My dad’s calculator. Not that I knew what the hell I was doing with it. It was on my Christmas list. What I got: a kids’ calculator which quizzed me with math questions I eventually got my own scientific calculator in college and played with it all night.
Reading mostly, working on brain teasers or math puzzles. This was before home electronic calculators, computers, etc.
But most of the day was either in school or outside playing.
Reading, playing outside, flipping baseball cards (if I had only saved them-if my mother had not thrown them out). But as someone I knew (he’d been a minor league player) said that one of the Major Leaguers said, “Ya know if you all had saved your cards…they wouldn’t be worth anything now!” So I guess we did someone a favor by tossing them.
I was born the same year as the Macintosh, I grew up with computers in my house from the time I was old enough to walk. My dad had a TRS-80 that he dialed in to the work network to file stuff on, 1988? And I remember him being so frustrated with the acoustic coupler he disassembled it and used alligator clips to hook into the phone lines. Ever since then my favorite thing to do was tear apart electronics and see how they worked. I was reading Asimov and Heinlein in elementary school. I wasn’t like the other nerds, I hated math and word searches. I was a Boy Scout, I liked to build stuff in the woods and start fires. Coloring books, puzzles, mazes? No. None of that stuff for me. Give me a stick and some dirt or a screwdriver and a radio and I was a happy boy.
in order chronologically but not by interest level
really young kid: nursing
toddler: stuffed toys, running around outside, tormenting my sister
child: bike riding, playing outside, reading, board games, card games
early teens: tennis, bike riding, school, playing with other kids, reading, games
jr high: school, bike riding, tennis, reading
high school: school, working/earning money, reading, traveling, recreational MJ, girls
As a kid, I liked to build things with stuff like wooden blocks, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets and the like. I was waiting for personal computers to be invented.
I’d say reading, though figuring out how things work and solving puzzles (more like math problems and sudoku than jigsaw) are pretty close seconds.
Apparently, my first words were “lights cords” (think Christmas holiday lights) and I’ve always been into taking things apart and/or building/designing/redesigning things.
Ramping my bike off the porch (tried to be like evil kenivel), Legos, jumping out of 1st and 2nd story windows (child’s skydiving) with blankets/plastic bags, tarps, shooting cap guns. And CLIMBING! Trees, flagpoles, stone and brick walls, whatever could be climbed.
Of course, my mom wanted me to be a lady so I received lots of beatings and had to walk around with books on my head quite often to try to change my heathen ways.
Lego, playing outside with friends, riding my bike, Lego, swimming (in the summer, whether it was warm enough or not), Lego, reading. Did I mention that I like (that’s not the incorrect verb tense) Lego?
Reading, making up worlds with my stuffed animals, riding my bike, watching the older kids have chicken fights, hitting a spaldeen off the wall. I didn’t start doing crossword puzzles till I was a teen.
Watching TV-in fact in 6th grade if someone gave me a time in the evening and a channel, I could tell them what was on TV. Less channels way back then, but such a skill obviously didn’t nothing for me in my future endeavors.
In fact we took something called the Kuder Preference Test back in 9th grade which compared our answers to those of people who had taken the test and what jobs they had to maybe determine what interest and traits you had in common. The results said my answers had the most in common with people who were accountants and morticians.
Besides playing outside reading, jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles were all about tied…
playing on the computer
My dad’s calculator. Not that I knew what the hell I was doing with it. It was on my Christmas list. What I got: a kids’ calculator which quizzed me with math questions
I eventually got my own scientific calculator in college and played with it all night.
@kerryzero 80085
Reading mostly, working on brain teasers or math puzzles. This was before home electronic calculators, computers, etc.
But most of the day was either in school or outside playing.
Reading for me too, but also doing my own drawings or crafts.
Reading, playing outside, flipping baseball cards (if I had only saved them-if my mother had not thrown them out). But as someone I knew (he’d been a minor league player) said that one of the Major Leaguers said, “Ya know if you all had saved your cards…they wouldn’t be worth anything now!” So I guess we did someone a favor by tossing them.
