Sunday, June 21st, was the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. I have decided to take a break from museum talk and dedicate a post to my favorite place – the beach.
When Zoe was 7 months old (about 5 ½ years ago) we spent a month in Boca Raton, trying to figure out if we should move to Florida (for different reasons we have decided not to). We went to the beach almost every day; it was Zoe’s first encounter with the sand and with the bright reflective sunlight. She didn’t like it a bit.
Both Oren and I were horrified with the possibility that our own daughter will not like the beach. You see, we both grew up by the sea, spending weekends, holidays and casual afternoons immersing ourselves in the warm sand, cooling down catching waves. The thought of our daughter not liking the beach was not an option, or as Oren says “it was an option but a really bad one”. It didn’t take much longer for Zoe to understand that spending time at the beach is essential for her development and her mom’s sanity. My cyber friend Emily (I know you are smiling Amy) writes a must read blog called “child perspective” in one of her recent posts she talks about the sensory sensation in playing with sand, I wish I read it 5 years ago.
The way we experience the beach changes from person to person and between the different ages.
For children the sea is a source of limitless imagination:
The send and water are the raw materials of castles and fortresses
The shovel is the tool for digging and creating a complex tunnel system to be destroyed by high tides and little feet
Small hands transforming figures by sculpting them with mounts of sand, turning them into mermaids, giants etc.
Shells turned into necklaces
Rocks piled into walls
Discards rediscovered as treasure drawn from the sea
Etc.
Grown-ups use the beach in different ways:
Some people (like my husband) cannot sit or lie down at the beach, they must be active in some sort of sport such as surfing, kite boarding, playing soccer, Frisbee, etc. while others (like me) find the beach to be the perfect place to do NOTHING. For these kinds of people the best position is to recline with a great book which also blocks the sun in their eyes. And some find the beach as the perfect place to socialize (say no more).
Than…if we are lucky enough, we get to have kids and experience the beach like children all over again.
What is your beach experience?
2 great picture books about 2 different beach experiences you should read
