Audience of One

Like most rivers, this one is red and made of chairs

Today the nine to eleven year olds at my church (the Trekkers, as they are known) started a series on Joshua, which included various visual aids relating to the Israelites in the desert and the entry into the promised land. There were two particular games that were loosely linked to the theme, but what interested me most about them were the clear differences between the boys and the girls. Actually, let me clarify. It wasn’t interesting that there was a difference, the interesting bit was what the difference was.

We split the Trekkers into boys and girls. The first game involved picking up a load of “camping equipment” (a blanket, a cricket bat, a broom, a pair of boxer shorts, a foam football, a table tennis ball, a pair of walking boots and socks and an empty milk carton) and, one at a time, carrying it to the other side of the room and then back. The winners were the first to have had every member of the team carry the equipment one way (to the end of the room or back). Now the girls wrapped everything in the blanket and used it as a bag, whereas the boys ran as fast as they could, pushing as much as possible with the broom. Eventually, as the girls were about to win, the boys noticed the bag method and copied.

It was the same later, when the task was to make a tent out of the equipment (with the addition of some chairs). The girls immediately stuck the broom up in the middle of four chairs, draped the blanket over the chairs and the broom and tied the blanket to the chairs to keep it there. The boys spent five minutes trying to get the blanket to stay on the chairs, before they noticed the girls’ broom and knots, and copied them. Again, the girls won.

So, what point can I draw from this? Well, I felt it would be far too close-minded to force a point on you, so I’ll allow you to choose your own.

• Boys are better than girls
• Girls are more natural team players than boys
• If at first you don’t succeed, cheat
• Visual aids involving children inevitably turn into gender wars
• Insert yours here

Currently listening to Led Zeppelin – The Battle of Evermore

Matthew @ 14:15, January 8, 2006 to Diary | Comments (9)