The other day we were lucky enough to be able to watch one of the Provincial volleyball games final games. The whole family went out and watched and the kids loved it. To see teams playing well together. Communicating on the court, encouraging each other, cheering for each other–it was great to watch. As well, as in any high-stakes game, my daughter got to see what good sportsmanship and not-so-good sportsmanship looked like from a different point of view. In fact, she chose which team to cheer for based on the team’s behaviour on court.

Now, it isn’t always easy to find free sports events to attend with the kids, but I bet if you look around you’ll find something. High schools often allow the community to come out and watch and cheer them on. As well, some colleges and universities have low cost games the public can watch. And then, possibly less serious, are the community games which are drop-in or simply community teams playing against each other (anyone can join, anyone can watch).

Why watch live sports with the kids?

It’s interactive (Duck–here comes the ball!)

They can meet the players should they wish

They get the full sensory overload of the court noise, the players, the coaches, the refs, the audience

They get involved in a way they won’t watching it on television

They’ll feel the emotion of it from the crowds and players

Role models

They’ll see the whole nitty-gritty aspect of it. The sweat, the sidelines, the people standing in the doorway, the audience’s rumbles  and mumbles.

It gets you out of the house

Kids are more likely to get involved in sports if they see it live and in action–how can you not get pumped about it! It’s right there and happening!

So get out there! Volleyball just ended but that means basketball season is up next! Take your kids out and enjoy!

That’s it, summer. We’re going to the beach! We’re going to bury our feet in the sand. Build sandcastles. Toss rocks into the water. Chase the waves. Body surf. Swim. Float. Throw mud. Dive under water like we’re a dolphin. We’re going to play all day!

Are you with us?

Share your favourite thing to do at the beach in the comment section.

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When Old is New Again: Medieval Reenactments

Know what’s cool? There are adults out there who dress up in medieval garb and reenact battles, fights, and events from medieval times. They fight for the honour and hand of young fair maidens. They poke, slash, prod, and defeat their enemy. Knee to the ground and they are “dead.” Up they pop again to battle another opponent moments later.

Tournaments. Demonstrations. Lessons. Entertainment!

Swords. Arrows. Horses. Dancing. Feasts. Stories. Banquets. Fun.

Know what else is cool? Sometimes on days like today–Independence Day in the US–folks perform these medieval reenactments for crowds at festivals and fairs for free. And sometimes they set up HUGE events complete with medieval food. It’s a whole medieval world that will draw in your kids and amaze them. Dazzle them. Boost their curiosity about the past. Their imagination about what life used to be like. And entertain them to no end.

So what are you doing today? Will you see any Medieval Reenactments on your Fourth of July adventures?

P.S. Medieval Times anyone? It’s a regular tournament and banquet in many North American cities. Enjoy!

Have you ever been to the horse races? Last year they started a horse race track near where we live. So of course I had to check it out and take the kids to the horse races!

And yes, some of you might be aghast and thinking: You took your kids to the track!!??

Yes. Yes, I did. And it rocked.

Here’s Why The Track Rocked

Taking the kids to the horse races was a one of a kind experience. Not only was it free to watch the races, we toured the barns to see all the horses, jockeys, and the “bikes.” (I’m not a 100% sure we were allowed to do that, but we acted like we were supposed to be there and stayed out of the way and nobody said anything. So maybe?)

We sat in the front row. We sat in the back row. We sat way up in the air conditioned building where the announcer was. (Well, not in his booth, but up in the building where we could see him through a window.)

Not only that–they gave us free ice cream! What could be better than that?

Pretty much nothing.

We people watched. We hung out. We took in everything. It was all a new experience.

It was a great way to spend an hour. And no, we didn’t place any bets. But we did try to guess which horse was going to be the fastest. We weren’t very accurate. But it was a fun challenge for us and a nice little game to play.

So what are you doing today? Maybe there is something you would never consider doing with the kids that might just turn out to be an awesome family activity. Like taking the kids to the horse races.

Give it a shot and…

Enjoy!

Over to you: Share a story of somewhere you went that didn’t seem like a “family” place or was “backstage” that ended up being a pile of fun. I love hearing about stories of the unexpected!