I was born the same year as the Macintosh, I grew up with computers in my house from the time I was old enough to walk. My dad had a TRS-80 that he dialed in to the work network to file stuff on, 1988? And I remember him being so frustrated with the acoustic coupler he disassembled it and used alligator clips to hook into the phone lines. Ever since then my favorite thing to do was tear apart electronics and see how they worked. I was reading Asimov and Heinlein in elementary school. I wasn’t like the other nerds, I hated math and word searches. I was a Boy Scout, I liked to build stuff in the woods and start fires. Coloring books, puzzles, mazes? No. None of that stuff for me. Give me a stick and some dirt or a screwdriver and a radio and I was a happy boy.
Outside or games of competition, you know, with other kids.
in order chronologically but not by interest level
really young kid: nursing
toddler: stuffed toys, running around outside, tormenting my sister
child: bike riding, playing outside, reading, board games, card games
early teens: tennis, bike riding, school, playing with other kids, reading, games
jr high: school, bike riding, tennis, reading
high school: school, working/earning money, reading, traveling, recreational MJ, girls
As a kid, I liked to build things with stuff like wooden blocks, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets and the like. I was waiting for personal computers to be invented.
Playing with matches
Gator catching and snake hunting
@sillyheathen
Gross, I hate snake
@sillyheathen @Star2236 Never said they caught any snacks. Maybe they just hunted them so they knew where NOT to go when catching gators.
I’d say reading, though figuring out how things work and solving puzzles (more like math problems and sudoku than jigsaw) are pretty close seconds.
Apparently, my first words were “lights cords” (think Christmas holiday lights) and I’ve always been into taking things apart and/or building/designing/redesigning things.
Sibling rivalry…
It was always a fight.
Another vote for reading. Sci-fi by choice, but anything available. Starting with cereal boxes.
Playing outside. In creeks. In trees. Ditch banks. Riding bikes. Reading. Got a lot of poison ivy and read a lot of books.
Reading. Mostly books my dad had already read, which meant a lot of Stephen King and stuff way above my age. I think it worked out.
Riding bikes outside with my friends
Playing outside. As a young kid we weren’t allowed in the house in summer unless it was raining. We had to be outside playing using our imagination.
reading, comic books and library books, riding my bike, and playing baseball. simpler times and activities. the world was a better place.
@bayportbob yes it was!
In the early '60s we attached a rope to a bike and would pull a skateboarder on the shoulder of US Hwy 80 through town…great memories.
Ramping my bike off the porch (tried to be like evil kenivel), Legos, jumping out of 1st and 2nd story windows (child’s skydiving) with blankets/plastic bags, tarps, shooting cap guns. And CLIMBING! Trees, flagpoles, stone and brick walls, whatever could be climbed.
Of course, my mom wanted me to be a lady so I received lots of beatings and had to walk around with books on my head quite often to try to change my heathen ways.
Lego, playing outside with friends, riding my bike, Lego, swimming (in the summer, whether it was warm enough or not), Lego, reading. Did I mention that I like (that’s not the incorrect verb tense) Lego?
Reading, making up worlds with my stuffed animals, riding my bike, watching the older kids have chicken fights, hitting a spaldeen off the wall. I didn’t start doing crossword puzzles till I was a teen.
I’m not a kid anymore, but I still make mazes pretty often!
Jacks.
Running around outside and playing hide and seek.
Swimming in Lake Erie from Memorial Day to Labor Day, every day.
Reading. I’d go through a book ever couple of days.
Drawing. I was always drawing. Mostly Robotech and GI Joe.
I did a lot of reading, playing with hot wheels, army men battles, and generally just staying in my bedroom and out of the way of anyone else.
Are all of saying “playing outside” just unbearably old? Or did we miss the intent of “something else along these lines”?
If the former, “playing outside” is the definitive answer. If the latter, “playing with Lego” seems close enough in spirit to the choices.
Drawing
For me, nothing beat
/giphy climbing trees
Reading
Being forced to play outside then passing out from heat stroke because it was way too hot to be playing outside.
Watching TV-in fact in 6th grade if someone gave me a time in the evening and a channel, I could tell them what was on TV. Less channels way back then, but such a skill obviously didn’t nothing for me in my future endeavors.
In fact we took something called the Kuder Preference Test back in 9th grade which compared our answers to those of people who had taken the test and what jobs they had to maybe determine what interest and traits you had in common. The results said my answers had the most in common with people who were accountants and morticians.
@Felton10 So, you’re a life insurance actuarial? LOL.
@mike808 Actually the Undertaker of WWE fame was a favorite of mine.