Summer Fun
Summer is here and now is a great time to start a new collection. What are planning to do this summer? Whatever it is, there is something connected that will make a great collection.
Are you planning to be at the beach—collect sea shells, driftwood or different types and colors of sand. Planning to stay in the country, near a creek, maybe, or woods? Collect pinecones, rocks, feathers, types of tree bark, old bottles, fossils. Will you be fishing at the lake? How about collecting fishing lures?
Is your family traveling this summer? How about postcards or maps? Wherever you spend your summer or wherever you go look for a related item which inspires, interests, or intrigues you.
Collect something you love. Don’t collect for volume. Choose only items you really like and have room for. Start with small items. Some popular things are keys, skeleton keys, key chains, thimbles, candy containers, like Pez holders. Old things are always fun to collect—old game pieces, like dice, monopoly pieces, chess men, checkers, cards, dominoes.
Here are some ideas for different categories.
Travel Collections:
Maps and atlases, picture postcards, stamps-(postmarks, photos, travel brochures, local newspapers from towns visited (Save only headings cut from the front pages), thimbles, place spoons, coffee mugs, autographs of people you meet, state park emblems for campers, refrigerator magnets, bells, flags, or piggy banks.
Postcards are great because they can be grouped. Say you want a postcard of each place you go showing local wildlife, the state bird, a landmark, the state flag or welcome to our state sign. When travel collecting remember that many things are fragile or messy. Consider constraints of space and choose something small. You might want to take along a special satchel or plastic tub for your treasures.
Nature collections:
Sand (collect in small water bottles), sea shells, feathers, wood, pinecones, star fish, sand dollars, nuts, rocks, fossils, leaves, wildflowers (in a press), insects, butterflies, books on birds or insects, bark, petrified wood, photos of nature stuff like trees, flowers, animals, birds, and nests. Remember to respect nature and not to take things that destroy or hurt animals or the ecology. My daughter Heather and I have been collecting waterfalls for 10 years, we fill a small babyfood jar with water and take a picture of the fall. We have 38 now.
Popular things to collect :
Bells, key chains, thimbles and spoons, t-shirts, stamps, playing cards, dishes, calendars, refrigerator magnets, banks , back scratchers, and small wooden or stone animal figures. How about stuffed animals or dolls from different places, candles, buttons, fans or jewelry boxes?
Unique and Antique:
For a unique collection, try antique fishing lures, sand art creations, paperweights, flags of the states or of different countries, hats, old eye glasses, masks, mouse pads, old bottles, pop bottles, Christmas ornaments, blown glass figures, pens and pencils with company names, or wind chimes. Say you decide to collect items relating to something you like such as hummingbirds, look for a book about hummers, a glass figurine, a painting, a hummingbird calendar, a plate or mug, a t-shirt, and various hummingbird decorated items.
Sports stuff:
Finally, think of all the great sports related things you might like to collect. How about baseballs, sports cards, shirts, jerseys with favorite team names, ball caps, little helmet key chains, magnets, team paraphernalia, posters, college pennants, marbles, yo-yos, hack-y-sacs, old toys, Legos™, Hotwheels™, and other game related items.
Have some fun collecting this summer something new and interesting. Who knows? It may turn into a lifelong venture.