Playtime on Rand Hill Rd.

As a young child, I played outside a majority of the day. Our family home was situated on five acres, eight miles from town.  Being from a large family there were always people and children around.  We had a large garden and two barns. There were always places to explore and discover. My favorite activity was to play in close proximity to my brothers and dad. They would be cutting wood, or working on an engine.

There would be a large pile of logs, which they would cut and split for firewood to heat the house in the winter. I would be the runner. If the men needed something I would run to get it. Whether they needed water, or a tool I would love to help. Usually I would make my errand into games. Sometimes I would drag a stick behind me to make a trail and try to follow the trail back to where they were working.

The pile of logs would provide an assortment of play experiences. I would balance on them by walking across and jumping from on to the other.  I would also gather sticks, bark, small branches, and sawdust to make forts and hideouts for the frogs or bugs I would catch. We also had a huge garden. I would spend time digging holes while my parents and siblings would plant or weed. I would look for worms and put them in a bucket to give to my dad for when he would go fishing.  Family members would pile the weeds in the wheelbarrow and then I would sit on top of them to ride over to dump the weeds in the compose pile.  On the ride back to the garden, the pusher would zigzag to make the ride fun.

 My play represented the practice I would need to develop life skills, which would help me eventually take a role in the work alongside the rest of my family. The adults in my life were providing me with the skills needed to help split wood to prepare for the winter months. They would show me the plants in the garden, which provided food, and the weeds in the rows, which needed to be pulled.  

My dad owned a bicycle and motorcycle shop and there were always boxes stacked up that I would climb on.  Sometimes my dad would stack them so that I could make a fort.  He would often save me an empty box to play in.  Alternatively, he may just bring a large piece of cardboard home for me to color or cut up. The boxes or cardboard always provided me with a great deal of entertainment and amusement.  

If I had to stay in the house, we might play hide and seek, school, or where’s the button. I would usually play with my sister Gloria who is just a couple years older than I am.  We also like to color in coloring books and do paint by numbers. Sometimes we would take books and place them on top of our heads, we would then walk around trying to balance them on our heads.

My play was practical yet, very enjoyable.  Utilizing real life “toys” was a way to get to know the word around me. I have developed a great deal of common sense, and a phenomenal work ethic.