Shawn at The Shark Tank wrote a post about some of the games we used to play as kids with folded paper, such as the fortune-tellers and paper footballs. It all brought back memories of how, as kids, it was so easy for us to amuse ourselves.
So here’s my list of fun, carefree things I used to do as a kid, and I still do, except #6 and #18. What – did you think all this time that I’m all talk and no action? #21 should be “Kung Fu takedown all non-believers!” Look, there’s no reason we can’t do these activities now, even as so-called grown-ups. So if you have to break out the oil can and lube up those creaky joints, try some of these things:
- Climb a tree
- Fly a kite
- Jump rope while friends are turning the rope, not solo
- Bury yourself in the sand with just your head sticking out
- Play Jacks
- Any of these races: Wheelbarrow, 3-Legged, Sack
- Hopscotch
- Skateboard
- Skate
- Hula Hoop
- Walk on stilts
- Ride a pogostick
- Climb the monkey bars
- Play Thumbs
- Do Pat-a-Cake or any hand-clapping games
- Do a handstand, headstand or cartwheel
- Jump up high and try to touch something up there, usually protruding like a hanging sign
- Build a fort in the livingroom
- Push ‘n Ride a shopping cart
- Learn a secret handshake with someone
So here’s my challenge to you: Do any one of the above activities and get a photo of you in action. There’s a spot on my left sidebar reserved to proudly display that special photo of YOU Staying Young. Anyone can submit a photo, but I’ll only put one up (okay, maybe 2 or 3) for at least one month (okay, maybe longer). It just depends what the response is. So, if you want to be in my jealousy-provoking Eternal Youth Hall of Fame, leave a comment below. Well, leave one anyway, but specifically tell me if you’ve got The Right Stuff! (GrannyAnn, I’m putting my money down on You.)
Check out this fun 16-second example of an elaborate secret handshake (which is the only way to go, if you don’t want anyone infiltrating your secret club).
Related Posts:
5 Double Dog Dares For You
Live Enthusiastically: Break Some Rules!
5 Simple Ways To Amuse Yourself During The Workday
Everybody Says They Want To Stay Young, But…
8 More Tactics To Fight The Fogey In You
Can You Put The Fun In Funeral?
17 kids playing along so far ↓
1 Otin
// Apr 17, 2009 at 3:43 am
Tell a friend that he has cooties for touching a girl LMAO!
Otin’s last blog post..Aloha Friday #6
2 ReformingGeek
// Apr 17, 2009 at 7:05 am
Hey, you have a great memory! I love hula hoop, pogosticks, and skating. I do headstands in yoga so maybe I get Hubby to snap a picture but my face gets really red!
ReformingGeek’s last blog post..Cooking Up the Thursday Trio
3 Shawn
// Apr 17, 2009 at 8:04 am
Hey, that’s my name.
I grabbed a skateboard in Wal-Mart the other day and was going to do a smooth ride down one of the aisles. It…it didn’t feel as stable as it used to back in the day, though. They must have, er, changed the way they’re made or something.
Shawn’s last blog post..Larry Whitson Needs Work
4 Jim @ CoolStuffForDads.com
// Apr 17, 2009 at 9:49 am
I really liked Saturday morning cartoons as a kid, that was pretty carefree … does that count?
5 Chris
// Apr 17, 2009 at 11:21 am
Ok – cool – I’m in. One Guantanamo Bay style fortress coming up …
Or is that a bit sensitive still?
Chris’s last blog post..New alarm clock: hocking up phlegm
6 alantru
// Apr 17, 2009 at 11:29 am
I used to put hockey cards in my bicycle’s spokes to give it that “race car sound”
I just don’t think I could capture that in a photograph. Plus, I don’t think they make banana seat bikes anymore!
alantru’s last blog post..Give me an H! Give me an E! Give me an L! And a P!
7 The Stabbing Pen
// Apr 17, 2009 at 1:22 pm
We might have a problem, lol/sigh.
http://thestabbingpen.com/2008/08/28/828-skateboarding-age-limit/
The Stabbing Pen’s last blog post..4/16 – “Celebrities should stop adopting kids from foreign countries”
8 marissa
// Apr 17, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Otin: I remember those days. Also when a boy showed a girl he liked her by hitting her. Good times.
ReformingGeek: Cool! Wow, you must be able to do them for a long time in order to get a picture. I’d be like, “Okay, as soon as my legs are perpendicular to the floor, snap the picture or lose the moment.”
Shawn: Yeah, I’m sure that skateboard was defective just like my skimboard.
Jim: If by carefree you mean you were wearing your footie-pajamas and holding on to your teddy bear while watching cartoons, then yes.
Chris: Yay! But you better hurry and get the blueprint for Gitmo because they’re closing that baby down. I want to build a fort too.
Alantru: Yeah, Husband tried to do that with my son’s bike a couple of years ago. He was like, “I don’t get it.” Damn kids are so sophisticated today.
Stabbing Pen: AHAHAhahah! I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure my generation popularized skateboarding. We OWN it!! I read your post – Now TAKE IT BACK! Lol.
Just kidding. You’re always welcome here. I’ll be watching You. *two fingers pointing from my eyes – then back to you*
9 marissa
// Apr 17, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Chris: Will your fort have a Waterboarding Alcove just off the main Torture Chamber? I think that’s a must-have feature in today’s fort. Just sayin’.
10 Otin
// Apr 17, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I liked your comment, you are sharp, alot of people would not have gotten it. Hey! I guess that means I’m sharp too!
Otin’s last blog post..This is not a real post!
11 marissa
// Apr 17, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Otin: “All Ye Who Enter This Here Blog Are Declared – JEENYUS!”
12 Chris
// Apr 18, 2009 at 11:14 am
I wanted to include a water feature but my flatmate got mad … turns out our living room has quite a lot of electricity outlets.
Will have to try again when he goes out …
Chris’s last blog post..Life is like a toilet roll
13 marissa
// Apr 18, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I guess that’s what flatmates are for: saving lives.
14 dani
// Apr 18, 2009 at 11:46 pm
OMG I wish I could do a cartwheel again…Hmmm, I’m gonna try at work this way if I mess myself up I can comp out !!
dani’s last blog post..A gift from Etta..
15 marissa
// Apr 19, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Dani: Excellent! On-duty cartwheels, that’s my kind of workplace. I’ve always wanted to do a cartwheel to my boss’s office, with a round-off/back flip finish. Er… just before I turn in my resignation papers.
16 Oxy
// Jan 20, 2010 at 2:05 pm
This list cracks me up, because my wife and I both thumbwrestle and have a secret handshake. (shhhh!)
I can’t hulahoop to save my life, but she’s good at it.
17 marissa
// Jan 21, 2010 at 12:17 am
Oxy: Excellent! Thumbwrestling’s alot of fun. I hope I never get arthritis in my hands so I can always be the Thumb champion.
How elaborate is your secret handshake? Also, I don’t know any guys who can hulahoop well, but it’s fun to watch them try.
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