What activities were you in as a child?

[mommyoffive]

What activities were you in as a child? 

 

Sports, arts, music, theater.....

 

Do you still do these things as an adult?

 

Did it have a positive impact on your life in some way? 

[Ellie]

None. Nada. Not one.

 

I've made up for it as an adult, though. :-)

[mamiof5]

Close to none. Swim lessons for a while. Flute/guitar lessons (randomly, not regularly). None during jr high, highschool. Wasted precious time in harmful, inappropriate activities instead of developing an interest for reading, a sport, an instrument, anything! I think being involved in something (a team, a class, anything) would have helped.

[Ann.without.an.e]

None.  It was never even offered to me as an option.  In our area, at the time, activities were only for privileged kids.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Attolia

[MEmama]

My parents didn't prioritize activities at all, so none really. I didn't have the confidence to stick with the one thing I loved and excelled at (XC running) and when I gave it up, not one person questioned my decision or urged me to continue. I had zero outlets for finding out what was available in my area--that it was even a possibility for that matter--and I'm sure it never occurred to my parents. There were no financial barriers, just emotional ones.

 

I'm extremely grateful we approach this in an opposite manner with our son. :)

[TechWife]

None as a small child. I took ice skating lessons for 12 weeks when I was 12. I guess you could count marching band, I started playing an instrument my junior year of high school. 

 

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I did dance for two years, gymnastics for a few years, both at elem. age. I was on the summer swim team from ages 6-18, and on my junior high and high school swimteams. I did figure skating pretty seriously from 12-18. In high school I was on the yearbook and newspaper, and a member of the art club and National Art Honor Society.

 

Figure skating taught me hard work and discipline, and that getting something right can be its own reward. Yearbook and newspaper paved the way for future jobs. Swimteams gave me a form of exercise I enjoyed and still can enjoy even as I get old. :) They all kept me busy in a productive way.

 

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by Sk8ermaiden

[regentrude]

violin lessons from age 5 to 11. Strict teacher, no praise. I did not want to practice. Did not play well. Profoundest impact was in choice of music teacher for my own kids. Another plus: I learned to read music really well.

kayak racing age 12-14. Developed life long aversion against team sport. High pressure, to the extent of being dangerous. Bullying in the group. Was glad to quit when doctor recommended.

church choir age 13-18. That set the foundation for a life of choir singing. I have sung in 20 choirs in different countries and states.

math circle - sporadic. Love math, did not enjoy club.

 

The best activities were the ones I sought and created myself:

writing and performing plays with a friend; forming a theatre group with friends and producing a play for public performance

practicing and singing opera duets with a friend

taught myself piano and worked a lot on singing. This became a life long love.

 

I am an individualist. I do not believe in the necessity of organized activities for young children.

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by regentrude

[UCF612]

I did a little piano in elementary and then joined band in middle & high school. I'm glad I can read music now but don't play anymore.

 

I also did Odyssey of the Mind throughout elementary. It has helped me think outside the box and I learned to sew thanks to OM.

 

I did track and drama my senior year of high school. Those only provided me fun memories!

 

My kids are far more involved in activities than I was. There just weren't as many options available to me as a kid and there are plenty of things I wish I could have tried as a kid but didn't even know they existed at the time (like gymnastics).

[bluemongoose]

Nothing outside of public school. I did play clarinet, sax, and a little bit of flute in the public school band during school hours. My parents couldn't afford for any activities.

[Guest]

Scouting and bowling were my pre-high school activities.

4H, scouts, and pep/marching band for high school.

 

I use many of the skills learned in scouts and 4H and have served as a pack leader. As a child I needed the enrichment as school was too easy. I still play an instrument. I wanted to do a sport, but my parents did not allow it. I learned to be fit as an adult.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Heigh Ho

[theelfqueen]

I did OM in elementary. I was briefly in girl scouts but coming from a boy scout family it wasn't a great fit for me.

 

From 4th-8th grade I played clarinet.

 

In high school I was in drama, forensics/debate, choir, and an exchange student to Russia.

 

I didn't do anything like that til fairly recently. About 5 years ago I rejoined a choir. I started using Russian again when we started homeschooling last year.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Not really any.

