Good Old Fashion Fun!

I love teaching modern kids about the many different ways us old-schoolers would entertain ourselves “back in the day” before the digital takeover. From board games, to marbles, jump rope, hula hoops, jacks, to flying kites, there were plenty of interesting options that didn’t require electricity. And believe it or not, we even had some awesome electronic games too! But, one of the most simple, yet enjoyable ways to have fun was blowing bubbles.

Nowadays there are plenty of fancy and elaborate bubble making devices that would wow even most adults. So I bought Sunni a cute little dolphin bubble gun that sprays hundreds of bubbles within seconds, all while emitting a cool multicolored LED light. She instantly fell in love with it and not a single day would pass where she wouldn’t ask to go outside to use it. I started thinking, I wonder if she would feel the same sense of enjoyment from using the old dip stick style bubble maker? Knowing that this 3 year old probably wouldn’t be thrilled initially to make bubbles manually, I figured maybe this could be a fun and more rewarding challenge?

Of course I needed to take the time to teach her the proper technique. Needless to say, the much slower paced process did not sit well with the anxious youngster. But what she didn’t realize was, I was also trying to teach her the art of patience. Being so accustomed to the instant gratification of toys that do all the work for her, it was very frustrating for her to learn how to slow down and be gentle. I told her, “you have to work for it” “you make the bubbles, not a machine”. “Take your time, and don’t give up”.

After a bunch of angry attempts and quitting a few times, she eventually figured it out. Just as I had hoped, learning to create bubbles on her own made her even more excited than the bubble gun! And after a few days of practice she was discovering all the little nuances of making bubbles. Multiple little bubbles, to giant singular bubbles. She was totally getting the hang of it.

Throughout this entire process I couldn’t help but think of one of my kid’s favorite old SpongeBob episodes, where he teaches Squidward how to make bubbles. If you know, you know… But, I had fun teaching Sunni something new, and I enjoyed watching her have fun the same way I did as a kid. What goes around can come back around if we continue to pass things on to the children. Now Sunni is a bubble making pro! 😉

March 23, 2022 | Categories: What's On My Mind Right Now | Tags: #blackandwhite, #bubbles, #fun, #kids, #monochrome, #outdoorphotography, #outdoors, #photoblog, #photoblogs, #play, #playing, #robertnjonesphotography, #versatilitybyrnj, photographer, photography | Leave a comment