The Best Toys are Free

We were visiting my sister's home for Ilex's birthday party. Drake had set up an obstacle for his bike out in the field. It became the centerpiece of childplay.

A long, heavy board. A stump. That's it.

Do you know the variety of ways a board and a stump can be used? Find out by setting children loose on them. A teeter-totter. A balance beam. A bike ramp. A hands-on science experiment of simple machines: levers. What does it take to balance the board? Can one boy stradle the stump and make the board level?

Look at these poor, little, unsocialized homeschoolers standing in a line, waiting their turn. It makes my heart swell. Did you know that it is best to stand a short distance from the board when another child is walking on it? Otherwise it comes up suddenly and whacks you in the chin (if you're short...). I think that is what the Montessori Method calls 'Control of Error.'

Not a bad trick for a 4-year-old (okay, he'll be 5 next month...):

What free 'toys' have your children enjoyed?

Childhood Essentials

As I travel down the road of deliberate parenting, I've thought a great deal about my childhood and what I want for my own children. So many things find their home on my childhood essentials list, and yet so many things are strangely absent. A few of the items on my list are big things that we may only do once or twice, others are daily rituals or seasonal activities each year.

I'm taking this next week off from blogging, so I'll leave you with my picture-heavy list of Childhood Essentials and a few questions.

Childhood Essentials

Loads of Outdoor Free Playtime

Camping (Tent!), Fishing, Boat Rides, Hikes in Gorgeous Nature

Frolicing in the Ocean/Building a Sandcastle

Roasting Marshmallows (and S'mores, of course)
Swinging (tire preferably!) Water Play in the Yard (Hose/Sprinkler/Swimming Pool) Biking, Swimming!Rustic Playhouse, Treehouse, or Fort

Berry Picking, Growing Vegetables Playdough (or other molding clay) and Craft Supplies

Simple, Open-Ended Toys

Playing Games

Music (Listening/Live Performances/Making/Learning)

Books, Books, and More Books Building a Snowman Celebrating Holidays Baking in the Kitchen Family Meals (New, Interesting Foods!)Eating Homemade Cookies Doing Chores A Trip to Disneyland
Road Trip Vacations

What is on your list?

Ride a Horse

Summer Camp

Own a Pet

Visit the County Fair

Go on a Carnival Ride

Visit a Foreign Country

Take a Train Ride
Playing Catch

Visiting Museums

Soccer or T-Ball

I am quite aware that another family's list might look very different than ours. I suppose it depends on a host of variables. Location. Budget. Number of Children. Values. Background.

A family living near a tropical beach might frolic in the waves and build sandcastles weekly, while building a snowman might be a once in a life-time experience.

This list skips the bare essentials such as nurishing food, shelter, clothing, nurturing adults, family and friends.

I also realize that this list covers mostly play and experiences. Education, moral training, life skills all deserve their own focus.

Do you try to recreate the atmosphere of your own childhood? Are you putting your energy into giving your children a childhood that hopefully looks nothing like your own? Is it a combination of the best of your childhood and the things that you feel you missed out on or are newly available?

I have incredible memories of going to Disneyland with my family and grandparents. Our trips to California were the 'big vacations' that my family took.

Our childhood summers revolved around a log cabin playhouse that my dad built for us. It was large enough for a full-sized couch and other furniture, and could sleep all three of us in the loft. It had a front porch and a flower-bed with daffodils and roses. It had a tire swing. It was secluded. It was ours. Even into high school.

Disneyland and a playhouse/treehouse/fort are the two remaining items on our list that we look forward to introducing to our boys.

This list covers early childhood and my mind is spinning when I consider what I want to provide for my children in their late childhood and teens. (Yep, you'll probably see the list soon...)

A few things on my list could be a post in themselves. I might revisit them in the future.

Toys, for instance. What toys around your home do you and your children love the most? What toys do you remember from your childhood?