Child’s Play: This Dad’s Perspective
March 15, 2019
Father and Bangkok resident, Greg Boudah shares a few unusual children's activities which have proven to be both fun and rewarding.By Greg Boudah / Photos courtesy of authorIn a city as vast, wide and bustling as Bangkok, we expats parents are spoiled with an amazing, often unique choice of kid-friendly activities to choose from. School events, sport club memberships, shopping mall fun centers, city parks, farmer’s markets, gravity-defying rooftop water parks (these are crazy right?), music lessons and condo swimming pools keep us and our kiddos happily engaged and away from the omnipresent screens. These more common activities are fun and have splashed many semi-toothy smiles across my son’s face since he was old enough to explore the city with me. My family and I love this town. And it is my privilege to share a few atypical activities which have proven to be fun, rewarding, and possibly sparked a creative interest in my now eight-year-old son, Quiller. 
Outdoor activities
Vegetable garden
Starting outside, a very fun, inexpensive and rewarding multi-year project Quiller and I work on together is a lovely little vegetable garden. Regardless if you’re living in a condo or a moobahn, you and your kids can grow – grow – grow.Take my word for it, the trick with a start-up vegetable garden is to keep it simple. Over several Sunday mornings, we made the time to prepare a couple of meters of soil, built a grow bed, planted local and imported fast growing seeds such as radish, sunflower, pumpkin, cucumber, strawberry, corn, carrot and copious amounts of various lettuces. The veggies will grow quickly and you’ll have an absolute blast “farming” together. Over the years, he’s gotten dirty, involved and gained valuable experience working with tools. We laughed a lot and of course, we sweat a little. Even after fighting off a regular onslaught of aphids, he expressed a real sense of accomplishment at harvest when ate his own homegrown veggies. The out-of-pocket project cost was minimal yet quality time with my then 3-year-old was priceless.Camping
Sticking with the outdoors, there is something wonderful (and necessary) about sleeping under the stars. I recommend taking a few weekends every year to experience camping in the mountains. Since Quiller was about 5, he and I have done our best to take full advantage of Thailand’s’ natural beauty by exploring our nearest national park Khao Yai. Max out your weekend by bringing your tent, a small barbeque, canned food, bedding and backpack full of hiking gear. Spend a day hiking trails, exploring vegetation, land formations, spotting animals, orienteering and just chatting. On our trips we’ve shared space with a wild porcupine, deer, beautiful birds, fish and more monkeys then I can count. Each observation generates an interest and quality conversation. The air up there is considerably cleaner as well.Axe throwing and archery
Kids love using their muscles, experimenting and learning new practical skills. So when the outdoors is under rain clouds, the heat is unbearable or you’re just feeling like a challenge, I recommend exploring axe throwing and archery. Choose these sports wisely, a little bit of maturity and emotional control is necessary; however, this is a good opportunity for kids to practice what we preach and show us how safety minded and responsible they can be. When it comes to throwing an axe (more like a hatchet), most of us Bangkokians are beginners. Therefore, the shame of completely missing your target is pretty low. Spending a half day slinging axes into a wooden target at The Golden Axe is far more entertaining, rewarding and difficult then you might imagine. If you and your kiddo(s) take the challenge to learning archery, I recommend Archery Thai. Once there you’ll find that there are quite a few kids of all ages and skill levels truly enjoying this sport. You and your family will be rewarded by the little ones gaining a higher level of discipline and concentration. The wide-eyed confident look on my son’s face after he nails a bullseye at the range or splits a log with a hatchet is as hilarious as it is priceless. On the surface, both sports may sound dangerous. However, both businesses are well organized with legitimate safety precautions in place. You’ll be happy you and your kiddo give these sports a try.
Indoor activities
Stop-motion videos
Finally, if you’re stuck indoors and can’t muster the courage to venture outside, creating a series of stop motion videos is a great way to tap into your kid’s creativity and bring their favorite toys to life. If you own a smartphone, the first thing your kiddos might want to do is watch a few existing stop motion videos with you. Showing the kids, a sample video will help them get a better grasp of what we mean by stop motion. Next, while your little one creates a storyboard, you’ll need to download any free stop motion application, build a set, cast the characters (Lego, stuffies, Ben 10) and let the cameras roll. Pro tip: use your old school wired headphone to snap the pictures vs. using the touch screen. Check my Instagram stories feed @gingerwiskers to see a few of our videos. Have fun, everyone, and if you’re a dad, consider joining and posting your activities to our Facebook group: BKK Dads HQ. As a member of this community, you’ll have access to a wide network of local dads who want to share knowledge and add value to our community. Best of luck out there!About the Author
Greg Boudah and his family have called Bangkok home since 2006. Together, he and his wife Emma own and operate a fine jewelry factory called Spokes Jewelry Services where they create custom fine jewelry and source the finest gemstones for local private clients and red carpet western jewelry brands. Spokes Jewelry Services was recently honored by the American Embassy Bangkok with a rare Gold Star Award for its contribution to the expatriate community as well as the people of Thailand. Greg and Emma can be reached at info@spokesjewelry.com.The views expressed in the articles in this magazine are not necessarily those of BAMBI committee members and we assume no responsibility for them or their effects.BAMBI News welcomes volunteer contributors to our magazine. Please contact editor@bambiweb.org.