 

For one thing I think when I was a kid, it wasn't considered necessary.  There wasn't this frenzied attitude of having to be involved with tons and tons of activities.  Sports were probably the one area where there was the most participation, but I wasn't good at sports so I didn't get into any of it.

 

 

[73349]

Nothing long-term outside of school. I took two probably semester-long, once a week gymnastic classes, and one in baton twirling. I think for two years I did a science activity.  Asked to play an instrument through school and was not allowed. No sports. I did some clubs in high school (newspaper, etc.).

 

Both money and transportation were obstacles. I would've loved doing more.

 

DH was able to do more, but he really takes the experiences for granted and sometimes doesn't see why I try to offer DS so much.

[Jan in SC]

Sports- softball, then soccer. I played soccer my first two years of college. I played tennis later in life, but haven't done any sports in a long time. One of my dc loves baseball.

 

Theatre- from middle school through college I loved it- My children are active in this, but I'm not on stage at all.

 

I played flute and percussion in middle school though early high school. I had no interest in marching band, so I stopped and focused on sports and theatre.

 

I used to love whitewater rafting, but I haven't been in a very long time.

 

I was active in church youth group, handbells, and even choir when I was in school. I'm not very active in a church now.

 

I don't do many things for me (my DH doesn't either) because I give that opportunity to my kids. They are much better at the activities than I ever was, and they work harder at it.

[marbel]

Nothing that was not related to school.   But even then, no music lessons except a short unit on guitar in middle school, no sports (I hated sport).  It would not have occurred to my parents to seek such things out, and never occurred to me that I should look for and ask for things to do.

[lllll]

nm

Edited July 29, 2016 by ~ d9n

[Annie G]

Nothing. We roller skated (metal wheels, strap on skates), played kickball, swam, rode bikes, played in the creek, caught lizards.  

 

Most of my friends who were boys played football and some of the girls took baton twirling lessons. Other than that, I don't recall any 'activities'. 

 

Yeah, I was born in 1961, in case the metal wheel skates and baton twirling didn't give it away. 

[Arcadia]

Parents paid:

Piano - still playing

Swimming - still swim

Ballet

Art

Speech

 

In school:

Choir

Band

Angklung ensemble

Girl Guides

 

School PE:

Basketball, Hockey, Track, Squash, Netball, Soccer, Softball, Tennis

 

ETA:

Also lots of ECAs like science club, student council, stamp club

Edited July 26, 2016 by Arcadia

[Library Momma]

Elementary  

Girl Scouts K-5th grade

Dance

Hebrew School (every Tues and Thursday) and Saturday religious school 

 

Middle School

I volunteered then worked at a local  theatre

Hebrew and religious Ed through age 13 

Quite a few educational competitions like Nat History Day, spelling Bees etc

 

High School

worked in the theatre 

confirmation class through age 15

soccer

school play

High School Bowl team

Certamen team and partcipated in state Latin Day competition

Candy Striper at local hospital

 

I think that's everything! I can't remember, I graduated HS in 1987

 

 

 

 

 

[purplejackmama]

Piano, Ballet, and I "played" softball for the after game snack ;)

[OneStepAtATime]

We moved a lot so things were a bit erratic and depended on what was available in the area we were currently living:

 

Cello (through my elementary school and then for a little bit I had private lessons through a wonderful, super cheap teacher)

Flute (through band at school and some private instruction on the side)

Piano (private lessons with a neighborhood teacher that taught nearly all the kids in the neighborhood at one point or another)

Community drama for elementary kids (free through the city)

Guitar (cheap private lessons and neighbor)

Girl Scouts

Ballet (I was 5/6)

Astronomy Club (through my school)

Choir (through school)

 

Probably other things but I don't recall off the top of my head.

 

[lanabug]

Piano lessons from age 7-17

No sports, drama, dance, etc.

I was very involved in our church youth group.

I tutored in middle school and high school and was involved in a ton of school-related clubs and activities in high school.

[Wheres Toto]

Very little.  We didn't have the money for anything.  I remember taking a brief summer rec cheerleading once, playing baseball on a rec team once, and taking swim lessons for a little while (grandparents paid for).

 

I did more once I was in high school and things were basically free.  I was on the track weight team, worked stage crew for a school musical, D&D club.

