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hvparent.com n Hudson Valley Parent 39 Catch lightening bugs — in your hands or in a jar. Have a contest to see who can collect the most. Own a pet (fish, bird, dog, cat, lizard). By LARA KRUPICKA T he years with our children slip past us when we're not paying attention. Suddenly we find ourselves with preschoolers, then grade-schoolers, and pretty soon teenagers. We do our best to make the most of these years, but sometimes it helps to know we aren't missing out on our children's childhood by engaging it full on. With that in mind, here are 20 activities to get in before taking them to college. How many have you already tried? Ice cream for dinner! 20 things to do with your kids before they're grown Sleep out under the stars. Pitch a tent or just drag blankets and sleeping bags out into your yard or balcony. Visit a lighthouse. Take a picture while you're there. Pick apples, blueber- ries or another fruit. Enjoy eating produce right from the source. Eat ice cream sundaes for dinner. Include fresh fruit like straw- berries and bananas among the top- pings to make it "more healthy." 9 Carve a pumpkin. En- courage your kids to grab out the seeds with their fingers and get up to their elbows scooping out the gooey flesh. 5 2 1 3 Take them to meet a favorite author, sports star or personal hero. 4 8 Serve in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. 6 7 Whatever you choose to do, soak up each moment. (Continued on Page 40)