Dear readers, this contest is closed. We will contact the winner offline. Peace out.
Did you see the post last month where Whitney showed how her kids used the summer fun kit from GoGo SqueeZ? It cracked me up. Our children — born at the same hospital and living only 2 miles apart — could not be more different sometimes. Her kids corralled their stuffed animals with chalk circles and balanced bean bag pouches on their bellies.
My sons prefer to run all over the place throwing things at one another. In fact, one of my favorite pregnant games to play with them is a modified version of “fetch” where they chase after what I kick or throw. Stomp rockets, playground balls, and Frisbees are the tools in my arsenal for getting them to go-go-go while I sit-sit-sit.
About that giveaway:
The prize will be a “GoGo Time in the Summertime” kit valued at about $225 like this one pictured including Flip UltraHD Video Camera – White, 8 GB, 2 Hours; play gear like throwing discs and those cherished bean bags; tasty GoGo SqueeZ applesauce; and a large canvas tote bag to carry it all.
To enter: Answer how your childhood memories of playing outside are different from what your child experiences today. We’ll choose one random commenter on August 25, 2011.
+++
Note: GoGo squeeZ compensated us for participation in this project.We hope you like the outdoor toys and video camera so that you can capture your family’s own special brand of outdoor fun.
Our childhoods could not be more distinct. I was the last child of older parents, 42 and 62. So I didn’t have much of a partner to play with. I usually played with my barbies or with the kids my mom babysat outside in the yard. We had an insect zoo. My daughter loves arts and crafts and the TV. My son loves baseball and playing with his tool set. He has quite the arm. We along with their cousins are their playmates
My son is only 16 months old so it’s hard to say how things will change as he gets older but he loves to help mommy & dad around the yard. I have no memory of doing that with my parents…it may have happened but I don’t recall having any interest being part of what they were doing…too wrapped up in my own games I guess!
We were played outside all over the neighborhood. There was always at least one neighborhood mom around, so there was no need for ever parent to be by the kids sides. We just had to be home by dinner time…We just had more freedom then I would ever let my kids have nowadays.
As a child, I remember being pretty free-range in our neighborhood. It was full of kids our aproximate ages and we just had to check in here and there throughout the day. It seemed like everyone just watched out for everyone else’s kids. I doubt my parents knew were we were exactly most of the time. But I know my son will never enjoy that kind of freedom, especially not in our current neighborhood where there aren’t a lot of kids and we happen to live on the main road. But we make up for it with lots of playdates!
We never worried about mosquitoes other than the annoyance of bug bites unlike the concerns of West Nile Virus with kids today.
As some others have said, I remember rollerskating, riding bikes, playing tag on the street in front of our house. I lived in a small town then and now I’m more in the ‘burbs of a big city. It’s less of a neighborhood, so I don’t know if my kids will get the same experience as I had. One random memory- lawn darts! the actual dagger-y ones. LOVED THEM.
I played outside all the time with my best friend who lived next door and other neighborhood children. The biggest difference for my daughter has been a lack of neighborhood playmates – which makes playing outside less fun for her unfortunately.
we had a small cottage on a lake and i spent my summers swimming, boating and fishing from the dock. our family doesn’t have the cottage anymore so my kids probably won’t know what it’s like to wear only a bathing suit during the day for two months, but i am confident we can create new and different memories for them!
I remember during my childhood playing in the street, biking all over the neighborhood, and playing in neighbor’s wooded backyards. Today almost all of the trees are gone in those backyards, and I wouldn’t let my kids bike alone far off like that.
When I was little, I was perma-barefoot! The bottoms of my feet were like leather! There is no way kids run around outside barefoot as much as my friends and I did. We also would basically go outside in the mornings, play all day outside without my parents knowing exactly where we were until we came home at night. There is absolutely no way that would fly today! No way!
As a child I played in outside on our street all day. Kick the can, tag, hide and seek, Red Rover… It was fun. Al the parents kept an eye on the kids ad then when the street lights came on, parents would scream form the window, “Dinner!”
It’s not like that for my kids. Sure, neighbor kids play in the yard together a bit, but it’s a different world.
I had lots of neighborhood friends growing up and we would wander and play all over the neighborhood, but there just aren’t any kids my girls’ ages in our neighborhood so they pretty much just play together in our backyard.
Biggest difference I see when comparing my childhood to children now is supervision. We were allowed to roam around the neighborhood unsupervised as long as we were home for dinner or by dark. Nowadays, I’m not sure that occurs as often.
I remember being outside late into the night playing Kick the Can, Hide and Seek, and Kick Ball with all of our neigborhood kids, unsupervised. Kids just can’t play like that anymore due to so many frightening reasons. My daughter loves to be outside and play and I hope when she gets older, I can teach her the games I played as a kid and she will love them just as much as I did!
Like others mentioned, we were allowed to roam and my kids, sadly, are not. I’m working to give my almost 7 year old more freedom — he walks to school and can ride his scooter around the block — but he doesn’t have nearly the freedom I had at the same age.
