Now and Then
In my grade five classroom, we're currently discussing the conservation of energy, comparing current energy use to times past. This brought to discussion what my students would do without the amenities they are accustomed to. These are children, much like my own, who spend a considerable amount of their free time engaged with technology. This, in turn, caused me to reflect on exactly what I did many years ago to entertain myself when computers and video games did not exist.
Getting Stoned, Almost
Spending a lot more time outdoors first springs to mind, and the great outdoors holds a wide range of possibilities. Just today, a few of my fellow staff members were reminiscing on how much throwing snowballs (now outlawed in school yards) was a part of their youth. My contribution to the discussion related how, with a distinct lack of snow in Vancouver, we resorted to rock fights. Somewhat higher on the danger scale than snowballs, rock fighting required lightning fast reflexes, and the use of found objects as shields. I can still feel the cool steel swing seat in my hand and hear the ping of a deflected shot. And, remarkably, I still have the use of both my eyes.
Things Go Better with Coke
During one of those rare winters when we were blessed with snow, I recall using a using a large dish-shaped Coca Cola sign as a toboggan, spinning wildly down our street with too many friends on board, with not an ounce of control over our speed or direction. Where that sign came from, or who took it, I cannot tell.
Just Say No To Slugs
Growing up in the rain capital of Canada meant slugs were a rather abundant form of wildlife. Left alone, slugs are not particularly interesting; squishy, slow moving, and tending to leave a path of slime in their "wake". However, my brothers and I somehow discovered the magical transformation of a slug when salt was liberally sprinkled over it. The effect was immediate, and to a young and mischievous boy, imminently gratifying. The salt reacted quickly with the moisture on the slug's exterior, and the rest I will leave to imagination.
Here It Comes!
The desire to effect change in my world also was manifested in the brief but exciting process of placing a coin on a railroad track, waiting for an oncoming train, and witnessing the deformation of said coin to a flattened version of its former appearance. There was no better way to spend my allowance.
Improvisation, or Making Something from Nothing
Growing up in a large (six siblings) working class family often required some creativity in our free time activities. My first skateboard, for example, was crafted from a short length of plywood, to which was nailed the salvaged wheels from a pair of old roller skates. Not so great on corners, but good for speed on the straight track. My first bicycle was inherited from my older sister, an oversized "girl's" bike that, though a little cumbersome, was a sure winner in downhill races due to it's sheer mass and wheel size. And my friends and I use to spend countless hours playing an invented game we called "Peggy". Take two old broomsticks, remove the business end, then cut 4-5 inches off the other end (the peg). Burrow two holes in the ground about 25 feet apart (a resting place for the bat), then take turns pitching, and attempting to bat the peg as hard as you could. On contact, run as fast as you can back and forth until the peg is retrieved. Points scored for number of runs. Sort of a crude cricket.
Trick or Treat?
Halloween was a time of fun and adventure. Before they were banned, firecrackers provided endless opportunities for somewhat risky exploits. Not content with simply lighting and tossing, they were dismantled and redesigned into various incarnations, such as flame throwing toy cars, or, by carefully removing the powder inside, numerous other pyrotechnic possibilities. Costumes called for other creative directions, like the time I had to lay on my back across the kitchen table with a straw in my mouth, as my siblings covered my face with Plaster of Paris to fashion a Frankenstein mask. Other years, a hobo (now politically incorrect?) was my favourite, with the application of burned cork providing the necessary unshaven appearance.
Johnny in the Trunk
Although this may not qualify as a pastime, a good deal of my time was spent being victimized by my two older brothers. (Denying total innocence, I did pass on some of this abuse to my younger brother in my limited position of power.) At one time, the three of us shared a bedroom. Needless to say, bedtime was not a favourite time, as it was then that I would be required to play "The Screaming Contest". Here's how it worked: Each of us would take turns raising our voice louder than the previous person, with the constant and increasing threat of our dad coming downstairs wielding a yardstick. Thus the objective was not to be the one caught. And here's the catch...If I refused to participate, my oldest brother would reach up to a shelf and rattle his pocket knife, and then advise me that if I didn't join in, I would end up sharing the same fate as Johnny, "The Other Brother". This would fill me with fear, as I lived under the terrifying belief that in a wooden trunk in our playroom, there lay a brother I used to have, who did not play the screaming game. For years, I didn't go near that trunk, and as you can imagine, I succumbed to pressure and played the game. Unfortunately it was rigged, and I was always the one caught under the wrath of the yardstick. Somehow, I'm not bitter.
And So..
And so with all these memories in mind, did I have a more enriched childhood without modern technology? Perhaps not, but will my children have such stories to tell?
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