us! Besides baseball and Annie-Over, we quickly got caught up on our exercise, finding new friends and enjoying a lot of outdoor fun that you can enjoy, too:

• Hoops: Large hoops, pushed by a wooden stick, used for a variety of competitions or just enjoyed by a single person
• Stilts that you can build.

• Red Rover, a game where everyone ends up on the winning team—unless someone gets an injury. Use caution on this one.

• Sack Race: Even Grandpa got in on this one! He knows a half dozen dozen ways to run a race, too.

• Croquet

• Marbles: There’s an elaborate vocabulary that marble enthusiasts know. Check out Prairie Commons to learn the jargon and read of many other interesting activities of the 19th century that can be just as much fun today.
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To learn much more about the cuisine, culture and conflict in the days of the American Civil War, check out Just Following Orders: Escape from Guerrilla Warfare in 1863