Snowball fight

20-01-13

In the midst of the great UK snow fall of 2013 Jack has been itching to go out an play. Finally today we had some time, so we geared up and headed out. Our play lead to a snowball fight, which lead to making bigger and bigger snowballs until we destroyed the world. Then we made a snow-man, then Jack destroyed the snow-man. Then we had another snowball fight which lead to us making bigger and bigger snowballs until we destroyed the world. We then buried Jack in the snow, we tried standing first, then laying down. Laying down worked better. We then started into another snowball fight, the snowballs started increasing in size and elements of Kung-fu started to appear.
Then Jack took cover behind Helen's car where I couldn't see him. I listened and tried to pin point his location.
I tossed a snowball.
You missed, you're rubbish.
I threw another.
Nearly, but your still rubbish.
Another.
Even more nearly.
I created one of the world destroying sized snowballs and threw it. I heard a *plump*.
Jack? Did I get you.
Silence
Jack?
Silence
Did I get you?
...no.
I went to see what was up.
...got him

His new hobby

We've been on the search for a hobby for Jack for a while now. It had to be something that involved physical activity. For the last couple of summers Jack has attended football school but it was ended early last summer due to a lack of numbers. Jack was a little too young to really participate in the games and found it a bit frustrating, so he was glad when it ended and is less than keen on going back. So we put it to him, he could pick a sport and we would find somewhere he could practice it.

We looked at running, cycling, and that sort of stuff, but he didn't have much enthusiasm for those. We looked at martial arts but the local school doesn't seem very interested in new tuition. He already goes to swimming lessons once a week, but we count that more as a life skill than a hobby.

So whenever the opportunity to participate in a new sport came up we'd encourage him to try it and then examine it for suitability.
A couple of months back Jack and his Nanny came across a mobile rock climbing experience and Jack talked nanny into letting him have a go. Apparently because business was slow Jack spent over an hour traversing the wall. He came home raving about it and apparently the instructor said he was a natural.

So a couple weeks ago we arranged for Jack to have a children's introductory session at the local climbing centre. For an hour Jack climbed all over the place and had a blast. He came away with aching hands and a thirst for more. We're happy with this choice, rock climbing is just about as physically demanding as it gets, it is only as expensive as you make it and you can do it anywhere. In fact I'm kind thinking about taking it up as well.