We would all walk to the woods and go up to the stone quarry. We would sit for hours talking about whatever came to our minds, who we would marry, how many kids we would have.....what a great way to stay cool in the woods on a hot summer day! Making snow angels in the snow, playing hide and seek under the streetlights, sitting on the front porch glider with Gram and Aunt Marie.....what a safe and wonderful world that was.

Walking to the river with my little sister and playing in the sand all day.

Playing baseball with all the boys. I could out hit most of them.

My three favorite pastimes were reading, taking long leisurely walks in the country, and going berry picking.

Shirley

Renting a horse to ride or going to the big swimming pool. The pool had a slide into the deep end (12 ft deep) and a diving board, 10 ft. diving board and 20 ft. diving or jumping platform.

Riding my pony and then later on my horse. I just loved riding!! I could get away from everything when I was riding. There was also a bunch of us that would ride together.

I loved going down to the river (Mississippi) and walking in the sand and finding all kinds of old bottles and stuff.

I also liked to read and climb trees.

My best friend and I spent a lot of time climbing trees and hikng up the hill into the woods to swing on the monkey swings and make forts in the sumac thickets. Summer nights were spent playing "run sheep run" or "kick the can". Winter evenings were spent sled riding on the hilly side streets or skating on the mule pond at the mine. I loved doing all these things. Everyone in my small coal mining town knew everyone and looked after everybodies kids. The whole town was our playground. I doubt that it is possible for kids to have such freedom today.
When by myself, I loved reading and playing with and desigining clothes for my paper dolls.

My fondest memory when I was little, was being trapped indoor due to the rain and reading comic books. In the later years, I favor more going camping, fishing, and road trips with the family.

Reading and spending weekends at my grandparents house in South Philly.

My favorite thing was reading books. I loved to escape into another world.

Walking up the street to the ice cream place that had ponies in a corral that you could ride.

My best memory was later when a friend's mom bought her a large black and white paint pony stallion. He was the sweetest horse in the world and we rode bareback all over the big hilly field where he was kept. I guess if I could go back, I would be riding that pony all over the field again.

Ride my bicycle...I lived in a small town, and I was allowed to ride all over the town and I could ride for miles! Loved that bike, it was my freedom machine!

One of my favorites was our Sunday afternoon rides. After church and our tummies fully of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, mother's yeast rolls and even a dessert (same menu every Sunday of my childhood), we'd all load up in the car which, thankfully, were made a lot bigger back then and drive out in the country. Depending on the season, we'd either hunt mushrooms, wildflowers, walnuts or pawpaws. Or just ride. We always sang. Even mother who didn't think she could sing that well. We sang 3-part harmony and actually still sing some of those songs when we get together. I especially remember "Come to the church in the wildwood". If we were really, really lucky, we'd stop at DQ for a dilly bar on the way home.

We never had dinner on Sunday night. Daddy would pop corn and we'd have that while watching Ed Sullivan.

Thanks for posting these childhood questions, Sue. They bring back happy memories.

Spend the afternoon at the library. We lived in a very small town, and for me the library was the center of it. Inside there was a nook which contained an overstuffed sofa, and I spent most Saturday afternoons planted there, often reading UFO magazines. LOL So peaceful, quiet and fun.

My favorite things were hunting and fishing with my dad.
He couldn't get out of the house without me. He taught me so much during those trips.
When I was home I was always in the creek, catching tadpoles and turtles or building rafts.
I had such a wonderful childhood.

When we lived in S. CA, spending all day at the base pool, roller skating, climbing trees, playing tether ball, riding my bike, playing hide and seek with a bunch of neighborhood kids.

I really can't say if I had a favorite
I had a wonderful childhood and in early years played "fort" with the boys on the block (no girls around) we'd dig and build forts in the vacant lots and prepare for war with other kids who were just figments of our imagination. Later My Girlfriend and I would ride our bikes all around S Chicago and we'd go to all the museums. Also the public school system had a wonderful after school playground program through out the city and we'd have teams to play other areas, Jacks, jump roping, hopscotch, baseball and in the winter they would flood the playground and it would be after school and night time ice skating on teams and for the adults to come out and skate too,.
I can't recall all the activities but we were busy all the time and of course reading Everyone thought I'd grow up to be a librarian. I would go on impromtu trips with the couple who lived next door sometimes on the train to Princeton Ill or sometimes car rides to Terre Haute Indiana. such fun.

Riding my bike all around our town, playing hide and seek with the neighbor kids..building a playhouse and forming a club..

I told yesterday about a number of the activities that I was involved with, growing up on a farm about a mile from a village at the time of World War II, when I reflected on my least favourite activity/chore.

I think that my favourite was visiting with a friend, riding our bikes to the small store nearby, pooling our money and buying half of a pint brick of ice cream, asking the store keeper to cut it in half for us ... and lend us a couple of teaspoons ... which they did graciously.

A few years ago I took son to a supermarket gig, blowing up balloons and shaping them for kids, and at the end he bought a 2-litre (about a half gallon) brick of ice cream ... of which at first he said that I could choose the flavour ... but when he saw that "Heavenly Hash" was available ... took back the offer.

We sat under a shady tree to eat it, having begged the store for a couple of spoons.

He quit before we were half through ... but I persevered to the end.

ole joyful ... fuelled, on occasion, by ice cream

Isn't it amazing that so many enjoyed reading? I wonder if you asked kids today, what they'd say, I'm sure it wouldn't be reading.....
Growing up on a farm, we had lots to explore but I did love riding my horse....And every Sat. afternoon, my sister and I would go roller skating...We had dreams of being skating stars, lol......

I looked forward to Friday nights and the cowboy movies. I was in love with every cowboy star. I remember the serials that followed the main attraction. They always left the star in some sort of peril and we had to wait a whole week to see how he/she escaped.

That old theater is still in town, but not used anymore.

Loved spending summers with grandparents on the ranch--learned to milk cows, make butter, pick fruit, collect eggs candled them to sell to local market and also loved to go to Az to visit other grandparents. We would stop along the side of the road for a potty break, then Daddy and I would wonder all over looking for rocks, etc. Mom and brother would stay in the car --brother was scared of everything--wonder Why?? What did I do or say to him??? Nothing????--yea right!

I'm glad you mentioned the movies each Saturday they had a kid's matinee I forgot how much it cost but other school friends and I would go in a group what fun. Coming home my girlfriend and I had to walk under the viaducts which were the automobile roads under the overhead commuter trains . The Acoustics were great and we'd sing "grand opera" at the top of our lungs. I adored Alan Ladd and Turhan Bey . this was all before high school

All the girls in my neighborhood would take long bike rides in the summer. We'd pack a lunch and and be gone for hours.