The Topic: Collecting Things Easier - A collection is a group of things gathered or collected. A person is a collector when they brings items together into a group. People collect different things. People collect things for lots of reasons - - including that it is fun!   Harder - Collecting is a great hobby because it can be different, unique for everyone. Each found item has its own 'story.' In the process of collecting, you continue to learn. As you build any collection, you apply skills in identifying, selecting, discriminating, evaluating, classifying, and arranging items.   Those who view collecting as trivial or a waste of time, miss the connections that it has to life skills and occupations. Scientists also collect things; they gather information, data, and samples. Museums and libraries are collections. Many people make their livelihoods by collecting and disposing items. In fact, all of us go through our lives collecting and discarding things around us.   Collection Connection http://newyork.freezone.com/brain/collecting/story1.html Collecting is very popular; all of you probably collect something. Some people think that there is no point to collecting but it is very useful.    Hobbies at Wyoming Roundup http://www.wyoming.com/~Roundup/Hobbies.htm What do you like to do? Garden? Trace your family tree? Like Bugs? Collect coins or stamps? Why not start a new collection!   Kids' Collecting at About.com http://kidscollecting.about.com/kids/kidscollecting/ Here is an up-to-date website with lots of information and links geared to collecting by kids.   Kids Who Collect at Country Collectibles Magazine http://www.countrycollector.com/kids.html At this website for kids you can read articles about collecting, find out about other people's collections, register your own collection, and lots more.   After visiting several of the websites, complete one or more of these activities:   What Are the Things Used at Work? Pick an adult whose work you are interested in. This person can be a parent, relative, neighbor or a good friend. Then make a collection of everyday things that they use in their work. Imagine how they use each item. Ask them questions about the items. Put the items together into a display.   What are Some Inexpensive Collections? Not all collections require large amounts of money to acquire. See if you can identify ten-fifteen different types of collections that would require little or no money, just time and effort to develop and continue. Share your list. Which ones would be the most interesting to you?   Start Your Own Collection. People collect almost everything. Visit our Types of Collections webpage to see just a few of them. First brainstorm some different ideas for collections. Try to think of something unique. Add things that you are interested in learning more about. Jot down all the different ideas that you can think of. Then consider the pros and cons of each idea. Sometimes available room limits the size of items that are collected. Some collections are limited to small things. Narrow down your list to the top 5 ideas. Talk it over with your friends or a parent. Weigh your choices and select the best type of collection for you. A final reminder that in this age of computers, your collection could be entirely virtual. It could be a collection of photographs.   Be A Curator of Your Own Museum. If you already have a collection, continue to add items to it, but now put effort into the arrangement and display of the items. First identify the central connection(s) between all items in your collection. Are there boundaries? For instance, if you collect rhinoceros figures, is there a price limit or size limit to rhinos that you include? Is there an esthetic judgment; do you include ugly rhinos? What other criteria do you have? Within your collection, what subgroups can you identify? Create a database that identifies the characteristics of each item within your collection. Remember to include where you located it, what it cost (if appropriate), description, etc. Now arrange your collection into a new display. Share your museum.   Find Out What Different Generations Collected? Interview people who grew up in different times: the forties, fifties, sixties, seventies and so on. Interview two or three people in each decade. Find out what they collected? Aks what there friends collected. What things do girls generally collect? What things did guys collet? What do they collect today?   Website By Kids For Kids Kids Collect http://www.zuzu.org/collect.html Here a young collector shares information about accumulating objects for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby.   Stamp On Black History (1997 ThinkQuest Project) http://library.thinkquest.org/2667/ Her you can find information about stamp collecting and a black history.   Websites On Specific Types of Collections Go to our Types of Collections webpage to access an indexed list with lots of links to collections. Here's where you find specific information about collecting stamps, trading cards, rocks and minerals . . . everything from A to Z.   Lots More Sites Collectors Web http://www.collectorsweb.com/archives/ The goal of this webstie is to provide information and resources to the collecting. community.   Collectibles (Maine Antique Digest) http://www0.delphi.com/collect/public/general.html Here you can read articles on collecting; from "Action Figures and Comic Books' to 'Internet Auctions' and 'Appraisals.'   Collecting http://www.cannylink.com/hobbiescollecting.htm This is a links-site to all types of collecting interests. Similar Links-Sites: 2) Collection Collection http://www.collectorsconnection.com/direct.htm 3) Hobbies (Includes Collecting) http://www.ci.hurst.tx.us/lib/links/hobbies.htm 4) Hobbies & Crafts (Includes Collecting) http://www.lc-link.org/libraries/lcpl/hobbies.html 4) Hobbies and Games (Includes Collecting) http://sat.lib.tx.us/development/html/hobbies.htm    Collecting Channel http://www.CollectingChannel.com/ Choose a collection category: antiques, collectibles, entertainment, glass and pottery, jewelry and gems, sports, stamps and coins, toys and dolls, and more.   Collecting People http://kids.infoplease.com/ipka/A0769637.html People who collect things are called by many names. Some of their names are as unusual as the items they collect.   Hobbies http://www.ci.hurst.tx.us/lib/links/hobbies.htm This links-page connects to information about different types of collecting and collections.     Studium http://studium.com/index.html Studium is a "cyber-pub" or online magazine with articles on various hobbies. It is written, designed, and maintained by Dennis L. Nowicki,   collection collecting numismatist antique collectible philatelist plangonologist memorabilia autograph nostalgia hobby museum packrat flea market motif animal horde display classify catalog search identify arrange interest        Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 1/99 Updated, 8/00