 

Not being able to do sports in elementary/middle school basically made it impossible for me to do most sports.  I tried out for basketball in middle school (I played with other kids in my apartment complex and was pretty good) and had absolutely no chance of making the team without the years of experience.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Swim lessons- young child

Gymnastics- elementary school

Soccer- age 5- 15(?)

Basketball - 4th-8th grades

Girl Scouts - 10 years

Choir- elementary - high school

Band- elementary and middle school

Music- lessons elementary- high school

Youth Symphony- high school

Jazz Choir- high school

Madrigals - high school

Some theater- various

Some high school clubs

 

 

I have fond memories of most of the activities and some taught me a lot about myself.

Edited July 26, 2016 by PinkyandtheBrains.

[redsquirrel]

I did lots of things, but they were mostly free through school. Our town also had subsidized activities, parks and rec type things, during the summer and my mom would take a day off from work to stand in line to sign us up.  She worked all summer and we were home alone, so that was  priority for her.  We could walk/bike  there ourselves. That is where I had swimming lessons, gymnastics and....something else that I can't remember. It might have been summer soccer? There were three things every summer. It was all inside the middle school. It kept us very, very busy and out of trouble, lol.

 

Music school choir all the way through, and a couple years of band with a couple instruments. I never got the hang of reading music. Now I know I didn't have proper instruction in reading music, so that might have been different with a different program.

 

Dance: ballet and tap, but at the cheapest school in town. It wasn't any good. But we liked it. I always wanted to take ballet at the 'real' ballet school though

 

sports: Swimming lessons always, both at the summer program and the Y. I was also on the swim team for a little while. I wasn't fast enough. I did soccer and cheerleading in high school. Some basketball in elementary and jr high. I also did gymnastics, but I was terrible, lol. My sister was a skilled gymnast and competed at the state level. I grew up in the mountains and I was in the hiking club. We also took figure skating lessons down the street. I also skied. But like I said, it was the mountains and almost everyone had access to those activities back then. You could get a pair of skis and boots for free from someone. I could ski at the local small club for 3$ a day...back when we had snow.

 

Theater: lots of community summer drama. We lived in a college town and the college drama dept would do a community musical every summer. I was in that every summer. It was free and a lot of fun. I also met a lot of wonderful adults in the community through the theater program, some really nice people.

 

I was also very active in Model UN. I continued that in college doing Mock Assembly

 

Do I still do these things, some of them, yes. I still love to sing and have been in adult choirs.  I am a very good dancer and have also taken many adult dance classes. I have done more performing as an adult than I have as a kid. I think always being involved in dance or sports created the habit of physical activity in my life. I am not one of those people who LOVES exercise, but I have always had a regular activity of some kind. I know how much better I feel when I do as opposed to how I feel when I don't.  It's annoying, but I can't deny it, lol, 

I understand what it means to be on a team and to compete as an individual. I am not afraid to take a hit. All that time in theater has made me unafraid to speak in public...something that has come up more than you might imagine. I have often been asked to speak at events when someone was uncomfortable getting up to speak.  I know how to talk to a crowd and how to be heard in a large room without yelling, lol.

 

DH had many of the same actitivies growing up and so do our kids. My one regret is that we don't ski. It has just gotten waaaay to expensive. I go home to visit my mom and wish I could take the boys to the slopes, but with the high cost of rentals and lift tickets it's out of reach. It really wasn't like that when I was growing up. 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by redsquirrel

[Soror]

Only things that were offered at school-

 

softball in elementary

 

highschool-

basketball & cheering- parents wanted me to do BB (HATED it) cheering I thought I wanted to do but ended up hating and quit shortly after starting

drama club- really enjoyed

BETA & Upward Bound (academic clubs)- enjoyed both

[Ravin]

Short term:

 

1 series of ice skating lessons when I was 4

2 summers of swim lessons, age 9-10

1 season of soccer...or was it basketball? or track? I only remember because there's a photo of me in a t-shirt and shorts posing for the accompanying pictures. That was in 4th grade

2 seasons of peewee league baseball

2 summers with 1-week Gifted/talented camp that was mostly STEM

2 summers with Space Camp (age 11 and age 14)

2 summers with Girl Scout camp (one year it was 2 week general camp; one year it was "zoo crew" with volunteering at the zoo)

1 summer with Girl Scout day camp, 1 summer as a young teen as a junior camp counselor at GS Day Camp

Several summers with a week or 2 of VBS

 

Longer:

 

2 years of piano lessons

Several late-elementary/early middle years semesters of Saturday Scholars programs at the University (these ran for a school semester on Saturday mornings)

11 years of Girl Scouts (in a troop 1st thru 6th grade; as an independent scout after that).

