278. Give a piece of paper and a pencil to each person. Drop a few pins, tacks, or grains of rice on each paper. Dots are then made with a pencil at each spot where one of the objects has landed, and a picture is made by drawing from dot to dot. The dots and lines may be made with crayons of different colors to add more interest to the game.

279. In many cases mental activity is more important to a sick child than manual activity. Why not try a geography game? For example, prepare an outline map of the United States, showing state boundaries but with no place names. Give a copy to each player. (Carbon paper will make a number of copies). Then make a list of places. The players mark the locations on the map as one person calls the names. A prize may be given the person with the most accurate map.

280. Needless to say, riddles, puzzles, brain teasers, guessing games, card and pencil games, all lend themselves to family groups. There are many books on these games, any of which would be a good investment.

281. In preparation for this activity give your child a small empty scrapbook for each member of the family. One page can be labeled "birthplace, " another "favorite hobby, " others "favorite books, " "friends, " etc. When you gather together give each member of the family an empty scrapbook to make a picture biography of another member of the family. The pictures, to illustrate each item, can be clipped from magazines and pasted or pinned to the pages.

282. If your family is large or small-no matter-each can add his or her touch to a wall mural for the bed-bound child. A large piece of wrapping paper, fastened to the wall, some jars of poster paint, and two or three large brushes on a stand underneath-from time to time each "artist" can add a few strokes to the painting.

283. Bring the outdoors in occasionally by having an "indoor picnic. " Wrap the sandwiches, use paper cups, and picnic atop the bedspread. Even in wintertime, indoor picnics are fun.

284. Personalized balloons are novel fun for a family get-together and add a festive touch. After inflating the balloons, use nail polish to print names or rhymes on them.

285. Hold a family contest for the best magazine cutouts. One week the subject could be "My Favorite Animal Pictures; " another time, "The Funniest Picture of the Week. " A small prize to the winner makes it a real contest.

286. An old family activity which has been neglected or forgotten is family reading. What better time is there than now, when your child cannot go out to commercial entertainments, for you to revive this memorable tradition of a family reading a book together? Ask your librarian to help you find some of the many books that appeal to children and adults alike.

However, reading should not be confined to a family activity. What better way for one to escape into the outside world than through books? Imaginative and practical books are abundant. Stimulating new books now being published will afford many hours of pleasure; it would be impossible to list the tremendous selection available. But in the flood of wonderful new books do not forget the old favorites. What life is complete without an early meeting with such perennial friends as Peter Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, Dr. Doolittle series? The older child will still delight in Tom Sawyer, Hack Finn, Heidi, The Swiss Family Robinson, Robinson Crusoe, The Just-So-Stories, and Treasure Island. Children's fables of the brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen will provide many lovely hours for the very young child-and don't forget to complement these with children's verse and plays. Despite the roar of rockets in a child's consciousness, these other faraway worlds still hold their enchantment.

Reading is not only a rewarding activity in itself, but many times the peoples, places and events encountered in a work of literature will build in the child a foundation for activities and interests that may last a lifetime. An important factor to consider, too, is that the physical surroundings and limitations of the child's world suggest to him obvious book choices. The question of a planned reading program, however, or whether to encourage a child to read at random, must be gauged by the individual interest and inclination of the child.

You and your child will be greatly aided in the pursuit of books with comprehensive book lists procured from a public library or from newspapers and magazines which publish book lists several times a year, usually at Christmas time and in the Spring. Remember, too, that all book-publishing houses have catalogues of their publications available at all times.

287. A family building project is fun. Suppose your family chooses to work on a model doll house or a miniature farm or city? Have a family discussion and planning session to decide which project you wish to build, who will gather the material, and which items each person would like to work on. Arrange good working spots around the room for the different sorts of construction that will be going on.