What's Your Favorite Subject?

Remember elementary school PE? I always loved our unit that involved this big parachute. Our teacher would play music and we would spend so much time lifting the parachute, running under it, bouncing balls on top of it. I think it was one activity that boys and girls, alike, both enjoyed. (Well, the other being those square wooden things on wheels that you rolled all over the gym! You know, you would always catch your finger in them at some point)

Our house is near two schools, and on my way home from work, I always see kids playing in the field, on the basketball court, or just hanging near the fence. It takes me waaaaaaaay back to my elementary days and all the fun we had at recess.

I think one of my favorite things to do was to play tether ball. I was never a fast runner, strong, or tall. So, I could never be competitive in games that require those attributes. But, tether ball was the great equalizer.

I remember the joy of hitting that ball over and over again and watching it wrap itself around that pole. And, remember how people would stand in line to play the winner?

How about this dangerous looking piece of equipment?

There's nothing like riding this sucker after your lunch of bologna sandwich, chips and SuzyQ's to test your stomach!

Another game I enjoyed was four square. I remember the joy of the perfect serve, and getting the ball just inside the square in order to eliminate someone. The end-of-recess bell would ring and it was a mad scramble to get back in line to go inside the school. You had to mentally note who was where when the game was called, and someone always would have to remember the ball. Such responsibility!

As much as I enjoyed these games, I think my favorite activity was spending time on the monkey bars and the uneven bars. I remember hanging upside down for ages and then doing "Penny Drops." I would go 'round and 'round in never ending flips and circles. I never hurt myself doing this, but I imagine now that kids aren't allowed to do this at recess for fear of broken bones! I would wear shorts under my dresses so that I could hang upside down without fear of being teased. I didn't care about sweating, dirty hands, messy hair, or anything else "grown up."

You ask any kid today what their favorite school subject is, and they're bound to say, "Recess." I know when I was a kid that was my answer too!