Series: Growing up in the 90s

Part 3: OUTSIDE ALL DAY
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Football, tag, bikes, roller blades, skateboards, scooters just to name a few of the things that made up 90’s kids leisure activities. Just remember the moto, sun out - fun out. If it was light outside, you would find kids outside playing. We especially loved summers outside. Anything kids could do to stay cool we enjoyed. Sprinklers were common but you can’t forget to mention the squirt gun. The squirt gun owned the 90s. We would even play tag with the squirt gun. (Think of early ideas of the paint ball fields you would find now.) It was a toy that everyone wanted. They wanted the bigger, better ones. They started to make pressurized ones that shot water super far; called the Super Soaker. It is funny to see 1990s Super Soakers sold as “vintage toys” on eBay now. It makes me feel super old. The joke’s on them though that the super soaker is still an awesome toy.

Getting together outside with friends in the 90s was a lot like the movies. BBQs were where we would all gather, eat, and enjoy each other's company. When we got together with friends and families in the 90s you had to call someone's landline to invite them. If you wanted to catch a friend you had to call them when they were home. But honestly you didn't need to call your friends back then, because most likely you would be with them. Everyone went to each other's houses. We were more communal and it was accepted to have friends come over all the time. I think most of us can remember the moment when we invited a friend over for dinner and your mom didn’t know until you both walked in the door after school. Also when you were hanging out with your friends in the 90s they had your full attention. Nowadays kids seem distracted on their phones. It is like you are with someone, but you are not really with them. Your connection is cut off because of the device. The phone holds precedence over who you are with. 

The community pool was a summer standard in the 90s. What can I say about this? The community pool was a nice place to cool off. Your parents would drop you off or stay inside and you were free to go with your friends. Looking back, you never know how many kids were peeing in the pool. Good thing that pools in that time used so much chlorine. The idea of a community pool became popular in the 1930s but it was the 90s that it was at its peak of popularity. If you were a kid, you wanted to spend your summers at the community pool. It was where you could meet up with your friends, swim, and stay in touch over the summer. The community pools seem to still exist but the culture has changed. More people want to visit private or club level pools; or even better, just swim in your own pool. It lost the community aspect of the activity. 

Now that we got the nostalgia happening, what was your favorite outside pass time in the 90s?

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