Family fun is best when it's spontaneous, creative and unique. What happens if you are the only family on the block that has an activity that no one else can duplicate? Popularity, fun and a great time!
My Dad was wonderful at creating unique activities for the family.
When I was a kid, he worked for a large grocery store chain at the unloading docks of the railroad warehouse for a number of years. He turned something from that job into an interesting entertainment for his family.
On top of the rail cars that carried produce were humongous plastic "pillows" to keep the produce safe from damage while in transport. The bags were thrown away and the produce unloaded. My Dad took a few home instead.
Just think about the size of a railroad car and imagine how big that "pillow" was.
During one summer day, when my brothers, sisters and I were totally bored (and let's face it, we were whiny, too, just as kids get when there's nothing to do), my Dad came up with the bright idea of inflating the "pillow" but kept us kids in mystery as to why he was doing so.
Once done, he called us out to the side yard. We lived in a little town and our side yard was huge - bigger than a railroad car "pillow" by far.
Once gathered together, looking at this monstrous "pillow" in our yard and the smirk on my Dad's face we were quite bewildered as to what he had up his sleeve.
My Dad lifted the inflated rail car bag and said "Here catch", tossing it at us!! All five of us kids had eyes bulging out while watching a huge thing sailing right at us. Five kids instantly lifted arms to fend off the object. And, to our great relief, we found that although the "pillow" was huge, it was very light-weight.
The relief turned to laughter as we started tossing the "pillow" around. After a while we tried climbing on it, then we jumped on it only to slip down the sides. The laughter got louder and was contagious.
A few days later, we played again. This time my uncle and his kids came out to play with us. The grown-ups tossed the kids onto the pillow - we flew into the air, landed on a soft cushion and slid off. It was exhilarating. Kids grinning ear to ear with the adults doing the same.
The next time the group grew again with more nearby cousins. The "pillow" was so huge that it could hold many kids and adults jumping on it. Jump on, bounce off. Of course, by this time the laughter was incredibly loud and very contagious. Not a single person was sad or bored - adults and kids alike were bright and happy.
The group expanded each time we played with more folks joining in - the neighbors and kids from up the road.
One bright inventive idea created fun, laughter and a community spirit in our neighborhood turning a boring summer into family fun.
