What's that Croc doing in my beautiful shot? Just kidding, where there's a kid, there's a Croc
When was the last time you played darts? Don't worry, I couldn't remember either, but I did remember that hitting the bullseye was a buzz, so I thought we'd recreate the pub version outdoors.
I don't know whether it's because I didn't make it to Glastonbury this year, or whether it's because I'm reading Iron John or whether it's because the entire planet is watching Game of Thrones, but for some reason stone circles have been on my mind, so the other day we made a target using stones we found under my parents' porch. The kids, in their excitement, tried to carry more than they physically could and ended up dropping quite a few en route - some on their knees - but it didn't deter them one bit.
As there were plenty dotted about the garden, the kids used fir cones as darts (pointy and aerodynamic) and to finish it off, the finger paint came out to create the scores. Always a belter, as it pretty much goes everywhere but the desired spot, but mercifully it washes off really easily.
Our circles looked nothing like Stonehenge, nor like anything Obelix would have been proud of, but it did create a Zen-like sense of peace in the garden. For at least an hour.
What you need:
- Stones
- Paper and paint to create a number target
- Fir cones or other aerodynamic shaped objects to throw into the circle
Top tip: It's probably best - if the rocks are on the larger side - to get the kids to carry them one by one.
Top quote: "And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything." William Shakespeare
"Can I do the numbers? Can I do the numbers???" Drawing a number is just so much more fun when you can get dirty doing it... Who cares if the second zero doesn't fit on? It's bullseye!
Look at the concentration on that little face. Shall we just say, it got quite competitive between us all to the point where we were optimising cones to fly harder, stronger, more stream-lined.
The artist Ugo Rondinone, set up the installation "Human Nature" outside the Rockefeller Centre in 2013. I know only Obelix could carry rocks that big, but I thought it was good inspiration.
Some of Ugo's stone people in a gallery setting. Who says you need to play darts? Make people, touch stones...
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