Went to Coney Island on Thursday.

[conuly]

Because it was the random day off that we get in June. Why they don't give kids that day off at the end of the year and make it one day shorter, I don't know. Two days shorter, I think we've got another one coming up.

It turned out to be perfect. The sand wasn't too hot to walk on, the water (to my surprise!) wasn't too cold to wade in, and while the beach wasn't empty it wasn't crowded either.

We went with Su and Deniz, and I insisted nobody go in past their knees at all. With four children I wasn't about to let them go an inch further. No bathing suits - silly me, I thought that'd encourage them to listen to the rules! - so their clothes got totally soaked and sandy. Well, it was a warm enough and sunny enough day, it all was bound to dry off.

Went to Luna Park after the beach part and the kids went on every single ride, and the splash-y ride over and over again. There were a few school groups there (private schools) but not enough for any real lines - perfect! They did NOT get to go on the Cyclone, because their wristbands don't cover that. Next year. Ana insists she's scared to go on it. I say that any child who is willing to go, in defiance of all common sense, in a machine that repeatedly flips you upside down while 20+ feet in the air should be perfectly fine on a wooden roller coaster. But we'll see. (Outside the plane ride, the one that goes upside down, I heard two teens discussing how scared they were to go on it. I felt like pointing out that my six year old niece wasn't scared at all... but I wouldn't've been scared to do it at six and you couldn't PAY me to go up there now! So it doesn't work the way you think it ought to. Seriously, Eva just barely meets 48 inches. I kept expecting them to throw her out of these rides, but they never did.)

LOL, I remember the first time *I* went on the Cyclone. It was my very first roller coaster, and I managed to get in the first seat. My dad was with me. We went up and up that very first hill, and as we approached the top it occurred to me to turn around and ask him how we were expected to get down! Boy, was I ever surprised! Every kid in the city ought to go on that one at least once before they're grown.

Comments

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

The very first time I went on a roller coaster, I got whiplash. It was just a tiny kiddy roller-coaster at the local J.C. Penney's, too, not even a carnival-sized one, but it started with a JERK that snapped my head all the way back and caused me a lot of pain - for which I was reprimanded, because one is supposed to be Perfectly Fine on a tiny kiddy roller-coaster. After a half-century of neck problems, I can state that just because one is spoze to be, doesn't mean one really is.

I'll ride anything that spins. Going upside down is okay if it happens along with enough spin to generate good centrifugal force; otherwise it hurts. Roller coasters are okay if they're the smooth fast kind; I don't like the rattle-and-jolt effect. I want a restraint-system I can rely on, not just some dinky lap-bar - I was a skinny kid, and had to hang on for my life in several rides where I was slipping out of the totally inadequate restraints - the Zipper was the worst, as I recall.

"No bathing suits" invariably induces adventurous children to either swim in their clothes or get nakey, depending on the child and the terrain... I expect Coney Island is less conducive to spontaneous sky-clad than many places, and also your girlies seem to be better-behaved than many kids I can think of, including myself as a child. So hey, sandy and wet - water dries, sand brushes off, no harm, no foul.

What is so rare as a random day in June? (In places lucky enough to have proper June, I mean.) Glad you guys had such a lovely time!

[conuly]

Well, her story is "I'm scared of heights" which simply doesn't jive with the way she was going on the highest rides she could find.

If she really doesn't want to next year, we won't force her on. Waste of money!

Roller coasters are okay if they're the smooth fast kind; I don't like the rattle-and-jolt effect

So I'm thinking no to wooden roller coasters like the Cyclone?

So hey, sandy and wet - water dries, sand brushes off, no harm, no foul.

Four kids with sensitive skin, sand makes them rashy. Poor Su had to take off her pants entirely. Her tunic was just a LITTLE short for that, so I put her in Ana's shorts. The tunic covered the shorts, which I hated, but at least *I* knew she was decent. Anyway, the shorts had holes in them, so no great loss there.

The very first time I went on a roller coaster, I got whiplash. It was just a tiny kiddy roller-coaster at the local J.C. Penney's, too, not even a carnival-sized one, but it started with a JERK that snapped my head all the way back and caused me a lot of pain - for which I was reprimanded, because one is supposed to be Perfectly Fine on a tiny kiddy roller-coaster. After a half-century of neck problems, I can state that just because one is spoze to be, doesn't mean one really is.

*hugs*

Kiddy rides can be made awfully badly, I've noticed.

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

Why they don't give kids that day off at the end of the year and make it one day shorter, I don't know.

They're emergency days, probably. The idea is that you get that day off if there's no emergency, but if, say, school had been cancelled due to a snowstorm or flood or terrorist attack, the non-attendance day would be rescheduled as a regular school day to make up for the missed time. Most school systems have a safety factor of about four to ten days built into their calendar.

[conuly]

So... why not give them at the end of the year entirely? And if there's no snowstorm we get off a day early?

[diatryma.livejournal.com]

My school district when I was a kid did the makeup day thing, where a snow day was tacked onto the end of the year. The district where I currently work has two or three days in the spring to make them up. I much prefer the latter-- not only is everyone tired and very appreciative of the long weekend, it doesn't mess up anyone's large-scale summer schedules or graduations if there's school that day.

But I'm in favor of more small breaks during the year, especially during the spring. Spring semester in college was incredibly long because there was only spring break; fall semester had three long weekends in.

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

I think it's because people really, really want to know when they can start scheduling their summer vacations.

What little I know of human psychology tells me that if there were suddenly five "free" days at the end of summer, people would get angry because they could have scheduled their reservations/plane tickets/whatever for five days sooner, and they'd be pissed off at the school board because of those five "wasted" days, whereas having them spread out like this diminishes the impact, and most people probably don't even really notice what's going on.

I mean, you and I understand that there would be no practical difference, but scheduling them for in-school time probably saves a lot of frustration and nasty letters and phone calls.