TEMPTING
BITS OF
INTEREST
AND INFO.

We're
Puzzled

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
EDITOR

Act Up

Here's a great game for older children
and parents to play on one of those merci-
lessly hot summer days (when you can't go out-
side even for a moment) — or one of those
unending rainy ones.
Visit your favorite discount store and
buy two boxes of the same puzzle. Next,
make your house festive, with ribbons and bal-
loons and plenty of popcorn. You'll also need
to have available two tables, one for
each-team.
-1'
Arrange for an equal number of
adults and children (three is a nice
number for this), then divide into two
teams.
It's grown-ups versus boys and girls
as the race is on to see who can com-
plete the puzzle first. Think about having a
prize for the winning team.

If your child has dreams of singing, danc-
ing, writing or acting her way to fame,
here's a place she can get started.
The Community House of Birming-
ham is offering a three-week camp that
integrates performing and visual art expe-
riences. Participants write their own mu-
sic, lyrics and scripts, choreograph their
own dances, and design and
construct costumes,
stage props and
sets.
The Perform-
ing and Visual Arts
Summer Camp, held 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays
from July 28 through Au-
gust 15, is open to students entering
grades 2-8 in the fall. The cost is $344.
For information, contact the Commu-
nity House, 380 Bates St.,

(248) 644-5832.

The Old Neighborhood

THE APPLETREE

It's In
The Bag

8

There are few things in life
little girls find more pleas-
ing than a purse. This new
one from Dutton Press is
just their style.
It's made of cardboard,
and it's filled with all kinds
of cardboard treasures a girl
might find in her grand-
mother's bag. There are glasses, 000hh-so-
cute pictures of grandchildren and pretend
lipstick. There's even a slot where a child
can stick in her own treasures, like a few
pennies or a pack of gum.

Outsiders or transplants might be tempted to think everyone from Detroit has Vemor's instead of
blood running in his veins. How else to explain this curious addiction to the spicy drink?
And what of the Michigan tradition to say "pop" instead of "soda," an almost fanatic love of the
University of Michigan, and a grand nostalgia for old neighborhoods?
Let's face it Michiganians love everything about Michigan.
Grandparents here can help out-of-state children (born in Michigan, but now completely at home
in — gasp — New York) and grandchildren appreciate their heritage with a homemade "All About
Grandma's and Grandpa's Michigan" album.
Begin by collecting all sorts of
treasures reflecting local history
and family traditions. Get pho-
tos, scour antique stores for
postcards, find labels from
Michigan products, write down
stories and recipes, and buy oth-
er small treasures. Compile in a
blank notebook. Even the most
disenfranchised Michiganian is
sure to feel back at home again
(and maybe even so nostalgic
he'll pop home for a visit).