Bee's Hovel

This meme inspired by, of all things, Rachael Ray.

There's a fab book out there, The Dangerous Book For Boys, which teaches boys (and girls) everything from building paper airplanes and go-carts, to tree-forts, to Pirate stuff. It has lists of things to keep with you (needle and thread, band-aids, pocket knife, pencil and paper).

She was interviewing the one of the authors, Conn Iggulden, and he said something that I really liked: Kids need to know their limits. They need to get bumps and bruises. You can't have courage without having a little fear.

Made me think of all the 'dangerous' things I did as a kid. So, here is the meme:

Come up with 5 things you did as a kid that today would be considered 'dangerous', even though at the time, you (and maybe even your parents) never gave a second thought. Post them in your journal. See who else has done them.

Mine:
1. "Jumping out of trees". Exactly as is sounds. Anything less than 8 feet up? Totally OK to jump down rather than climb. Even if it was over pricker bushes and rocks.

2. "Rock-a-bye-baby". You can only do this in winter. You need a snowstorm and a pine tree. Climb half-way up the tree (this was 40' or so up in my case), then lay down and roll out onto the snow-laden branches, slowly falling/rolling down the limbs. Important to remember: Choose a new path every time you 'fall'; snow gets shaken off by motion - no snow means faster snap-back time and you could lose an eye.

3. "Stunt-woman". I taught myself to swing out on my swingset until the rope/chain was parallel to the ground, then leap off, tuck, and roll as I hit the groung, ending by standing up with a 'tah-dah!' kind of flourish. I was smart: I built up in height until I could RELIABLY land at each stage. Then I added the tuck and roll.
Then I showed my mom. Mom's never think tricks like that are cool.

4. "As The World Turns". Requires several players. Choose a bit of land with a slight grade to it (we used my back yard). All players start at the top of the hill, put arms out to the sides, tilt head up to look at sky, keep eyes open, and begin to spin in circles as fast as possible. Gravity carries you down hill. Eventually you fall over. Last one to fall wins. Repeat for the entire afternoon, or until your brain flips over inside your skull and we need to move you into the shade to recover.

5. "Throw Tag". Requires at least 4 players. One person gets the softball (actual softball, no NERF). He or she is IT. IT has to throw the softball at everyone else, who runs around like mad in a defined area. No hiding allowed. If you get hit with the softball, you are now IT. No throwing at the head, no hiding. Try to take the hits on your thigh or below the elbow.

And you?

Tags: book, dangerous fun, meme
Feelin'...: nostalgic