Kids need some or all of the following things when growing up:
- a creek or open stormwater drain to play in, be careful during rain
- a field big enough to experiment with golf in without killing someone
- a covert campground as a base to launch fire cracker attacks on the local youth group
- somewhere to do wheelies without being hit by a car
- abandoned stuff to explore, the older and dirtier the better
- a haunted looking house to be scared of (containing an elderly person who occasionally appears at the window)
- a beach, island or isthmus, to play Robinson Crusoe on
- some dirt to create a marble obstacle course in
- a hoop and stick to make running more useful
- a local cop who will make you do chores for trying to steal dinner from the local prawn farm
- cane fields to get lost in
- loose rules to a handful of sports
- a tall tree with branches overhanging a river to tie a rope swing to
- some kind of farm nearby where one can meet a horse, cow, goat or sheep
I'd also like to suggest a trampoline, but I'm keeping it out of the list because you have to buy it. It is imperative though for the early stages of learning to do somersaults in mid-air.
Thinking of all of these things from my childhood makes me somewhat lament the fact that I now live in a tiny apartment in Sydney and hardly ever leave the city.
- a creek or open stormwater drain to play in, be careful during rain - a field big enough to experiment with golf in without killing someone - a covert campground as a base to launch fire cracker attacks on the local youth group - somewhere to do wheelies without being hit by a car - abandoned stuff to explore, the older and dirtier the better - a haunted looking house to be scared of (containing an elderly person who occasionally appears at the window) - a beach, island or isthmus, to play Robinson Crusoe on - some dirt to create a marble obstacle course in - a hoop and stick to make running more useful - a local cop who will make you do chores for trying to steal dinner from the local prawn farm - cane fields to get lost in - loose rules to a handful of sports - a tall tree with branches overhanging a river to tie a rope swing to - some kind of farm nearby where one can meet a horse, cow, goat or sheep
I'd also like to suggest a trampoline, but I'm keeping it out of the list because you have to buy it. It is imperative though for the early stages of learning to do somersaults in mid-air.
Thinking of all of these things from my childhood makes me somewhat lament the fact that I now live in a tiny apartment in Sydney and hardly ever leave the city.