Things that taught you as a child

[fizzy]

I have often been called a mine of useless information. It has finally come in very useful with our pallet shipping business. The only time I had to revert to Google was when we were asked to ship a Stephenson screen. I had no idea what it was! Turned out to be the white slatted beehive type things you see on a weather station!

The treat about the ship's telegraph prompted me to think where did I learn all this stuff. I never really had a father around to teach me anything.

As a child I was lucky enough to travel which helped a lot but I was always reading books.

The books I think that taught me so much as a kid are the following. I think they should be essential for today's kids.

Tintin books - people think of them as just kids books but re reading them as an adult it is incredible how much info there is in there. I knew all about ship's telegraphs from Captain Haddock!
In Destination moon they described a nuclear powered rocket. How it accelerates at a constant 1g and you only become weightless during the turning operation. All the physics is spot on!

Willard Price - adventure series
These books are about 2 boys who's father runs a wildlife outfit capturing animals for zoos. A rather controversial subject now I am older but so fascinating. Taught me all about animals of course - as well as deep sea diving and so much more.

Biggles books
Still read them even now - obviously loads of info about aircraft but also so many other subjects.

Just wondering what other people found as an inspiration during their early childhood.

 

[rtbcomp]

Toys - Meccano, Bayko, Tap-Tap, Bild-It, Hornby Dublo taught me a bit about electrical circuits, Airfix.

Dad gave me free reign with his tools even as a toddler, learned a bit about first aid too

 

[fizzy]

Toys - Meccano, Bayko, Tap-Tap, Bild-It, Hornby Dublo taught me a bit about electrical circuits, Airfix.

Dad gave me free reign with his tools even as a toddler, learned a bit about first aid too

Of course - forgot about all those - my mother and gran made sure we never went without. Always used to have chemistry sets and other scientific toys etc.

 

[wristpin]

I'm so pleased to see my 9 year old Granddaughter often has her nose in a book. I was brought up in the country on a farm. I was often left to amuse myself with a hammer and nails etc and learnt a lot from an Uncle who had built a steam railway and "knew a lot about electricity etc".
Whereas she has lived in east London all her life but has travelled a lot. In fact she has seen far more of the world than I have . However at her age I enjoyed the Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazon books and when I saw a complete set for sale I asked her parents whether it would be ok to give them to her and got the answer that they "would not have much relevance to her". Bit my tongue but thought "as much relevance as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings maybe?".

 

[Cobbler]

Bayko, just triggered my memory, I had one of their building sets. Only thinking the other day, what was it called.

 

[Maker]

Meccano

That and Lego Technic were (Well, still are) my favourites.

 

[wristpin]

Toys - Meccano, Bayko, Tap-Tap, Bild-It, Hornby Dublo taught me a bit about electrical circuits, Airfix.

Dad gave me free reign with his tools even as a toddler, learned a bit about first aid too

Most of those plus Brickplayer - miniature clay bricks that one glued together with cold water paste inserting door and window frames. When fed up with one building , dropped the whole edifice in a tub of warm water, cleaned up the bricks and started again!
How else would a ten year old know about half bats, quoins and queen closers etc ?
Never forgotten.

 

[tflnemesis]

I absorbed sci fi novels like water, isaac asimov, robert heinlein etc etc, peaked my interest in what science and engineering can do. Caused me to love Physics at school one of my best subjects and i like being a know it all

 

[fizzy]

Most of those plus Brickplayer - miniature clay bricks that one glued together with cold water paste inserting door and window frames. When fed up with one building , dropped the whole edifice in a tub of warm water, cleaned up the bricks and started again!
How else would a ten year old know about half bats, quoins and queen closers etc ?
Never forgotten.

I had castle master - rubber moulds that you made bricks from to build a castle. A church was the biggest thing I built!

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Mechano lego lego technics
A shed full of tools growing up on a farm with access to all sorts of dangerous things a thirst for reading amd plenty of books along the lines of hows it made. Spending more time in public library than school our education system sucks

 

[fizzy]

I absorbed sci fi novels like water, isaac asimov, robert heinlein etc etc, peaked my interest in what science and engineering can do. Caused me to love Physics at school one of my best subjects and i like being a know it all

Funnily enough I wasn't into sci fi so much - and yet I my degree was physics based!
I did like Arthur C Clarke and Dr Who! Anything to do with time travel.

 

[rtbcomp]

I never had Bricklayer, though one of my friends did. He had a chemistry set too which I never had.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I'm so pleased to see my 9 year old Granddaughter often has her nose in a book. I was brought up in the country on a farm. I was often left to amuse myself with a hammer and nails etc and learnt a lot from an Uncle who had built a steam railway and "knew a lot about electricity etc".
Whereas she has lived in east London all her life but has travelled a lot. In fact she has seen far more of the world than I have . However at her age I enjoyed the Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazon books and when I saw a complete set for sale I asked her parents whether it would be ok to give them to her and got the answer that they "would not have much relevance to her". Bit my tongue but thought "as much relevance as Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings maybe?".

Swallow s and amazons was recently released as a film did an excellent job of it

 

[fizzy]

I never had Bricklayer, though one of my friends did. He had a chemistry set too which I never had.

I used to get a bit carried away with chemistry - my best subject. I was actually taken by a policeman and the headmaster around every chemists shop in the area and they were told "Don't serve this boy any chemicals"! These days it would have been Guantanamo Bay! Fun is officially banned now!

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I made a 3 storey zip line and firemans pole aged about ten utalising the scaffolding errected as a timber store mum would have had a fit if she had seen it. Dont mention abseiling down to her whatever you do

 

[Maker]

Fun is officially banned now!

Are you sure? You can buy everything online now, my brother and I made "Rocket candy" a few months ago.

 

[Cobbler]

I made a 3 storey zip line and firemans pole aged about ten utalising the scaffolding errected as a timber store mum would have had a fit if she had seen it. Dont mention abseiling down to her whatever you do

I made a zip wire as well, aged about the same. Looking back it was probably really tame, but at the time I thought it was great.

 

[tflnemesis]

This pretty much sums up me growing up (I always take the scientist route ).

Original comic site here: https://xkcd.com/

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I made a zip wire as well, aged about the same. Looking back it was probably really tame, but at the time I thought it was great.

I only went down once before taking it apart. :/ Woudnt classify it tame dangerous possibly. suicidal closer to the mark. Farm my old man worked in wasnt worked chap used to auction liquidated stock so there was a steady supply of interesting stuff passing through including cherry pickers a and diggers all good fun as a lad

 

[Olderisbetter]

When i was five i learned that if spray cans are kept on a high shelf there must be a reason, Also i learned the nozzle should always point away from you or when you press it the black spray paint goes into your eye, My dad got an ear bending as he was supposed to be watching me