Brayden arrives in just an hour and will be here for two full days and overnight while my daughter travels on business. Last night I was thinking of activities for us to do, and started thinking about what I played with when I was young. My oh my, how times have changed. Here's what I remember were my favorite toys as a child.
- My bike - From the age of 5, I was on a bike and could go anywhere I wanted in my town with no fears. There were 3 lakes in town, and as young as 6 I would bike to the lake and spend the day with my friends.
- Roller Skates -- the old fashioned kind that you attached to the bottom of your shoes and yes, you had to have a skate key to do it. We lived on Main Street and the sidewalk in front of our house sloped down a slight hill. I can still hear the "thump thump -- thump thump" of rolling down that hill over and over and over and over.
- Anything to do with horses. We played horses, our bikes were horses, we actually rode horses. When I was about 5 I was given some little plastic horses and cowboys. I got a shoebox and some yellow construction paper and made myself a stable -- and sat for hours and hours cutting that yellow construction paper into straw.
- Snow - Born an brought up in New Hampshire where snow isn't a pain in the butt, it's a way of life that you adapt to and enjoy. We built snow forts, igloos, snow men, statues and whatever else we could think of. My brother and I even used to sneak into our neighbor's yard and pour water on the steep hill of his driveway so we could go sledding the next day. (He must have loved us!)
- Books - I was an avid reader then, and I still am to this day. A book and the shade of a tree on a hot summer day was life at it's finest. My all-time favorite book? The Counterpane Fairy by Katherine Pyle. Highly sought-after and collectible these days -- of which I have two first edition copies. A story of a little boy sick in bed visited by a fairy who takes him on adventures based on the quilt block he chooses from his counterpane quilt. Perhaps the basis of my love of quilting?
- Barbie dolls - My mom sewed two boxes of little tiny dresses and coats and negligees and gowns for me for Christmas one year. I played Barbies with the little girl two houses up from me -- Kim Lafferty -- day after day after day. In the middle of the night one night, Kim and her family moved. My barbies and all my Mom's sewing went with them. Kim -- if you're out there -- I want my Barbies back!
- Cards - My brother and I played cards a lot, as did my grandmother and I -- Rummy with our own rules, to be exact. I learned to play when I was about 4, and still love to spend an afternoon with my daughter now and then playing cards.
- Coke Truck -- One of my favorite Christmas presents -- probably around 1956. A coke truck that had sides that opened, a little cart, and tiny cases of coke bottles you could move around on the cart.
- Puddles - Our house was on the outside edge of a huge combination dirt road and dirt parking lot and after every rain storm, that parking lot was our world. Puddles - big puddles - everywhere. We waded in them, connected them, made bridges with sticks, built mud houses and more. My grandson has a serious love of puddles - I wonder if it's hereditary?
Honestly, I can't think of many actual store-bought toys, with the exception of the plastic horses, Barbie dolls and Coke truck, that gave me as much pleasure as the outdoors did!
What were your favorite toys as a child?
3 comments:
I tried posting earlier but it erred out, so I apologize if you've seen this twice.
I too played outside a lot, rode my bike, played with the dogs, and played different games with kids in the neighborhood. Since I didn't have a sibling, it seemed like I rode my bike around the neighborhood by myself quite a bit (or to meet friends). It would depend on where we lived - lots of backyard softball in Alabama and I was part of little clubs that would come up with synchronized dancing routines to Janet Jackson songs!
As far as toys go, my favorite things to entertain me were books, music, and my Gameboy. The Gameboy was the only gaming system I had, and I loved it! I liked adult music from about age 7 on and would dance in my room to vinyl and cassettes - Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, the Flashdance soundtrack. Later, I clipped a Walkman to the waist of my pants and would dance to Madonna cassettes. Don't know why I did so much dancing back then because it's certainly not an interest now!
By the way, I don't think you could pay me enough to try out those roller skates you have pictured!
I loved my bike and my dolls. I was crazy about baby dolls. And I loved playing outside-making playhouses in the woods.
No question. My horse. I loved horses then and still do. Though I do not have them now. It never left me.
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