How did you play as a child? (Outside?)

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Sora
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27 Dec 2008, 4:22 pm

From what I understand when exchanging experiences with peers is that I played kind of old-fashioned way. That just recently occurred to me. I wonder what an effect that had on me and my autism?

How did you play as a child? Outside a lot? Or maybe not?

I was always happy in our garden, which had a little pool in the summer, had a sand-pit and first a tree and later a garden house. Heaven!

I dug through the dirt, drew maps, water flooded the place, dissected everything green I could get my hand on, studied plants and such, carved woods, bounced around the place, when I was a bit older I imagined things when I needed them (an animal of a story I knew or my whole environment from a tale I liked), I built stuff when I could and just spent, like, all day long outside without modern toys. Up until I was 11/12.

I adored building lego though! But with all else of which I had lots of brand new and expensive stuff too, I rarely played if I touched that stuff at all.

Anyone had such experiences?

I know that playing outside can be quite educational. Playing outside means studying and interacting with your environment on your own accord in some way. Building and training your visual/spatial abilities, learning basic cause-effect, training your movement, learning to look, watch and observe your environment better as well as finding a solution to simple problems... there's more, I guess.
I think that all can be advantageous for autistic people too. Well, to me it was. I don't know about others?


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27 Dec 2008, 4:31 pm

I rode my bike, played in the wading pool, jumped in the sprinkler, played on the swingset, played in the sand box, played in my play house, went to the forest, drew with chalk, did water fights, roller bladed, roller skated, dug in the backyard, made dirt cakes, poured little pebbles down the slide we had in our swingset area, and made our own water slide by turning on the water and putting the hose on the slide and letting the water run down it.

Sadly whenever our mother was home, she did a time limit on the water. In cities, water isn't free and she sure didn't want to jack up the water bill.



SpongeBobRocksMao
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27 Dec 2008, 5:30 pm

I was rarely outside, playing wasn't my thing. In primary school I used to play on the railings all the time.


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2ukenkerl
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27 Dec 2008, 5:46 pm

When I was REAL young, I played with sand.

I rode my bike, swam , used the swingset, used the slide, used the merrygo round. Played SOME games like carams or pool.



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27 Dec 2008, 5:49 pm

I loved climbing trees amd building forts. I like going to the playground as well. The swings, slide and merry-go-round where my favourite.


I also love games like hide and seek and cops and robbers.. which I tended to play with my cousions


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pakled
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27 Dec 2008, 6:16 pm

climbed trees, rode my bike, built elaborate sand castles (but not necessarily structurally sound..;) and mainly explored...



poopylungstuffing
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27 Dec 2008, 6:59 pm

I roamed wildly all over the neighborhood.



ike
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27 Dec 2008, 7:23 pm

At what age? My mother says that at 2 yrs she would set me down in the nursery and I would sit and stare at one book for 8 hours without moving. ;)

As I got older I generally gravitated to heady activities. I did get into comic books quite a bit and I got into roleplaying games - AD&D, Champions, Cyberpunk, etc. I think that's where I spent probably most of my recreational time was with RPGs and illustration. I was always the artist in any given gaming group.

I went to summer camp and it was cool, but even when I was there, being outside wasn't really my thing for the most part.


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zghost
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27 Dec 2008, 8:09 pm

I was a big fan of sand and dirt, always in in when someone would get a load delivered. It didn't have to be in my yard even. I was always running around in the tiny patch of woods next door, building little forts and stuff like that. I was outside a lot. I rode my bike and roller skated some, but mostly prefered to run. Oh yeah, and climb trees, I was always going up trees.
If I was inside, I was either reading or playing with my model horses.