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Friday, October 09, 2009

Mud Play

I must have mentioned upteen number of times that I had a huge open space in the house where I lived in my younger days. It offered immense potential for mud play, running around, playing- so much so that at one time, 7 sets of us were casual playing badminton - and that was just one side of the house.
We used to spend the entire winter morning & afternoon in the garden - studying, reading, eating oranges or playing in the mud, making mud houses, shapes, collecting pebbles, leaves, flowers.
Off course summer holidays meant collecting fallen mangoes!
We would plant methi, pudina etc if the gardening bug bit us and spend ages sitting at the ground floor verandah if it was too hot to be outdoor.
I carried this childhood imagery of a home as I grow older and one conference, I spelled out my passion - I want a house with a garden.
In a matter of days, we booked this home with a tiny garden space on both sides of the living room. It is tiny still it is something with mud. And offcourse the complex had huge open space. Close but but quite I wanted - next time I need to be a bit more specific in terms of size and quantum of direct sunlight - good-enough-to-grow-rose- marigold-jasmine, I want daily to reach my garden.
Anyway, I am glad that I bought this apartment because if nothing else, it replicates closely what I had when I was growing up.
The kids spend the entire weekend outdoor- playing with mud, leaves, flowers (wish they don't pluck the flowers though), looking at butterflies, watching lizards & chameleons, cycling & tricycling, trying to play badminton

And the best part is- so much of mud play has solved their pincer grip issues- without my really doing anything.

4 comments:

Swapna Raghu Sanand said...

I loved your write up as always. You know, I see so many parents who are so finicky about letting their kids play with Nature or get their hands dirty as part of learning activities. The same parents probably grew up enjoying the wind, the mud and the natural elements but it is suddenly very fashionable to act more like 'high end' parents. I love the fact that you are giving your kids an opportunity to learn a lot from the garden and by replicating the goodness that was part of your life. It's the best legacy to leave, isn't it?

How I wish more parents thought and felt as deeply as you do? Touchwood.

Devasena Hariharan said...

Nice Post! You remind me of my childhood. We used to(me & my cousins) cycling, playing in the mud, exploring rice field,.......

We were wild in every possible ways.

Uma said...

I had this kind of luxury whenever I traveled to Kerala for vacations - those two months used to be so much fun...and not just mangoes...there were cashews, guavas, jack fruit, star fruit, pineapples, and so many varieties of them...
I agree that mud play is a very important part of childhood...and open spaces too which has now become so rare...

Anonymous said...

I miss our colony so much!! And what huge playgrounds we hused to have infront of our homes, remember?

_NS