Articles Temple
It is extraordinary how toys have evolved over the past 20-30 years, not to mention those our grandparents used to play with half a century back in time.Playing outdoors with my brothers and sisters is one memory that always makes me relax, and brings those nostalgic moments back in my mind.
My generation’s toys were definitely simpler, did not cost much neither did look as fancy as those today but at the same time, there was something magic about them that would engage all kids for days and days of outdoors play.Outdoors play today is undermined by the extensive use of video games and game consoles as the whole lifestyle has changed and playing outdoors is becoming less and less popular.
Nevertheless, what I can certainly admit is how impressive all modern toys are with their bright colours, cutting-edge design and multi-functional use.Acquisition costs of today’s toys are quite low compared to those of 20-30 years ago and I cannot recall the times when as a child I couldn’t normally get my dream toy because it was beyond my parents’ budget.
Many parents are concerned about the benefits of most modern toys as they do not seem to engage their kids for longer than a couple of hours before they end up in the nearby charity shop.A blaster toy 20-30 years ago would cost around five times more than today in relative terms and would be of much inferior quality.As another example, a kite 30 or more years ago would be handmade as a commercial one – if any – would cost a fortune.It is incredible how far humans’ imagination has gone in order to create new and more appealing toys which all have the same target: to sell.
What I believe is that although outdoor toys have definitely changed over the past decades, kids emotions playing with them, haven’t.Only time will tell what an impact modern toys will have on our children’s personalities.
Tags: action, Kids, kites, Outdoors, toys
Posted in Outdoors · April 6th, 2010 · Comments (0)
While most of the United Kingdom had ground to halt due to severe winter weather 2500 hardy Scouts aged between ten and eighteen enjoyed a weekend of winter camping fun.
If you, like me, need a warm, comfortable bed at night then you will find it hard to understand why anyone would want to spend several nights sleeping under canvas in sub-zero temperatures.The old scout motto of ‘be prepared’ could never be more appropriate than when winter camping. This means having the right camping equipment and some good quality, warm outdoor clothing and plenty of layers.
The explorer scout winter camp gives the scouts opportunity to take part in no less than 70 adventurous and fun activities. They had the chance to warm up with a little trampolining and have a go at zorbing, abseiling, orienteering and, of course, some snowboarding.
Making certain that the scouts were all safe was a key factor. Risk assessments were carried out with regard to the hazards involved in travelling to the Gilwell campsite in East London as well as the risks involved in sleeping out in sub-zero temperatures.
To keep warm at night, when temperatures plummeted to minus six degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit), the hardy scouts doubled up on sleeping bags and squeezed together with fellow scouts to share body warmth.
When interviewed the scouts told me that the key to staying warm in these unusually cold conditions is wearing plenty of layers. The youngsters told me that they were wearing around 7 layers with two pairs of gloves (mittens being the best) and some very thick, warm winter socks. They also recommended wearing a very warm hat as a great deal of body heat can be lost from the head.
It looked like so much fun I was almost tempted to join them, but then I remembered my warm comfortable bed at home and decided that I was nowhere near tough enough for these sub-zero winter camping conditions.
Tags: Camping, Outdoors, scouts, winter
Posted in Camping · January 19th, 2010 · Comments (0)