5 Wild Ways Kids Had Fun in Maine Before Smartphones

As a kid growing up in South Paris, Maine, and living on a street with a dozen other kids, there were no smartphones to keep us occupied. We were outside every chance we got. Fall, winter, spring, and summer, outdoors was where it was at.

I'm not trying to be "grumpy old man" here, but I have to be honest. Things were different back in my day, and we liked it!

Here are five ways kids had fun in Maine before smartphones.

1. We Went Outdoors to Play

Like I said, we did everything outdoors in the 1970s and 1980s. Wiffleball was one of our favorite games to play, and we turned those wiffle ball games into real baseball in Little League when we got older.

2. Kick The Can

Kick the Can was like tag on steroids. There's a home base where you place a used can. One person is the seeker, and the others hide trying not to be found by the seeker. If they are found, both race back to the can and try to be the first to get to the can. If they do, the hider is in jail on the front steps as the seeker goes hunting for more. If the hider gets to the can, they kick it, freeing everyone in the jail to go hide again. This was by far the most fun thing we did outdoors.

3. Sledding

Behind our house, there was what we called "The Big Hill," which was perfect for sledding in the winter.

There used to be a factory across the street from this hill that just so happened to manufacture sleds. We were lucky enough to test out some new sleds they had made, and we knew that we were the experts.

4. Running Through the Sprinkler

When summer came around, there were no pools on our street to beat the heat until we were much older. So we spent hours running through the sprinkler. It was pure fun.

5. Atari

When the Atari Video Computer System came out in 1977, nearly every kid on our street got one for Christmas. We were hooked and played Atari games for hours upon hours. Slowly but surely, we didn't play outside as much once we got this.