It’s a little word, fun; a throw-away cheapened by advertisers everywhere. But there really is no substitute, no other word that so completely encapsulates something that is entirely not boring, work, routine or a chore; fun is escape from all of that.
I am married to the world’s biggest kid (as any of our students being tutored by him will readily give evidence of), and although his grey hairs (distinguished silver I keep telling him!) attest to his middle-years, he resolutely refuses to grow up. He still finds pleasure in the most ridiculous un-grownup things, like visual humour (slipping on a banana peel gets him every time), remote control helicopters (which he insists on trying to land on my head!) and inline skating with his equally nutty brother around (the other) 12 year olds at a child’s roller skating birthday party!
But I love him for his nuttiness, the ease with which he can access that 12 year old inside him that can still be filled with wonder at something new. And his madness is infectious; although I pretend to the world that I am a serious grownup, complete with my own business, employees and a tax return, having a ‘boy’ husband gives me license to dance around the house like a loon, have chocolate for breakfast and laugh at silly things until I snort.
Who says we need to grow up? Apart from the expectations of society, colleagues, friends and family, what law is in place that forces us to abandon childishness when we leave childhood? If there was such a law, no children’s books would be written, no children’s TV produced. And let’s be honest, ‘extreme sports’?  Surely they are just an excuse to muck about like kids again.
The reason I bring this all up is the link below, which features a month of dinosaur madness created by a husband and wife for their children. In an age of endless digital diversion, it is a very welcome breath of innocent wonder. Watch it, learn from it, and find some way to add a bit of simple joy to the lives of your kids; or friends, or colleagues, or family; basically, anyone that needs a big dose of ‘stop taking yourself so seriously and laugh a little’.
https://medium.com/thoughts-on-creativity/6f4cb1886d41
Hmmm, I really should link this back to my business as that is after all theoretically why I write these things, even though I do sometimes go off on tangents. I guess Mark and I kind of naturally build fun in to the way we work. We know the kids are with us to learn, to improve themselves and achieve their potential, and this is of course our primary focus, but does it have to be an overly serious and dry activity?
We don’t think so. We honestly believe that kids learn best when they are allowed to be themselves, when they are allowed to have a bit of (whisper it) fun! Fractions, grammar, algebra, serious topics that demand close attention to concept, process and fact, but we can ‘weave’ a bit of fun into the process. We stand by our results, which (excuse me while I pat my own back), are consistently good, and yet our sessions are full of smiling, happy, sometimes noisy, kids, who are getting on with the process of learning, but having fun doing it.
If you are reading this with a mountain of washing waiting, dinner to prepare, work that has stacked up and needs to be tackled over a precious weekend, then you, and probably your kids, need a ‘fun’ break. Read the link again, see if any mad ideas form in your head, then grab the maddest one and bring it to life. What’s the worst that can happen; a laugh, maybe two? Remember, we only get one life, so fill it with as many giggles as possible. You won’t regret it!