There are many activities you can do as a family, but none so rewarding as collecting. By collecting, I'm referring to the search, acquisition, cataloguing, and displaying, of collectibles. The term collectibles is an all encompassing word to describe anything from stamps to coins, rocks to dolls, antiques to memorabilia etc. etc. etc.

It is a fun, worthwhile and wholesome activity with possibilities for all family members no matter what their interests. Collecting can be done at any income value including none at all for the tiniest members of the family. People collect matchbook- covers, menus, or greeting cards and they are usually free for the asking. For the youngest collectors, the aim should not be to acquire items of value as much as to accumulate a specific item in all its possible forms. Examples would include banks of every possible type or bears in every possible color. Parents often unintentionally begin collections for babies. They decide a certain motif would be cute in the nursery and so the search begins. Before you know it, the hunt continues even when the nursery is full.

Adults can also end up with collections without ever trying. A friend gives you a doll and you enjoy it so much, that realizing that, your husband buys you another. It doesn't take long at all and you have the beginnings of a collection. Or maybe you decide to buy a bell while on vacation, soon bells are ringing all around the house.

Collections have as many reasons for being as there are possibilities. You may want to recapture your youth and collect toys from your childhood. You may be a history buff who enjoys military items or documents or maps. Most of us collect because the items give us joy. They may be beautiful to look at or make us laugh or even bring back memories of other times or people or places. You may enjoy decorating your home with primitives or your room with unicorns. There are many reasons to collect.

Pursuing this hobby as a family makes sense since the need to haunt garage sales, flea markets, antique shops, and auctions can be time consuming. It can take away from family time and that is such a rare and valued thing it needs to be preserved. When the activity takes place as a family, you can combine a family activity with everyone's passion.

Collecting is an educational experience as you try to guess the purpose of unusual items or simply imagine the time period from when they come. The research at the library or Internet becomes a valuable tool to become more knowledgeable about your chosen collectible and an enormously entertaining and learning experience.

Your children cannot be exposed to too much history since we find it is an ignored or neglected subject in households and sometimes even in schools. Children need the feeling of continuity in their lives, in their family and even in society. Knowing about ancestors and the past of our country is a valuable thing for all of us since it gives us a feeling of being a part of the bigger picture and belonging to something.

Let your children learn the basics about collecting in a fun way and mainly by experience rather than lecturing them. Allow them to decide what it is they will collect. They must consider their spending money, the availability of the items, and should have a basic knowledge of the collectible. They must be casually encouraged to learn as much as possible about it, but do not force making this another chore, keep it fun. Discourage them from picking something they will be unlikely to find in quantity or will be beyond their means to afford. But the final choice must be theirs. Do not emphasize the value of their collections, but the variety, the fun of discovery, and the complete process of collecting.

Most kids will readily find something they enjoy, but if they act disinterested try to suggest some things or just take them with you for a few times to try it. Almost always kids will find their collecting niche. Collecting is a bit like reading; those who say they don't like it have just not found the right thing.

Older kids may get into collecting as a part time business or investment. If they can support their efforts, it won't hurt to let them learn some lessons about being in business, responsibility, fairness and ethics.

Teach children to be polite in dealing with others, careful around things others consider valuable, and joyful in their pursuit. Teach them to look first for things they love, second for condition as their criteria for purchase, and last a reasonable and affordable price. Collecting is full of many teaching possibilities of family values and life skills and a wholesome way to pursue happiness.

Credits: Jo Ann Wentzel