Children (and their adult companions) participate in a variety of games (hopscotch, double-Dutch jump rope, horse, bouncing-ball games, counting-out games, hand games, and string-&Mac222;gure games), and other hands-on activities related to Great Lakes traditions. 4-H youth from throughout Michigan will showcase their projects on documenting their family and community heritage in a special 4-H FOLKPATTERNS FAIR area.

Children’s Traditional Culture
Children’s culture is mostly traditional. Even in infancy children begin participating in and learning traditional games such as peek-a-boo and patty-cake. Throughout childhood and adolescence they participate in traditional learning songs, rhymes, sayings, puzzles, rituals, customs, and games with their peers, older youth, and adults. Although adults are clearly important teachers of all knowledge for children, much of children’s traditions are passed on continuously from child to child; children are both the teachers and the learners. By the time children enter school they are already skilled in a wide realm of knowledge areas.

Childrens’ Traditional Games
Like other forms of folklore, traditional games often are learned informally within family or peer groups. Traditional forms of play are most associated with children. Hide ’n seek, hopscotch, jump rope, and other games teach youngsters important cultural values, rules, and social roles. Many games involve verbal skills such as tongue twisters, riddles, game songs, or rhymes, some of recent origin, others centuries old. Games testing dexterity and physical abilities are found around the world. American examples include jacks, marbles, or "Capture the Flag." Modern technology has given rise to new forms of play, such as skate-board tricks and computer games.