We got Luca a jump rope a couple of weeks ago at Target and she has been practicing nearly every day since then. She has been very proud as she is able to jump a few more times each day and has also learned to skip forward or backward as she jumps.
We were browsing this weekend at our favorite toy store in downtown Seattle, “The Magic Mouse” and I saw a 16 foot braided jump rope and I had to get it. We had a rare sunny and somewhat warm day today so as soon as Luca got home from school we went out to play and I took out the jump rope. Luca and I went out into the culdesac and started practicing turning it together and within five minutes we had about eight people around us wanting to join in. The twelve year old girl from across the street and her grandma, the eight and twelve year old girls (and their mother) from two houses down, a couple tweeners from next door and a girl I didn’t recognize that must have walked by the culdesac and saw us and came up to check it out. We had a blast for the next hour and a half chanting “Cinderella, dressed in yellow….”, and “teddy bear teddy bear, turn around….” and so forth. It brought back so many memories of playing jump rope for hours with my friends. Even Lincoln and Anna tried it out. The tweeners taught us a new game called “watermelon” that the little ones were able to do with a little help. Basically, you just try to run through the jumprope (with it changing directions each turn) without it hitting you and if it does you swap places with one of the turners.
It was another good lesson to me that sometimes the simplest things can bring the most fun and enjoyment.
Whims 