Hobbies And Interests
Obstacle Course
Part of the fun of skateboarding lies in the ability to maneuver the skateboard effectively. Kids have fun navigating an obstacle course designed specifically for skateboarders. Use relatively soft and extremely silly objects for your obstacles, such as rolls of toilet paper and stuffed elephants, and place them in your yard at varying distances. Have the kids navigate around each obstacle without falling off their skateboards or colliding with the objects. In order to avoid possible injury, only one child at a time should run the course; the other kids stand on the sidelines and cheer. An adult or one of the other children times each racer with a stopwatch. The winner of the race chooses one of the obstacles for a prize.
Follow the Skater
"Follow the Skater" puts a modern twist on the familiar "Follow the Leader," and the difficulty of the game is directly determined by the child chosen to be the leader. More advanced skaters lead the other children to jump over planters or grind on porch stairs, while less experienced skaters lead the kids around the garage and between the car and the house. The leader challenges the children who follow, and when a follower can't follow--in other words, when the follower can't do what the leader does--the child is "out" until the next round. The last child remaining with the leader becomes the next leader, and a new round of play begins.
Skills Competition
Skateboarding is as much about the tricks as it is about the transportation. Kids spend hours practicing "ollies," "kick flips," "heel flips," "hard flips" and "grinding," and sometime as many hours picking themselves off the ground when unsuccessful. Once they master the skills, skaters like nothing more than showing off their hard-won abilities. Thus, a skills competition is sure to keep your skateboarders entertained. Before beginning, make a list of tricks to be performed, and along the top of the paper, write each kid's name. (Also use chalk on the driveway.) Begin the competition with the simplest skill--a basic ollie, for example--and progress to increasingly more difficult skills. After each child attempts the challenge, place a check mark on the chart if he is successful. (Consider giving each contestant three tries for each skill.) At the end, tally the check marks to find out who is the new local skateboarding champion.