Comments on: On Childhood Friends and Sisters

By: A.P.P.

A.P.P. — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:04:49 +0000

I loved the earth ball, but I was also worried about it running over me… followed by a stampede of 30 other kids!

By: Anastasia

Anastasia — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:47:27 +0000

Jessica, you’re so right! The “earth ball” was so crazy!! I don’t know, however, if it is as widely used as the parachute.

By: Teva

Teva — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:41:41 +0000

Jamie’s costume is AWESOME

By: Jessica Bachman

Jessica Bachman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:19:51 +0000

The parachute was nice, but the giant globe ball that you pushed up and down the field with 30 other kids was better.

By: Anastasia

Anastasia — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:26:03 +0000

Welcome D, how funny that the gym class parachute was born between your two children! Luckily the braces “incident” hasn’t tarnished my excitement for the parachute. I still smile whenever I see one (much like your second child, it seems). I hope hula hoops are still happy for her!

And hello Joanna, welcome to The Sister Project! Glad to see you’re a lover of the parachute as well. I think the photos above were taken in Japan–so the gym class parachute must be a cross-cultural adoration!

By: joanna goddard

joanna goddard — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:04:48 +0000

oh i LOVED that awesome parachute thing. we used to do that too.

By: D Wilson

D Wilson — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:34:26 +0000

That parachute thingie is a generational marker. My son (born in ’79) doesn’t recall ever having that in PE while my daughter, (born in ’83) has an instant warm reaction whenever she sees one on TV or in a photo.

As to your orthodontic mishap, my daughter was bonked so hard on the nose with a hoola hoop at a “summer fun camp” she had to sit out the rest of the morning with an ice pack. The swelling/bruising was spectacularly awful looking and lasted for weeks. Summer fun indeed!

By: E

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:01:19 +0000

I don’t have a good story about it, but I hadn’t thought about it in more than ten years and i just remembered how much I loved creating a bubble tent with it.

By: Anastasia

Anastasia — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:48:30 +0000

Once in 6th grade while we were playing with this parachute-like thing, the kid standing next to me got his hand in my mouth through the fabric during a scramble to get underneath the parachute. His nails caught my braces and it pulled the wire on my top teeth out half-way. It hurt like crazy and I had this huge wire dangling out of my mouth. I looked like a total freak. I got to leave school for an emergency orthodontist appointment, but I was so embarrassed! (Kate, I know you’ve heard that story, but I thought I’d share it with the rest of the readership).

Does anyone else have a good gym class parachute story?

By: kcs

kcs — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:32:27 +0000

I was always quite a fan of the colorful parachute. Just the other day I was asking a friend (who studied PE in college) what exactly was the purpose behind throwing it up in the air, watching it fall and occasionally creating a “tent” by sitting underneath it… Good times.