PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Saturday 19 November 2011

Some Things Never Change, Thank Goodness


I well remember the fun which my three children had, all those years ago, whenever we acquired a large cardboard box.  They had endless hours of play, using it as a house, a boat, a den, etc.  


When my son-in-law's new chair was delivered to our house, in a large box, it was wonderful to see that Grandson Harry's imagination immediately kicked into action.


Naturally he had to climb in it and when he realised that we were taking a couple of snaps he insisted that he wanted one taken of him inside the box (with the lid down) because to him that was where the fun was.


His imagination took over and as soon as the box was carried across the garden to his own house he got his Daddy to cut in some windows, a door, a spy hole... 


He is still having a great time playing with it, even though he is surrounded by toys at home (and at our house).  The thing which really fires his imagination is this box.  Quelle surprise!


I just wish some of those parents who seem determined to spend a fortune on Christmas presents for very young children would realise this.  You don't have to spend a great deal to stimulate their imagination.  Obviously I am not saying that children should just have empty cardboard boxes either!


One of the other things which my children used to love was taking the cushions off the sofas and turning them into pirate boats, etc.  Harry still has that delight to come - Grans have to keep some tricks up their sleeve for a rainy day!
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13 comments:

  1. Anonymous19 November 2011 at 15:25

    Oh, I remember doing this when I was a child! Much fun could be had with an old cardboard box and a bit of imagination. It looks like your grandson had a great time!

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  2. The Owl Wood19 November 2011 at 15:35

    Elaine - You're not catching me out with that old play in this cardboard box routine - every time I fell for it as a child you taped up the box as soon as I was inside, stuck postage on it and I always ended up walking back from ruddy Botswana or The Falkland Islands or somewhere. Great fun.

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  3. Elaine19 November 2011 at 18:29

    Nilhuanwen: He did have a lovely time, and he is constantly adding refinements to his original design. He is also an outdoors boy and loves nothing better than being outside helping in the garden and rescuing wriggly worms!

    Ian: I thought we parcelled you up and sent you off to Tibet last week... You are getting too good at this!

    xx

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  4. Cro Magnon20 November 2011 at 05:46

    I may sound like Scrooge, but I agree totally about all this over-spending business. A really memorable Christmas for children can be something as simple as eating by candlelight, or just staying up late with the TV turned OFF.

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  5. Unknown20 November 2011 at 07:29

    wrap up the empty box i say!

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  6. Elaine20 November 2011 at 07:43

    Cro: That's not being Scrooge, that is making Christmas magic.

    Funnily enough we did eat by candlelight last night as we had several lengthy power cuts, beginning exactly when we would ordinarily have been switching on the lamps.

    So Harry will certainly remember being in our house with lots of candles burning, and then Grandpa lighting his way across the garden with a torch and a lantern - then home to yet more candles.

    Could have sworn we paid that bill!

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  7. Elaine20 November 2011 at 07:45

    Dom: Well that makes it a little easier, as long as you're sure! Shall I do the same for Andy?

    xxx

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  8. Moving with Mitchell20 November 2011 at 14:42

    You are so right about some parents needing to re-think Christmas. Nothing wrong with those special gifts... to a point. But we can get carried away with that. My best times were when my parents bought new appliances and let us play with the boxes for a while.

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  9. Elaine20 November 2011 at 17:29

    Hi Mitch, You are right, it is about balance - in all things, I suppose. Great to know that you had your imagination stimulated by cardboard-box-play, too.

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  10. John Going Gently20 November 2011 at 18:05

    give me a cardboard box right now and I'd be happy for minutes!!!

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  11. Elaine20 November 2011 at 18:24

    John, Ah, the humble cardboard box! There are some days when I'd love to curl up in one and let life pass me by, other days when I would wear one over my head (say after a bad haircut), but generally these days I leave them for young Harry - or for the cats as they seem to get a similar amount of fun out of them. x

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  12. Knatolee21 November 2011 at 23:36

    This is so cute! I used to LOVE it when my parents got big appliance boxes and the like when I was a child. A kid's imagination is a wonderful thing!

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  13. John Going Gently10 September 2013 at 23:29

    That' second photo is lovely

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