 

[kewb]

An organized sport or club-none.  I was not a joiner.

 

I did have swim lessons, guitar lessons, and art classes. 

[QueenCat]

Swim team (elementary/middle)

Synchronized Swim Team (middle/high school)

Gymnastics- lessons for a long time, no team (elementary/middle)

Ballet- (through 6th grade)

Brownies/Girl Scouts (through 9th grade)

 

[Farrar]

Swimming, ballet, and art when I was little. Ballet and art by my request. Swimming because we lived on a lake and my mother wanted me safe so she required it for years when I was small. Also, Girl Scouts.

 

Theater when I was older, but only through school. After elementary school, we were pretty poor so that was the end of outside activities from school.

[Dmmetler]

Church choir for years, some dance classes and gymnastics, swim team for a few years, music lessons and band from 4th grade on. In high school, added academic competition team, key club, and drama club.

[BooksandBoys]

I'll admit that I was jealous of my friends who had dance lessons, gymnastics, and more dance lessons (I really, really wanted to dance). But, I had plenty of access to music and sufficient sports through creative financing and, later, the public school.

 

A kind older woman at my church gave me piano lessons from about grades 1-4 in exchange for my mother doing her financial paperwork.

 

I borrowed a flute and paid for my own flute lessons beginning at age 9 with a job as a mother's helper. I continued paying for flute lessons until I went to public school in 7th grade and joined the band. At PS, I was lucky enough to be able to use school instruments, so I joined orchestra, choir, and jazz band and taught myself (with a tiny bit of help from my awesome music teacher who was tolerant of my unskilled participation in his groups until I figured it out) to play cello, alto and tenor sax, clarinet, and trumpet. My choir teacher pushed me to sing better.

 

In college, I no longer had access to free instruments, so I chose to drop the instruments but keep singing and got into the highly competitive choir as a freshman. I loved that group! I still sing every day. My music is precious to me and I'm so thankful I had the chance to learn so much. I hope to learn piano (beyond the very basics that I know) in the next decade.

 

For athletics: Each spring, my mom helped my brothers and me (mostly me) take orders for our homemade egg noodles. We made hundreds of pounds of noodles each year to raise money to pay for our swimming pool and swim team memberships and 4-H camp attendance. In middle school, I joined track and ran it until I became too busy with music in 9th to have time for track. I found my love of running again after my second child was born. I'm a happy, really slow runner now who will choose a jog over tv (but not a book...so audiobooks save me) any day.

 

Through public school, I also had access to many academic clubs, foreign languages, leadership clubs, and musical and vocal performance groups in my high school years.

 

I took from all this an interesting (to me) combination of bootstrap attitude, jealousy (I still want to dance...maybe I'll tackle that in my 40s), gratefulness for creativity and sacrifice, and love of my music and running.

 

For my own kids, this translates into a desire to give them more opportunity than I had, but also a desire to help them think creatively about how to achieve their desires. I learned so much from choosing, even as a very young child, to work for my flute lessons. I think I might have learned as much from that as from the actual lessons. Same with making noodles so I could swim. Of course, I also learned that I hate making noodles :-). I don't know.

 

Edited: autocorrect...of course

Edited July 26, 2016 by BooksandBoys

[gardenmom5]

when I was in elementary - I *begged* for piano lessons. when I finally got them, it was with an advanced student whose teacher said he needed to take on teaching. we mostly did *theory*.  absolute waste of time and money.  I learned almost nothing.

 

I did ski.  it's an expensive sport and I had kids.  I haven't skied in years.

[LucyStoner]

We moved a lot.

 

I tried (so one season or less than a year's worth of classes):

 

Ballet

Tap

Soccer

 

I played baseball or softball most every season somewhere or another. My dad was often a volunteer coach and the league generally waived our fees out of consideration for that and the fact that we had little money.

