The ’80s-kid version of a friend request? The friendship pin. Back before social media and email, heck, before answering machines, kids marked a friendship by swapping colorfully beaded safety pins to wear on their tennis shoe laces. Each pin reflected the totally awesome style of the individual maker. Still an easy token for kids to make and share, friendship pins are also inexpensive enough to give to everyone at camp.

The only supplies needed are safety pins (any size) and beads (tiny seed beads work well for dexterous hands, but any smaller beads will do). The easiest—and tidiest—method of making the pins is to dump the beads in a bowl, open the safety pin and have kids dip in to “catch” and stack the beads on the pin “spear”. Then close it up and share a reminder of summer days together.