Heh. All the skills I learned as a child were, for the most part, because I saw someone else either do them, or do them poorly.

For example- I was a little too young for my waterbabies class, but mom needed one time convienient, so we took that one. The first day I screamed so loud and so much, even after being dunked that people were asking mom how long I could do that.

Next day, some other little kid was scared and I told him it was easy, held my breath and went under.

Getting my training wheels off my bike was pretty much the same. I screamed bloody murder until some little boy down the street was riding two wheeled, so I told dad to take mine off.

I can't hit with anything smaller than a tennis racket, and I can't throw anything other than a football. I have no depth perception. I can however drive a tackling dummy a considerable distance for my size.

Can you play any instrument? Hold a tune when singing?

No and no. I barely managed to croak out "Mary Had A Little Lamb" on the recorder in grade school and trying to read music mystified me. I wish I could sing, but I sadly can't.

how many people can dance, and what styles do you do well?

Can't dance. At all. Chronic case of white boy-itis.

A new question: how many people can dance, and what styles do you do well? I've just started taking salsa and swing lessons, and I think I'm picking them up pretty well. And it's so much fun!

I did some ballroom and swing in college, and enjoyed it, though I'm sure most of my memory of it is gone by now. Wouldn't mind picking it up again if I had a partner, though. I also did modern dance all through my childhood, though I SUCKED at it.

Outside of school, I learnt piano, singing, and steel drums. I learnt sewing, tennis, chemistry experiments, and crochet.

In school they taught us how to cook, farm, play recorder, field hockey, track and field and basic gymnastics.

Such a well-rounded girl am I.

DJ, I was just going to say that there seems to be two separate skill sets of childhood. What we were taught explicitly (dance lessons, music lessons etc) and what we learned by a novice/expert relationship with other kids not necessarily with adults. And you've succinctly described an aspect of the latter.

Every thursday in elementary school, PE was dance. Or if the weather sucked too much outside. Square dance, mainly. I don't remember the rest. It was CRUEL CRUEL TORTURE. I hated thursdays. That dread lasted years past elementary school. And no, I've never learned any dance since. Though that is more my general horror at group instruction than elementary trauma.

Like, can you ride a bike? Do a cartwheel? Catch, throw, hit a ball? Jump rope? Skate? Any other skill I didn't mention?

yes, yes*, yes, yes, eys, yes, yes. can't think of any.

*in my childhood, I could do cartwheels. However, I have not attempted a cartwheel since the gymnastics unit in high school, so I can't say for sure.

I'm so much more coordinated now than I was a kid, I should really try to learn more stuff again. I "played" tennis from like 5th through 12 grades and was always terrible, until the end of high school, when I finally started being able to deal with my body.

Oh, and I need to actually give my parents the dacing lessons I offered them for Christmas. Not that I'll be teaching, that I'll be buying.

ita, did you do handsprings? I think a goal of mine should be able to do a back handspring at 35.

Can you play any instrument? Hold a tune when singing?

I used to play piano, now, nsm. I can still sing, though!

I have a good sense of rhythm, but zero dance ability. I was never comfortable enough in my own skin as a child or teen to learn how to loosen up enough.

I also used to be a pretty good tennis player. I wish I'd kept it up.