Summer in the Sixties

 The school year around here is just about done...which leads me to the question: How did you keep busy as a kid during the summer?

Growing up on Staten Island in the 1960s, we didn't have a lot of "organized" activities. Not being sports-oriented, things like Little League were of no interest to me. But there was a "day camp" run by the local public school, where we played softball and kickball, and indoor games like knock-hockey and ping pong and pool. There were even some classes in art.

The camp ended at 4 PM on weekdays and didn't meet at all on the weekend. During those times, we'd meet up with neighbors for pick-up games (sometimes in the school yard, sometimes in the big empty lot behind my house), or just play at imaginary stuff in the backyard--cowboys and Indians (not PC these days), or dig in the dirt and play at construction. I had a seemingly indestructible Tonka pick-up truck that lasted for at least seven or eight years, including being left out in the rain quite often.

We'd ride bikes, of course--although I didn't really master a two-wheeler until I was about 12 years old. And sidewalk games--hop scotch and box ball most frequently.

What were your summers like when you were in grade school?