I think the biggest difference between playing outside when I was little and letting my little one play outside now is safety. I used to romp through the woods, bike around the neighborhood, play unsupervised in the front yard or at random neighbor’s yards…the worry of crime was so minimal when and where I grew up. Now, being a mom and seeing all these terrifying things happening means that Charlie gets to play outside under complete supervision. Maybe she can play in the backyard where I can see her from the window. Maybe. But, no adventures in the woods with her BFF and no parents. No going to the park on her bike with a friend. There always needs to be a watchful eye…something that wasn’t required “back in my day”.
Yes – the biggest difference was free reign of the neighborhood! We used to “explore” the creek, run across neighbor’s backyards, and bike ride wherever we wanted. I certainly wouldn’t let my son have the same wild freedom today.
I echo the other answers here. Another difference for my kids is that when my brother and I were growing up, there were LOTS of kids on the block to play with. We played with our similar-aged neighbors for HOURS a day in the summers. There just don’t seem to be a lot of young kids in our new neighborhood (we just bought our first home last month). Maybe they’re at lessons, or maybe they’re just inside in front of screens? My kids are small, so I do keep them in the backyard almost all the time, but when we venture out front, it’s like a ghost town out there!
My kid is a little guy, but my answer is pretty similar to everyone else’s…when I was a kid, all the neighborhood kids would hang out in each other’s yards, out in the street, in the woods behind our development. Now, we live on a semi-busy street, and we barely see any other kids out. My husband and I are already thinking of moving once the kid gets a little older so he can have a similar experience.
My brother and I would have rock fights with the neighbor children across the street who were the same age as us. Now that I think about it throwing rocks that far by us whimpy kids probably didn’t hurt much
But it was serious business back then. We were at war 
And we had a blast! Now my son would not do such a thing because he would get into trouble. Makes me think I should lighten up a bit!
My son is an only child and spends his days getting a lot of attention from myself, my husband and the older neighborhood children. He always has someone to play with! I grew up with a hard working single mom and an older brother. I spent a lot of time playing by myself outside without many toys, just my imagination. My son uses his imagination, too- but he is very lucky to have a lot of friends and toys at his disposal!
growing up in a small town, we had a big backyard & swing set that we got to play on daily. very different than the city life my daughter is living…walking to parks to play & going to play houses & classes.
I grew up on a farm playing in pastures and barns. Little Miss is growing up in a city, so we spend a lot of time running around at the zoo, but she gets to spend at least one weekend at the farm in the summer!
I grew up out in the country and we played outside in the woods all day. Now, we live in the city and while my son loves being outside, I won’t let him go by himself. Things seemed safer when I was a kid compared to now.
I was allowed to pretty much stay outside until dark- no cell phone, no way for my parents to find me! Things will be different for my son I think!!
I think ours are similar we just spend more time in the pool or the water with is living in Texas where it is hot so much more of the year.
I played in our backyard, but since our city has so many nice trails and parks, my daughter and I are always trying out some place new.
I grew up in Vermont, and my twin 5 year-old girls are growing up in New Mexico. Just their surroundings alone are so different. I had rivers and green fields where they have cacti and desert. But they have one thing so special, even I can’t imagine what it’s really like. They have each other – a very special playmate and best friend in each other that I know they wouldn’t trade for the world. Thanks for the chance to win!
My child plays in out fenced in backyard a lot, where I remember playing in our front yard with the neighbors without any adult supervision. I’d love to let my child play in the front but I worry that he would get abducted, there’s already been one incident where a male tried to take a child from the bus stop.
My first child isn’t born yet, but it’s childhood will be much different than mine. I grew up in a small town of about 3,000 where everyone knew everyone. Kids played across yards and neighborhoods all day without supervision really. We used to ride our bikes around the block over and over again. My husband and I live in a condo in a metro area. Luckily our condo complex has other kids and space to play, but I wouldn’t dream of not being out there with them! Another thing worth mentioning is that our kids will grow up with computers in their lives since birth! Granted, I learned how to use a computer young- but they will be 2nd nature to our kids!
I remember making up routines on the trampoline. I would play outside hoping that someone from the circus would see me, and ask me to join the circus. Scary!
We used to ride out bikes a couple miles away to the gas station to get snacks and down to the creek to play. Such a different day now – I would never let my kiddos do that today sadly.
Freedom. We used to roam the neighborhood until the street lights came on. Now I am agahst when I see unsupervised kids. A free range parent I am not!
my childhood was ideal: riding bikes to who knows where, exploring woods and creeks and hidden places. my kids are still young – but they stay close to home and only ever venture forth with me. sadly, i think it will probably always be that way.
My childhood memories are of being outside, unsupervised. I don’t think I’ll allow my son to do the same. It was a different time. He’s too young to be outside unsupervised now, and I don’t know how comfortable I’ll feel with it when he gets older. As a kid I knew all my neighbors and all their kids and my parents did, too. Now, I’m in suburbia, but I don’t even know my neighbor’s names. Terrible, right?