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Today I have a little special something from writer Kathy Coatney called “Last Child on the Farm” which is an essay she wrote about her childhood growing up on a farm and knowing firsthand where food comes from. Kathy is a photojournalist and farm gal who knows first hand the value of play in the great outdoors and the freedoms of a farm childhood. Her essay will make you want to take your kids to a farm ASAP!

Enjoy.

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Whenever I pass a freshly plowed field it gives me the same thrill as an unopened book–full of potential, surprise, and pleasure. And just like that book beckons me to peek beneath its cover, the sight of that rich, dark earth ready for planting beckons me to curl my feet into the freshly tilled layers and feel its coolness between my toes.

My connection to farming is a gift I cherish from my childhood spent on a dairy surrounded by Holstein dairy cows, an assortment of dogs, cats, hamsters and the occasional jackrabbit my father found orphaned while cutting alfalfa. For me, there was no more peaceful place on the planet than lying on a bale of freshly bound hay, inhaling the heady aroma of alfalfa, while staring up at a sky so blue it made my eyes squint.

One of my favorite places in the dead of summer was the peach orchard. I remember that first peach of the season. How my fingers sunk into the soft flesh when I plucked it from the branch. With the first bite, peach juice made race tracks down my arm. Nothing ever tasted as good. Like a piece of heaven to my taste buds.

We didn’t have much, but neither did anyone else we knew. I wore hand-me-downs. We canned most of our fruits and vegetables. Fresh, clean air and the farm provided a plentiful playground. I scampered through fields and hay barns. I cuddled newborn kittens with their eyes sealed shut. I roamed sweltering orchards while my mother picked peaches.

At our house, milk didn’t just materialize from the store. It came from the milk tank after the cows were herded to the milking parlor, washed, milked and turned back to the pasture. Milk came from an abundance of hard work before it arrived at our table.

Perhaps I view my childhood through rose-colored glasses. And certainly kids raised in urban areas had experiences I didn’t, but the difference is, back then the majority of kids who didn’t live on farms had family or friends who did, and they had the opportunity to visit them. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, makes this same comment in his book. He said that baby boomers may be the last generation of Americans to share an intimate and familial attachment to the land and water.

My parents sold the dairy when I was ten, but farming stayed with me. My husband and I bought land, planted an orchard from the ground up and currently grow table olives. We raised our children on a farm, and I’ve worked as a freelance photojournalist specializing in agriculture for the past 15 years.

Every day I become more aware of the limited exposure children have to farming. Statistics show the U.S. farm population is dwindling, and 40 percent of the farmers in this country are 55 or older. I see this every day when I’m interviewing farmers, and I wonder who will raise our food when they’re gone? What happens if today’s youth is not inspired to farm?

Ultimately, the answer begins and ends with parents. Our children need to be inspired to farm. They need hands-on time with agriculture. They need to see, touch, taste, smell and hear farming in all its noisy, dirty, sweaty, smelly glory. Along with the hundreds of thousands of college graduates going into medicine, law and business, we need equal numbers of agriculture graduates ready, willing and eager to farm.

I believe the best way to achieve this is by providing children, at a young age, with frequent exposure to farming. Children need to know how food is produced, and they need to read books with agriculture themes. Last Child in the Woods lists 100 actions parents can take to get children into nature. One of his suggestions is to take them to U-Pick farms or join a local co-op where the kids are involved from planting to harvesting. Every child should know the joy of whiling away a warm summer afternoon in a barn, an owl snoozing in the rafters and a litter of newborn kittens sandwiched between bales of hay.

Kathy Coatney’s new book.

Kathy Coatney has worked as a freelance photojournalist for 15 years, starting in parenting magazines, then fly fishing and finally specializing in agriculture. Her latest project is the Farmer Guy/Gal series of children’s picture books with an agriculture theme.

View her photos at: www.agstockusa.com

Like her at: www.facebook.com/kathycoatney

Follow her on twitter @KathyCoatney

Visit her website at: www.kathycoatney.com

Her book!: Smashwords.com

How about you? Do you have some great childhood memories you want your kids to experience?

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