It reminded me of a blog I recently found - the Playborhood - which advocates kids playing together in their neighborhoods - an art that is unfortunately at risk of being lost in this day and age. While I don’t have a neighborhood my kids can go out an play in easily, I still do my best to encourage time at the playground with neighborhood kids. Now if only these 40 mph winds would go away…
oh, the words that bring joy into every student’s heart - snow day! I actually thought Kai might be a bit disappointed as he just started pre-school a few weeks ago after all. But his reaction after taking it all in - “well, that’s happy”. So, he’s snuggled in his sleeping bag on the couch, reveling in this free day off. We’ve also already had him say, “can’t I just sleep a few more minutes” when trying to wake him up to get ready for school - it’s going to be a long trip to senior year…
Unfortunately, it’s not going to be a good play in the snow day though - sometime during the early hours of morning, the snow turned to freezing rain making for very slippery roads, but not for fun outdoor play. But, to compensate, we do have an oh, so cool book from the library.
One of the blessings of our location is that the library is just a couple of blocks away - a massive, stately building, it puts respect for books into anyone who enters as you can’t help but whisper within those ancient (according to American standards) walls. Kai has faith that any subject he’s wondering about can be expounded upon by finding the perfect library book. On the way there the other day, he had his desired subjects in a neat list - how things work, booby traps and Indiana Jones - and he kept repeating them over and over to ensure he wouldn’t forget one. Confidently, he marched right up to the librarian and told him what he wanted. Thankfully, the librarian was well versed in the needs of a curious little boy because while he was able to find books on how things work and Indiana Jones very easily, a book to teach kids how to make booby traps wasn’t as obvious… until he thought of one of his personal favorites, a book that could not be kept in the children’s libary, a book that definitely needs parental supervision — The Dangerous Book for Boys. Without a doubt, it is a book every boy should have in their possession - especially these days when too much time is spent in front of media, and not enough outside, exploring, experimenting, scraping knees and climbing trees. We’ve been having a great time going through this book and learning about a diverse range of subjects. So, here’s a list of just some of the topics covered:
The Five Knots Every Boy Should Know
How to Play Stickball
Fossils
Building a Treehouse
Making a Bow and Arrow
The Rules of Rugby Union and Rugby League (the first section Kaleo read to Kai)
Making a Go-Cart (which Kai and I could have used as we made one out of cardboard recently…)
Insects and Spiders
First Aid
Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit (the second section Kaleo read to Kai)
As well as maps, grammar, history and even Shakespeare. Mind you, I do realize a lot of these things would once have been taught by neighborhood friends, a cool uncle or in boy scouts, but in absence of having access to those wonders of knowledge, this book is incredible. So, thank you to an author and a knowledgable libarian who understand the needs of curious, adventurous and mischevious little boys. And thank you to the big and little boys in my house who may make writing a blog challenging, but who bring curiousity, adventure and mischief into my life each day.