 

We're fortunate enough to have musical instrument options at school. I played the clarinet for a couple of years and cello from the time I was 11 until I quit later on in high school. I played some sports in high school but softball was my main thing in high school and that wasn't affliated with the schools. I also did all of the nerdy extracurriculars in high school. Radio (aired on public radio here, mostly on politics), photography, Youth in Government, Student conservation Association etc.

 

ETA- we often lived where there were cheap classes and programs at the community center with scholarships for low income families. And from 5-9 I was usually a Boys and Girls Club kid. They did a lot of activities - field trips, gymnastics, swimming etc. And Campfire.

Edited July 26, 2016 by LucyStoner

[LucyStoner]

As for if they had a positive impact, yeah I think so. Especially team sports, mainly softball.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Community: Rec league softball. This was very important to me.

 

School: A few academic teams, band (flute) and jazz band (keys), drama/theater, and most importantly the school newspaper (page editor).

 

Even though I was bored academically in school, to the point that I decided by age 15 that I'd homeschool my imaginary future children, I was very thankful for these opportunities. Our family could never have afforded the private activities (or school activity fees) of today, but through public school in the 80s and very early 90s I got to do so many things. I worked part-time jobs to pay for the small expenses of these activities.

 

It's something I think about when I continue to make the decision to homeschool through high school. Can I replace this part of growing up? Not necessarily with the same activities, but with opportunities for my children to learn from adults, work with others, and gain useful skills and good experiences? I think it matters.

 

 

[SKL]

When I was a kid, you didn't sign up for things, you showed up.  For free.  Parents didn't even know where we were.  Here are things I showed up for when I was in the mood:

• Summer activities at the school playground with Teach & Coach.  Crafts, games, sports etc. from 9am to 5pm every day.  Free lunch if you want it.
• Swimming at the public pools.  Come and go at will beginning at age 8 (younger if you have a teen sibling to bring you).  All free in summer, plus one indoor pool was open evenings for a small fee.  I would sometimes walk there and pay to swim during the school year.
• Community gardens.  Seeds, tools, plots, and brief instruction provided.
• Free days at the zoo, one or two days every week.  Come and go at will, do what you want.
• Summer Reading Program or just hanging out at the library.  Act right or they will throw you out.
• Crafts at the ceramic shop (no official teacher, but the workers would guide if asked) - this had a small price tag for the materials, though they let us use some materials for free.  We used our allowance to pay for this activity.
• Vacation Bible School.  We attended at least 3 different ones at churches within walking distance.
• Summer church carnivals.  We brought our allowance.
• Metroparks - hiking, wading, nature study, watching sports, hanging out.  Year round, always free and free range.
• Offering to do casual work and using the money to buy gifts or junk food.
• Forming and running our own neighborhood clubs.
• Getting a free puppy from someone in the neighborhood and figuring out how to take care of it.
• Rescuing and rehabilitating a bird that had been attacked by a cat.
• Teaching myself how to play the piano.  (Some of my siblings took lessons.)
• Experimenting with cooking.
• School sports, choir, band.
• Sunday School, church, youth group.
• Paper routes.
• Just bumming around.  It was allowed in those days.  Amazing!
• At 13 they started a school gifted program which I joined.
• Volunteer opportunities e.g. safety town for tweens / teens.

Edited July 26, 2016 by SKL

[SKL]

My younger sister did do a few organized activities.  Softball, Model UN, community theater.  But she didn't get the free swimming, zoo, etc. because we lived more rural then.

[bettyandbob]

Age 6-14 summer rec swim team. We walked ourselves to practice and some meets. There wasn't a huge parent volunteer requirement at the time.

 

Grade 2 ballet until January when mother's work schedule didn't permit it

 

Grade 6-7 spring rec soccer.

 

Grade 9 rec basketball

 

Grade 9-10 high school field hockey

 

Grade 10-11 high school indoor track

 

Grade 10 high school outdoor track

 

I had piano lessons off an on 5 years total. One teacher I could walk to. Another teacher came to the house.

 

My parents didn't like most activities. My mother especially made it clear she was not to be bothered for driving.

 

I teach swimming so I do that. I love swimming. It is a major stress reducer to me.

 

My parents gave me the piano. It sits lonely in my living room. I have no ear or sense of rhythm.