I still plan to do plenty of outdoor activities – but Daddy and/or I will be along for them.
I hope that I am able to preserve some parts of my childhood (lots of time outdoors, swimming, playing with kids in the neighborhood) so that my daughter can enjoy and experience them too. It is hard to combat a world that says childhood must be busy, scheduled and filled with screen time but I will do my best to try!
Cindy
I grew up in the country, with lots of land (4 acres)! My brother and I spent HOURS building “forts” through the tall green grass! Even though I now live in the city (on a 8000 sq ft lot), my son will hopefully get to have the same experience on visits to his grandparents, at my childhood home!
My summers were blissfully suburban….long, hot boring days which ended with capture the flag, digging in a random dirt pile, and popsicles on the porch.
My kids are lucky son-of-a-guns and spend the whole summer lakeside with mom and dad swimming, digging, running, exploring. Surrounded by nature. It is amazing.
Here there everywhere with a herd. That was my childhood, by 5 I pretty much left in the morning and returned for food. I work and its a different world so my kids will likely never know that kind of freedom.
When I kid I was allowed to roam the entire neighborhood, with just a few quick check ins during the day. Now I hate it if my daughter (11) wanders further away than I can easily call for her from our porch.
Like many others, I was allowed to play outside – of my house, friends’ houses, parks etc. – unsupervised & much more freely than I would contemplate letting my son do now. Another big difference is I had a sister to play with and my best friend was next door (small town!); my son has no siblings yet and no same-street friends since we’re in a much bigger city.
Since my daughter is only 3, I don’t know that our childhoods are all that different…yet. I already know that I will not feel as easy as my mom at letting her play for hours without supervision. Sad, but true. I just hope to pass along one thing though…the love of playing outdoors! No video games in this house!
When I was a kid I remember riding my bike down the road, tag in the yard, and playing on the swingset. For my son its so different, we live in a busy city in an apartment complex so he doesn’t get as much outside time as I was able to. He does love to visit the parks, grandma and his aunts to play in their yards.
One of my fondest memories of playing as a child consists of riding in my Little Tikes cozy coupe outside with my cousins – the best part was riding the coupe in the pig pen with all the pigs! If you lifted your feet the pigs would give you a good push!
We don’t have any animals (not even a fish!) and i sure as heck would NEVER allow my toddler son to ride a cozy coupe anywhere but the driveway (or inside the house!)- let alone with the pigs!
I grew up in a house (either I was at home or at grandma’s house) so going out in the backyard was a staple. But now, we are in a condo, so I can’t just go out back. If we want to outside play time, we have to go to a park. Fortunatly, there are a LOT of parks in my community.
Growing up, we lived in a new housing development with empty lots across the street. We’d often be out there playing ball or riding bikes, making our own hills and obstacle courses. I remember making mud pies with my sister in the backyard and just generally running wild outside til our parents told us to come in. My girls are allowed to play outside, but only directly in front of the apartment complex. There really aren’t any open sidewalks for them to ride bikes, and summers are just too darn hot to run wild and free. But, they also get to swim way more often than I ever did; its an everyday thing for them, where it was a treat for us. So with every drawback, there’s a positive.
When I was a child, I was constantly outside, especially in the woods for hours on end. We would lose track of time and stay out until the sun went down. When I was close to home, the Moms of the neighborhood would whistle for us when it was time to come home. We always knew which Mom was whistling because they had their own distinct chime. If I was farther away, she would call their house.
Now, its just a quick call on a cell phone. Technology has changed our world completely. Not that I would ever get one, but they even have tracking devices for cell phones now. WOW, talk about change!
Growing up, I was the oldest of 6, we had plenty of playmates a d did almost everything as group; climbed tree s, rjding bikes, playing softball, dodgeball, soccer..
We were team sized and spent most of our time outdoors especially to keep house clean. LOL. My oldest is almost 5; Big Sister to 2 yrs old and 6mth old. So, that’s a BIG difference for playmates. When the older two get outdoors, they are quick to play w/dirt and rocks (occasionally my tot eats the dirt; gross), Swing, explore nature, I’m very involved with keeping the. Busy while learning, if possible, while outdoors. We are currently in Texas for the Summer, experiencing the brutal heat wave of 100s, that’s out a damper outdoor fun!! Water play and pool time has been around a lot!!
I was an only child and my outside play consisted of sitting outside and reading a book, or not sitting outside and reading a book, or walking around the block WHILE reading a book! I have 5 kids who would love to LIVE outside and never touch a book, so we are busy busy busy all the time!
Well I have to say that this year it would be to actually play outside. It has been so ridiculously hot that we have had to do LOTS of indoor activities over the summer! As a child I can not recall a day we couldn’t play outside, this summer it has been like weeks of not playing outside!