Growing up, I spent my summers attending 4-H workshops, summer reading programs, and camps. Some of my fondest summer memories are of listening to ghost stories at the library or playing dodgeball at 4-H camp. Summers also marked some of the most challenging moments for me, like when my mom made me hold snakes at a library program (a truly terrifying and disgusting ordeal for me) or the time I tried to bike up a steep hill at camp and ended up rolling backwards. But either way, it all gave me a feeling of adventure and kept me occupied.
It’s a really good thing that my mom made me go to all of these events, because I was naturally the bookworm type. Reading became a passion at age 4, and from then on it dominated my days. Give me a few books and I would sit in my room all day quietly reading. While I still believe reading is one of the most worthwhile things you can do, there has to be balance in a person’s life. All of the summer workshops and programs I attended helped force me outside of my shell, made me work out my body as well as my mind.
A lot of people probably gravitate to the indoors or the outdoors. I always enjoyed stationary mental challenges such as reading, writing, or board games. I have friends who would have preferred being outdoors playing sports. While I did enjoy playing outside, I would get engulfed in reading and stay indoors all day if you didn’t remind me that there was life outside of a book.
It’s important for kids to participate in a variety of activities, ones that challenge both their bodies and their minds. This will help keep both in shape. Today a lot of kids spend the majority of their time playing video games, texting, Facebooking, or watching TV. Programs at local agencies can help them get outside of the electronic box and into other activities.
Meghann Evans is a staff reporter with The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at mevans@mtairynews.com or at 719-1952.
Post a Comment
