Something New Under The Sun

When was the last time you invented something new under the sun? If you're a child with the time and space to play according to your own passions it was probably today.

This girl found a chunk of sidewalk chalk amidst the wood chips that carpet our outdoor space. After drawing on the walls of our new play house for a time, she made her way through the sandpit where she discovered a section of some old mesh shelving.

Normally, we use the shelving sections for sitting on as a way to speed ourselves up, and protect the seats of our clothing, when we launch ourselves down the concrete slide, an invention from a year ago.

She tested the chalk out on the mesh surface, an experiment that resulted in a fine grind of orange powder. This all by itself was something new under the sun, but there was more.

Carrying her invention to the top of the hill, she found a spot alongside a length of gutter that other children had positioned to carry the water that cascaded from the cast iron pump, and as the water passed, she grated her chalk into the flow.

Her friends shouted, "Orange water! Orange water!" our version of Eureka! by proxy. Every day, when we play, we invent something new under the sun.

I put a lot of time and effort into this blog. If you'd like to support me please consider a small contribution to the cause. Thank you!

-->