 

Not a lot of places for 50 year to shot put, so I didn't keep that up.

 

My dd did rec field hockey 10 years ago and I helped coach, but I don't play now.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Diana P.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

We lived at the pool in the summer.  Had swimming lessons for about 5-6 years (two weeks each summer).

 

And we watched TV.  And we took the bus downtown to the library to get books we sometimes read.

 

I took piano lessons for several years.  

I was in the school musicals, and the choirs.  I went to All State choirs and choral festivals (with the school choir)

 

I took ballet in second grade, but didn't like it much at the time.  (found out it would take years before I would go en pointe, so I quit.

 

No sports at all.  Hated PE, and had no desire to play any sports.

 

The music made a huge impact on my life that has morphed into a musical family.  All my kids are very musical (play instruments, sing, compose original music), and the girls love theatre as well.  Only my youngest has any interest in sports, but even that is mostly social (she likes to go to practice and games to play with her friends, but she doesn't practice on her own to get better, and doesn't really care whether they win or lose). I think she has a healthy attitude toward sports.  Her older sibs never wanted to play in any organized sport, and I didn't see the point in making them.  I guess that stems from the lack of sports in my own life.

[mommyoffive]

Not really any.

 

For one thing I think when I was a kid, it wasn't considered necessary.  There wasn't this frenzied attitude of having to be involved with tons and tons of activities.  Sports were probably the one area where there was the most participation, but I wasn't good at sports so I didn't get into any of it.

 

I know right?  I kind of wonder what did we do all summer? 

[SporkUK]

I was in tons of things from 3-13 - my parents liked me out of the house and particularly wanted us to become 'stars' at something. I don't really recall the ages for most of it, but I know I started ballet at 3, started tap a year or two later, started jazz a year or two after that, and so on for dance and along the way I also did swimming, gymnastics, cheerleading, soccer, T-ball, musical theatre, choirs, show choir, classic vocal training... and probably a few things I've forgotten. Then there was 'church scouts' and youth groups as well (My grandfather was a pastor - as are three of my uncles - so when we lived near them it was very important...). 

 

I crashed and burned at 13. Horrendous burnout and the joint pain started - though I wouldn't be told until I was 17 and experienced excruciating knee pain and constantly clicking knees that it's common in girls who are 'overtrained' as the doctor put it. Beyond the pain, I got so fed up of doing things for an audience rather than myself or the other people around me. It was all about the audience / parents / future prospects. To this day, I still get annoyed when people tell me or the kids how great something will look on a CV as if that should be the main focus especially at their age.  

 

The only things I continued in high school was choir plus I did a year of wrestling and the school musical another year for fun. I do none of it now though I have been discussing social dance classes and piano lessons with some friends recently, two things I wasn't allowed as a kid because the other stuff was considered more important. 

 

My kids only do a HE hobby club they created with their friends and St John Ambulance youth groups. I've found SJA balances doing things for the community and working towards goals for one own betterment quite well which I felt was missing in all the things I did when I was young. 

[SKL]

I forgot to answer the part about me as an adult.

 

There aren't too many things I do as an adult, other than work and take care of my kids.  :)  And spend time on a few internet sites.

 

Some things I do with my kids:

• Family TaeKwoDo.  My goal is to at least get a black belt, and perhaps stay with it until my kids get an "adult" black belt ~ 5 years from now.
• I walk around a track while my kids do certain sports.  If I can be consistent for a while, I might up it to running or using other fitness equipment.
• I like yoga, and would attend a class if it were convenient as a single mom.  I did buy a "punch card" to use at the rec center when my kids swim, but haven't used it.  :)
• I could swim when they swim, but I am self-conscious.  Maybe when I get more fit and find a better swimsuit.  :)
• I plan to start doing a regular volunteer job or two with my kids.  Something at the parks / walking shelter dogs.
• I have a piano.  Sometimes I play it.  Not as often as I would like.  I had my kids in lessons, but dropped them due to time constraints.  I could teach them myself, but again, time constraints.
• Scouts - mostly I chat with the moms or bring my work, but sometimes I'm hands on.  And I volunteered for a small job at scouts this year.  Yikes....
• I still like to read.  I love libraries, although I mostly only work while there.
• I still like to hike in the metroparks.
• I have done a tiny bit of gardening some years.  Maybe I will do that again, if I can find something deer won't eat.

