Seeing the world of a 3 year old.

I saw taking my boys on a bus as one of life's lessons!
Living in the country we had to use the car a lot and of course did lots of walking but I reckoned they needed some 'real world' training so we did 'projects' like going on a bus, on a train, buying your own food in a cafe, knowing what to get in a supermarket of you were hungry, how to use a payphone (and later a mobile phone) and so many other adventures that taught them independence and safety too
Now they are so confident and well travelled (one has been to over 50 countries, lived in 4 abroad and is not phased by anything).
Education takes many forms and learning how to manage yourself and the world is equal to basic curriculum subjects.
We have a cousin who is incredibly clever (Maths Professor) but can't get himself home on a train at the age of 33)
I always wanted to know that my children could take care of themselves and their friends, would know what to do if things went wrong and who to approach and how to get help
The simplest of adventures as small children have set them up for life

My father and then 3 year old son used to have a great adventure nearly every week, they used to travel from our local train station to Birmingham International then get the Maglev train to the Airport to look at the planes from the viewing gallery. My son knew the name of every station on the way and could recognise different planes. My Dad always bought my son a can of fizzy pop at the airport even when told he couldn’t have pop, but 30 years later I forgive him!

Too cute chrisssy!
Our almost 9y has a school swimming lesson today. He can swim as he’s had leisure centre lessons since he was 4y. But today walking to school he’s still loving going with his friends and the teacher ‘on a coach grandma’! Small pleasures when you’re young. Grandchildren help to remind you of that world again don’t they?
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missdeke

My grandson now 10 still calls me bus nanny after I took him on a bus when he was 3, I didn't have a car at the time. Funny how times change, when I was a child it was so exciting to go anywhere in a car....

So true missdeke! Me too. Our family didn’t get a car until I was 10y old.... and then it was a 3 wheel Robin Reliant! So buses everywhere, even to Blackpool on our holidays, dad carrying the suitcases (no wheels on them either in those days).
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When DS was at primary school we didn't live on a bus route so either had to walk or go by car. Our local primary school didn't have a swimming pool so we had a trip there, which involved a bus journey. Most of the children were so excited to go swimming but DS, who had been going since he was 3 months old and it was something we did weekly as a family, was beside himself at the prospect of going on the bus. I was helping the little ones to dry and get dressed and one of the girls, who had never been swimming before, took off her swimsuit and had left her knickers on. Luckily she was wearing trousers.

Plus children sing that sing ‘the wheels on the bus ...’ and as they more often go places by car it’s a real treat to be on a bus. We’ve promised our 4y old granddaughter a bus trip ‘soon’.

Whit half term holidays are coming up. It’ll be all about the journey, not so much the destination! She’s already reminded me twice that I’d said we’d go on one.

Took our 3 grandchildren on the Llangollen steam train from Corwen to Llangollen. So many different sights from the train and so many questions about the train and the carriages. Lunch in town then back again. Brilliant.

When our daughter was 3/4 years old and at playgroup we took all the children to a Wimpy in Aberdeen, (with Mr Wimpy in attendance), by train. The funny thing was that from the playgroup hall we Mums could have driven just 15 minutes and been in the city. Instead, going by train entailed us all driving 20 minutes in the opposite direction to get to a station first, then the 20 minute train journey, and a walk from the station, and of course the same return journey!! So worth it though as everyone of them was so excited to be on a train, (some for the first time), and my daughter still speaks fondly of that day, and she is 36 now!!

GD - 3 later this year.
We were taking care of her one Sunday being in a "bubble " so decided to pop on the local "ferry", basically a fishing boat which traverses the river regularly. Would be her first time on water rather than in it.
All was well, from car to walk to the shore picking up shells etc. along the way.
Boat duly arrived and she dug in her wellies - no way was she getting on . After much coaxing off we went with me reassuring her and pointing out any and everything I thought may interest her. No response.
Eventually she said "Nanny, we swim in water we don't drive on it ".

My grandson now 10 still calls me bus nanny after I took him on a bus when he was 3, I didn't have a car at the time. Funny how times change, when I was a child it was so exciting to go anywhere in a car....

Rose30

I used to try and plan activities for my grandson but now follow his lead.
Last week I took him to the toy area of a charity shop where he spent a good 20 minutes and spent £4 on a Paw Patrol transformer and a cement mixture that he played with for the rest of the afternoon!

My gc love a trip to Ikea, they love going into all the room settings, sitting on the chairs, looking in the drawers, they're entertained for hours! All rounded off with something to eat in the cafeteria!

I remember my SiL taking one of his boys for a bus ride. Such excitement!

My mother hated children asking questions and would never let me talk on a bus. She used to tell me the conductor would throw me off if I started talking. You can see why she only had one child!

This brought back memories of taking our three GCs on a bus for the first time for them all. They were aged from three to five and thought it was a huge adventure. GD wanted to know why the bus kept stopping, and what happended if she were to press the button in front of her (the bell); GS2 saw another bus and shouted excitedly for the driver to overtake it. Great times indeed!

That's adorable. It's easy to forget how magical the ordinary world can be to a small child.

That has reminded me when we did similar with our 3 year old grandson. He was so excited spotting all the tractors, lorries, ambulances and dustcarts. He sang (really loudly)the wheels on the bus to the amusement of the other passengers. We had such a lovely day.

Our Gdcs so rarely go on buses, so it’s exciting for them - especially if they can sit upstairs.

When we next have them to stay (it’s been a long time) we’ll definitely be going on the bus into town, where there’s a large charity shop with lots of toys. I’ll let them choose one each - to be kept at our house since they have so many at home - especially if they’re plastic - dd doesn’t want any more of that in the house.
I well bet anybody a tenner now that Gdd (just 6) will choose a Barbie, assuming there are any! She already has lots - nearly all 2nd hand - but does play with them for hours.

I used to try and plan activities for my grandson but now follow his lead.
Last week I took him to the toy area of a charity shop where he spent a good 20 minutes and spent £4 on a Paw Patrol transformer and a cement mixture that he played with for the rest of the afternoon!

I hopefully go home in 44 days. He'll have to wait a bit longer to fly. No hols this year, I don't think.

I hope he gets to fly to you soon GagaJo as our grandchildren grow up so quickly and I know I wouldn’t want to go too long without seeing my grandson.

My 3 year old grandson is desperate to come and see me, on a plane. He knows I go to work on a plane and that I've been gone for a long time and he wants to come.

Breaks my heart when he asks.

One of ours entertained the top deck of a bus with her questions. “why do people wave at the bus?”, “how do we make it stop when we want to get off?” “does that lady know we can see her in her bedroom?” On and on she went. She had such a fabulous time and couldn’t wait to tell her big sister all she had seen. Simple pleasures indeed.

My two years old grandson loves buses and gets really excited when he sees any. Fortunately his grandad on his dad's side was a bus driver and he'll take him to town on the bus.

It sounds a lovely day out.

Buses are such a novelty for young children who normally sit in a car. One of my grandsons was obsessed with buses aged 1 to 3 years and got very excited when he saw one! It was a great adventure every time we took one, and train rides too. They are so lovely at that age because everything is so new to them.

It's so exciting at that age, how lovely that the young chap enjoyed himself so much. It's lovely to hear.

It was magic when I went on a train----years ago when it was steam and the clickety click of the wheels. Belle Vue zoo it was.