Boat-building (even very simple home-made boats) is big work for little boys. Heck, it’s big work for big boys, too, and this big boy and girl already have rigs. One of these rigs is particularly well-suited to habitats where we wouldn’t be able to take a canoe: the longboard. The past couple of weekends the kids have been getting acclimated to the cold Pacific surfline, the kelp forests and the occasional cleansing wipeout. So far, no downers but after taking this picture we decided to outfit the kids with life jackets in the surf, just like we would on a real boat, handmade or otherwise.
Ford and Chas unanimously agreed, after their first wave, that it “FEELS LIKE I’M A ROCKET GOING THROUGH A TIME PORTAL!” so I think the initiation is going surprisingly well.
We figure that if we get them hooked on surfing as a lifetime hobby (if they are lucky to live near the coast), they will always keep a deep respect for the ocean and all of its parts and populants. Sometimes you have to immerse yourself in a place to really comprehend it, and the ocean, which can look beautiful in pictures, doesn’t lie to your face. You don’t just see it, you experience it when the ocean is happy or sick.
and follow the adventure:
What a lovely holistic way to think about surfing and experiential learning.
[...] get the kids on surfboards [...]