Did my childhood activities make me a better person?  Well, sure, they were an important part of growing up.  They gave me lots of ideas.  They kept me from being dangerously idle.  They gave me confidence and perspective.  They helped me to know myself.

[rebcoola]

I did a lot 5-12 Soccer, Basketball, Softball, Swim Team and Violin.  Middle School & High School-Soccer(Travel & School) Track, Wrestling, Orienteering, Violin and ROTC Color guard and Drill team.    

 

I still Swim play co-rec soccer and play violin.  

[Liz CA]

I was in gymnastics - one evening a week. Annual competition, not a big deal.

What we did all summer? Riding our bikes, eating homemade ice cream, playing with neighbor kids / friends. We had this long elastic band that stretched around two people standing at a distance. The others had to perform some complex jumping sequence over and onto the elastic :) This was all the rage for several summers in a row. Reading books, going swimming a local swimming hole, going berry picking and sitting in cherry trees performing "early harvesting."

 

I wish I could still jump as high onto an elastic band... ;)

 

Generally, I think gymnastics were helpful, now I do yoga. I still like to pick and eat berries, read books and eat homemade ice cream.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Liz CA

[Loowit]

I did a lot of short term things.

 

In elementary I was in Blue Birds/Campfire girls until it fizzled out due to lack of volunteers.  I did swimming lessons a few times, usually a short two week course each summer in elementary.  I did a day camp of soccer that was fun, but they didn't offer soccer close to home so I couldn't do it as a sport.  My mom made me do a few years of piano (still can't play or read music) and gymnastics (mom thought I was overweight and it would help).  I really wanted to take dance, but we didn't have a local studio and my parents didn't have the money to pay for it.  My mom has said that she regrets I couldn't have done dance as a kid.

 

In junior high I did volleyball and basketball on the school teams.  I was never very good at either, but I really enjoyed basketball.

 

In high school I was in FBLA (mostly to go on trips and get out of class with my best friend), Knowledge Bowl, drill team, youth group (when there were enough kids - it was mostly me and my siblings that attended our church), and drama.

 

I don't do any of this stuff as an adult.  I do miss some of it and have fond memories.  My current situation is running kids around to their activities.  None of them have that much going on individually but when each of my three kids has stuff it tends to multiply quickly.

[6packofun]

Swim lessons, swim team, I did modern dance once, ballet once, gymnastics once, ran track and cross country, played the flute.

 

I think swimming competitively helped me the most because I'm a very strong swimmer, even when I'm overweight, and I think that's an important skill.  The running sports were also something that I've carried with me to some degree or another into adult life.  I think all sports really gave me a sense of my physical self.  I know my body well and up until a couple years ago have always been able to enjoy working out injury-free and it helps with my depression!

 

I always had a sense when I was growing up that we did NOT have a lot of money.  And yet, somehow, my mom made these things possible for me.  I have not been able to do the same, which makes me sad, however I think dh and I have done better at *encouraging* our kids in their talents even if we can't afford classes or paid activities for them.  :)

 

My siblings and I grew up loving nature because mom does, but I don't remember going on hikes or nature walks, etc. as a family often but that is something I DEFINITELY do with our kids!  Just walking/hiking and sometimes geocaching.  Making a study of birds and things we find.  

[DawnM]

Drama, volleyball, soccer, tennis, band

 

I was not good at any sport, I just played some on JV for fun.

 

I was better at drama and band

[OhanaBee]

I did Girl Scouts for 6 years as a kid.  As an adult I was a GS Leader for 10 years

 

I did piano for 8 years as a kid.  As soon as I was able to ditch those lessons, I did.  I have played the piano a bit as an adult, but there are all sorts of emotional strings attached to that stupid instrument so I usually tend to avoid it.

 

I was involved in church choir and youth handbells as a kid.  As an adult, I'm involved in both choir and handbells......and very appreciative of my early training.

 

I was on the swim team and water polo team in high school.  As an adult I like to swim, but I have bad knee problems because of all the "eggbeating" I did in those sports.

 

Every summer my mom would send us to the summer enrichment classes.  I usually signed up for something in drama and something in writing.  As an adult I still write a lot - for myself, only.