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Eastern Jackson County, MO —
Outside in the sunny and mid-80s weather Saturday afternoon, Eddie Greim lost track of the time.
And he was completely OK with that, he said.
Greim of Kansas City, along his wife, took their three daughters – ages 14 months, 3 and 6 – to Children’s Day at Missouri Town 1855 where the father taught his two oldest daughters how to walk on stilts, among other old-fashioned activities and games available at the event.
“I grew up around here, and we never took a field trip here,” Greim said of his first time at Missouri Town, which is maintained by Jackson County Parks and Recreation. “I guess I just missed it the whole time. We’ve always wanted to come, and then we saw it was going to be good weather and Children’s Day.”
Gunny sack races, three-legged races, hoop rolling, stilts and tug-of-war were among the simple, technology-free games at the event, outdoor activities that were once a part of the fabric of American children’s lives. Greim said he encourages his daughters to spend lots of play time outside, but it’s challenging because of his work.
“This summer, we hope to have them at a lot of camps and outdoor activities like this,” he said. “A day like (Saturday), you’re crazy not to. We don’t do a lot of these things anymore, but they’re just as diverting as the iPad.
“We like to take them to the library, too, but this is just hands-on stuff that’s safe and kid-friendly. The thing is, there are plenty of safe parks outside, but they don’t have all the things you have here. This is way better, I think.”
A Missouri Town volunteer for 25 years, Jay Clasen had many of his own old-fashioned wooden toys on display for children to play with, including his personal favorite, the folk toy Jacob’s ladder.
“They’re foreign to the parents,” Clasen said in response to whether the toys are unknown to today’s children. “But, the grandparents recognize them.”
But not all children these days are enthralled just by technology. Interest in Missouri Town started young for volunteer Jesse Laycock of Pleasant Hill, who, at age 14, already has three years of experience at the historic site. Laycock’s favorite part of Children’s Day, he said, is teaching kids how to use the stilts.
Outside in the sunny and mid-80s weather Saturday afternoon, Eddie Greim lost track of the time.
And he was completely OK with that, he said.
Greim of Kansas City, along his wife, took their three daughters – ages 14 months, 3 and 6 – to Children’s Day at Missouri Town 1855 where the father taught his two oldest daughters how to walk on stilts, among other old-fashioned activities and games available at the event.
“I grew up around here, and we never took a field trip here,” Greim said of his first time at Missouri Town, which is maintained by Jackson County Parks and Recreation. “I guess I just missed it the whole time. We’ve always wanted to come, and then we saw it was going to be good weather and Children’s Day.”
Gunny sack races, three-legged races, hoop rolling, stilts and tug-of-war were among the simple, technology-free games at the event, outdoor activities that were once a part of the fabric of American children’s lives. Greim said he encourages his daughters to spend lots of play time outside, but it’s challenging because of his work.
“This summer, we hope to have them at a lot of camps and outdoor activities like this,” he said. “A day like (Saturday), you’re crazy not to. We don’t do a lot of these things anymore, but they’re just as diverting as the iPad.
“We like to take them to the library, too, but this is just hands-on stuff that’s safe and kid-friendly. The thing is, there are plenty of safe parks outside, but they don’t have all the things you have here. This is way better, I think.”
A Missouri Town volunteer for 25 years, Jay Clasen had many of his own old-fashioned wooden toys on display for children to play with, including his personal favorite, the folk toy Jacob’s ladder.
“They’re foreign to the parents,” Clasen said in response to whether the toys are unknown to today’s children. “But, the grandparents recognize them.”
But not all children these days are enthralled just by technology. Interest in Missouri Town started young for volunteer Jesse Laycock of Pleasant Hill, who, at age 14, already has three years of experience at the historic site. Laycock’s favorite part of Children’s Day, he said, is teaching kids how to use the stilts.
“Children’s Day” was more like “Family Day” for Marsha Grooms of Greenwood, who brought her children – 14-year-old Larissa, 11-year-old Trevor and 9-year-old Abigail – to the event for a second time. Her brother, sister-in-law and their children also joined them at the event.
Grooms called the old-fashioned games and activities at Children’s Day “just good, wholesome fun for the kids, with a lot of history involved and a good learning experience.”
“They are outside a lot,” Grooms said of her children’s normal activities. “We don’t have a television, and we don’t really have very many video games at home. They’re pretty much outside and having fun.”
“Fun” is the main descriptor that Larissa Grimes used for the day, adding that she doesn’t miss having a television at home.
“No ma’am,” she said, smiling. “I do so much stuff. I couldn’t even imagine having one – it would be so boring.”
