It was
pretty tough to be bored when I was a kid as long as I had my bicycle because
my bike was often not a bike. When I
donned my cowboy hat, fashioned some bridal reins out of a piece of rope and
attached it to my handlebars, my bike became a horse. My sister and I galloped our horses across
the prairie all morning and paid visits to our neighbors. Around high noon, we turned our steeds
homeward for some lunch.
If some of
the neighborhood kids joined us in the afternoon, we became pioneers and formed
a bicycle wagon train to journey westward to a new homeland. Along the way, we’d gather our wagons in a
circle to protect us from outlaws, cougars, and other unseen danger.
Sometimes
my sister and I used our bikes to help us construct a kids-only clubhouse. Our bikes formed two parallel walls that we
draped with an old quilt. We spent hours
playing games, coloring, reading, and—on more than one occasion—fighting in our
clubhouse.
There were
times when we used our bike props with disastrous results. I still recall the day my sister, the kid
next door and I used a bicycle to assist us in climbing a tree. With my sister steadying the bike, the
neighbor kid and I managed to reach the first limb of the tree. Lacking a spotter, my sister’s attempt to
climb the tree led to a fall and a broken collarbone.
Fortunately,
most of my bike adventures turned out just fine. With a bike and a little creative thinking, I
kept myself occupied and happy. And this
made my mom happy too because we weren’t in the house and under foot all the
time.
I am
pleased to report that in this age of smart phones, DVDs and over organized
recreation, the creative art of bike play survives. I’ve watched my neighbors’ children hold a
bike jousting tournament in the alley, tow each other down a snowy street on
sleds and saucers, and build a clubhouse similar to the one I built in my
childhood. And yes, they also just pedal
around the neighborhood for fun.
These kids
are playing creatively and actively on their own. They are learning how to be resourceful, set
their own rules, interact with each other, and structure their own play
time. Those are some pretty handy skills
to develop with the aid of a friend/sibling, a couple of bikes and a few
low-tech props.
