Dirt Mountain

As a child, I played outside every day. Many children lived in our neighborhood. Each non-school day after breakfast, we would gather and find something to do. We would ride bikes, play sports, and engage in imaginative play. We also searched for bugs, played at the nearby school, and made things out of found materials. Our time together was pure play with no adults to influence our choices.

A few blocks away from our neighborhood were two vacant lots. One lot contained grass year-round. Depending on the season, the grass was short or tall. In the middle of this lot was a trail worn by people taking shortcuts to the nearby convenience store. As kids, we would walk across the grass lot on our way to return found bottles, collect the deposit money, and buy candy.

Across the street was another lot that was much bigger than the grass lot. The second lot transformed into a Pumpkin Patch or Christmas Tree lot in the fall and winter. The rest of the year, the lot was a flat dirt space filled with rocks and litter. Occasionally, we would ride our bikes in this lot and build small dirt ramps to jump our bikes over. One year, we made a motocross track in the dirt lot and raced each other for weeks until we became bored.

Then one Spring Day, trucks started dumping fresh dirt on the big lot from a nearby construction site. Multiple trucks left dirt on the lot, and two giant mountains formed. We could not resist the opportunity to play on the site. At first, we explored the dirt mountains by climbing them. The dirt was firm but moved as we walked up the sloped surface. After much crawling and working our way up through the soil, we arrived at the top. It was a fantastic experience to look down over the street below. We felt like we had conquered a real mountain.

After a few minutes on top of the dirt mountain, our group decided to head down and ride our bikes. On the ride home, someone suggested that we find cardboard and try to slide down the dirt mountain. We decided to gather the next day after school, find cardboard, and ride dirt mountain.

At school, we talked about our plan. One group member suggested we go to the convenience store and ask for cardboard since they kept a stockpile in a locked recycle bin. After school, we walked to the store and asked the owner if we could get some cardboard. Nope, the owner was saving it to sell. Another option for cardboard was a large home center a few blocks away. Determined, we walked to the home center and asked if they had any cardboard. A staff member said there was cardboard behind the store, and we could take whatever we wanted.

We walked behind the store and discovered a large cardboard pile. We grabbed two refrigerator boxes because of their unique size and shape. It took us an hour to drag the giant boxes home, and it sapped our energy. Our group decided to play in our neighborhood for the rest of the day and to visit dirt mountain the following day.

The next day, we gathered in my backyard to cut the boxes into sleds after school. I found a box cutter in the garage, and we fashioned several large sleds from the refrigerator boxes. Next, we grabbed our sleds and walked toward dirt mountain.

Once we arrived at dirt mountain, the fun began. We all took turns climbing up and sliding down the hill. I don't remember if we moved fast or slow as we rode cardboard down the dirt surface, but it was fun to spend an afternoon with friends. After one hour, it was time to go home for dinner. We gathered all the cardboard sleds and walked back home. We visited dirt mountain for a few weeks. Then one afternoon, the dirt was gone leaving the vacant lot flat and full of rocks.

Our group of friends moved on to different adventures, but we still occasionally played at the big dirt lot. We made a new motocross track and raced our bikes. A few years later, the shopping center expanded and used up all the space where the big dirt lot existed. Our adventures continued, but we had to find new areas to explore.

What did I learn by reflecting on the Dirt Mountain experience?

As children, we had the opportunity to engage in extended free play with others in the neighborhood. We had access to space, time, and materials to support our play.  

We learned to use tools. My parents had a workbench in our garage with a selection of hand tools. Part of the creative experience is learning about tools and how to use them, which enhances motor and problem-solving skills.

As children, we were outside most of the time. Our parents encouraged us to go out and make friends. We played outside in all types of weather. We all had bikes, skates, or skateboards to move around. At times boredom set in and invited us to be creative in our search for things to do. Our creative brainstorms sparked our most incredible adventures.

As children, we enjoyed solving creative challenges. Each child learned from the other. Children of different ages worked together. It was up to us as individuals or groups if we wanted to make something. We had to find (recycled materials) or buy the materials for our projects. To purchase something, we had to earn money. Working together, we had to figure out how to manipulate the materials to create our ideas. Children shared materials, and the product was something we enjoyed playing with together. Our creative collaborations fueled much of our play.

Our parents trusted our choices. They encouraged us to experiment and explore the world around us. I am sure they worried about us, but circumstances invited them to teach us and then let go. We shared our adventures with our parents every evening at dinner. Sharing our experiences was our parent's opportunity to give us guidance for the next day. Our parents worked with us as partners in learning.