As a child, do you remember traditions you did with your family? Maybe your family camped during the summer or attended an annual Fourth of July weekend family reunion or picnic. Catching lightning bugs has special memories for me as these would be placed in a container and used as a 'night light' before being released the next day. Maybe you traveled to spend time with relatives in another part of the country. My visits from town to Grandma's farm are treasured memories! How many of you had a lemonade stand?

If you have fond memories of family traditions, you know how important they are. Regardless of the past, vow to make the present a place which will contain positive memories for the future! Choose to make today count.

As both grandparent and parent, Extension Family Life Educator Milly Kaiser says you have the chance to continue traditions that the children enjoy. Or, you might want to start some new summer traditions with the grandkids. Maybe it's a summer vacation or a picnic in the park once a month or a weekly trip to the library. Perhaps the last night of summer vacation is 'going out for ice cream' night.

What about playing board games or card games with your family one day a week? What about a checkerboard on the front porch or a neighborhood croquet tournament or playing Frisbee golf? Action and involvement combine to create traditions.

Traditions are special ways of doing things that we repeat over and over again. When you use a muscle in your body over and over again in a certain way, it makes the muscle stronger. In the same way, sharing experiences again and again in a certain way strengthens a family.

Traditions give families stability and a feeling of belonging. Values and beliefs are reinforced through our traditions. Through the passing of time, we learn the unspoken message of why traditions are created: because family is important. Talk about activities you can do together, many of which don't have to cost extra money. Simple activities can become fun and exciting ways to be together. Here are a few ideas:

• Create a family memory book.
• Make homemade ice cream.
• Plan and prepare a special meal together: travel around the world with food from a different country each week.
• Explore the outdoors and take a picnic lunch.
• Have pizza and movie night at home.
• Make and fly your own kites.
• Plant and care for a garden.
• Freeze and eat bananas
• Interview an ancestor
• Learn to juggle
• Play in the sprinkler
• Go swimming.
• Have 'backwards' day: Eat breakfast for supper and pizza for breakfast, or eat dessert first.
• Go to a ballgame. This could be a 'little league' game where you cheer for both teams. What fun!
• Watermelon seed target shoot: create a 'target' with sidewalk chalk, then hose off afterwards for double the fun.
• Draw a picture of yourself and your home. Sign and date this on the front of the picture. Repeat each year and you have a wonderful keepsake.
• Plan a vacation. If not possible to travel each year, plan a trip for the future. When and if the opportunity presents itself you will be prepared. This allows all involved an opportunity to think about the world outside their community. Learn about these destination spots at your local library.
• Find joy! Fill a 'July Joy Journal' with the good things you see and do each day.

Take some time to talk about your summer plans with family members. Who knows, maybe some of these activities may become traditions in your family. Remember, intentional summertime living may create some great memories for years to come.

At University of Illinois Extension—Fulton County, we are committed to helping the people of Illinois put knowledge to work. For a complete list of activities and links to a variety of helpful resources, check us out on the web at fulton.extension.uiuc.edu. It is my privilege to share information with you in this column, and I look forward to our 'Extension Connection'. Have a great week living a life to make tomorrow's memories the best ever!