The Kohler Road Kids
Woodland Behavior...
Your looking at the bringer of hours of diverting fun right here!
I have two kids, a boy and a girl, and my neighbor has four boys. Between our two properties is an amassed forty acres of untold mischief providing land. Now that school is out our spawn have wasted no time pursuing the finer activities of life. I thought I would share a couple of the more interesting enterprises with you all this evening, all in the name of rural research.
The Barrels
One of our close family friends works at a tire and alignment store. He gifted us with three plastic barrels. The original intended use of the barrels was to be of the patterned horse gaming variety, but the molded plastic receptacles have seen far more use as child entertainment devices. Countless hours of lava monster, barrel tag, roll, flip, and fly, and my favorite, barrel busting, have occurred on my vast expanse of lawn. The barrel virus has infected me as well, for I sat on one and grilled hamburgers and brats over an open fire last night. The warm plastic molds into a right nice seat.
Holes
For a couple of weeks last year, all the children did was watch the movie Holes and read the book of the same name by Louis Sachar over and over and over and over again. Granted, it is a great bit of juvenile fiction, however, I don't think that the author realized just how he would inspire the Kohler Road Crew. For two solid weeks the six of them dug holes of massive size (shovel handle deep) around my neighbor's house. Honestly, we were happy that the kids were entertained, but as they knew there was no treasure to be found at all on Kohler Road (aside from bicep and tricep toning), let's just say I began to get a little concerned by the obsession. The Holes phase passed, but I think my neighbor and/or at least one of her goats fell into the depressions. I might be glad that episode took place at her end of the realm.
The Poop Pipe
We winter our horses in a pasture near the house. It makes things easier to have them all bunk together during the snowy time of year, and in the spring we scrape their "offerings" into a manure pile to compost. Who would have thought that the fecal mountain would be a potential bike jump? The kids have been freestyling their two wheeled chariots over that pile with panache and grace ever since my husband formed its recycled hay existence a week ago. And when I say grace I mean that my son wadded himself up in the dung most elegantly this evening as he tried to jump his ten speed in a manner that it was never intended to contort. Wearing slide sandals whilst attempting such tomfoolery only added to the Darwin Award-esqueness of it all. Good thing the kid has his father's Polynesian bone structure and my ability to bounce.
The Sandlot
Last summer the kids discovered the movie The Sandlot. They have been reenacting a Kohler Road version of the movie ever since. As soon as the snow melted they were out in the north pasture, stumps as bases, playing baseball for hours. Tonight we have a couple of young teenagers over staying the night at our house. Their parents are good friends of ours and offered to let the boys came over this morning to help build my round pen for the horses. Great kids. Well, the field that the horses wintered in has been harrowed and it resembles a golf green right now. Tonight's game has been progressing for about 3 hours, and I am impressed, for the kids cut, peeled and stacked pine poles all day in 87 degree heat. They are serious about playing baseball FOR-E-VER!
My neighbor and I comment about how our kids have the best life and don't even realize it. I am so glad that they are able to enjoy being kids and all of the dirt, imagination, and wipeouts that accompany this time of their lives. Now if I can just get them to jump the dirt pile instead of the manure hill....
And as always, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's glacier silt soil dusted iPhone.
It is great to read that there are kids being kids, and having a ball doing it. Even better, there are parents prepared to let them, no cotton wool, just a scrape here or there.
Have got a hill any where close?. Those barels, or a tractor sized tyre would roll down a hill well.
Any old prams?and a plank of woid, a couple of nails, instant cart, usually with lots of crashes
Thanks Len! I always tell people that my helicopter is broken when it comes to my kids. I tend to their needs, but the highest form of compliment around here is being told that one is competent. My kids drive tractors, lawn mowers, and farm trucks, shoot firearms competitively, and even run things like chainsaws. We are not unsafe about it in anyway, but would rather have them learn how to do the dangerous stuff while with us instead of all at once or not at all as adults.
Play time, however is no holds bar, mom's not watching (so they think;), go for broke insanity! We do have a pretty big hill in the back, although there is a 90 degree turn at the bottom, but I think they would totally enjoy a cart week! I'll pass your thoughts along!
Hope you are having a lovely day!!
It is so good to read of kids growing up the same as in the old days.
If you can stand the mess, pour lots of water down a narrow track down the hill, will need a safe landing at the bottom, the kids slide down the hill in the same track, before long you will have a smooth rut that they can build up speed on. Then in pairs etc.
The neighbours kids were into w w 1, they dug deep trenches in one paddock, covered them with planks of wood and the dirt and the grass that was there.
It was strong enough to drive a tractor over. They slept, eat, and lived down there in the holidays
Ha ha ha! Mess! That word isn't in my vocabulary! If we get around to building that track I will post some pictures just for you!
LOL! I had quite a giggle as I read over the WW1 neighbor kid extravaganza, for there might be similar bunkers in the woods around here and at my friend's house. One of my favorite childhood stories that my dad told me was he and his uncles buried an outhouse on it's side on the edge of a strawberry field (My grandma and aunt hoed strawberries long ago), and they would lob dirt clod mortars when they opened the door toward the sky. I think that phase ended when they hit my Aunt Barb in the head.....
I could not keep the smile off of my face while reading this witty wordsmithy article. That was superdiferous to read! The photo below came to mind as I was reading as well. :)
Ha ha ha! That's perfect! Love it!
And thank you so much @lydon.sipe for the kind words, I am so glad you enjoyed my ramblings! Your comment means a lot, especially since I was exhausted last night and worried that I had posted a pile of manure in my over-tired, mentally fuzzy state! Hope you are having a splendid day!!!
It was certainly no pile of manure piece. My wife and I were both chuckling as we read it. We grew up as homeschoolers so your stories always have a special place in our daily reading.
Ah, fellow homeschoolers! How awesome! I am so pleased to bring you two a bit of a chuckle as you read my ramblings, I truly enjoy writing them, and I also beyond enjoy your comments! Thank you!!!
You are most welcome friend! :)