Backyard Maze

"Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue". A couple of decades ago, when I was in my teens, this was the pinnacle of fun. Yes, a maze, it is made out of huge appliance cardboard boxes. We had to go dumpster diving for months in order to get enough. It took several weeks to build and then I invited some friends. First we did a Murder Mystery Dinner Party and then, after dark, we did the maze. It was much bigger than the photograph allows, taking up the entire backyard. We had a blast! My mother had crawled through the maze during the daytime and stuck in some "goodies" for us to find, and I had no idea so they were surprises to me as well. There were bugs, spider webs, play dough, toast, jello, pudding, noodles, etc. 

Seriously, play dough is scary in the dark when you don't know what it is. All kinds of fun things, I think there was an airhorn somewhere too. My parents stood outside just listening to us yelling and getting grossed out by who knows what we were touching that my mother had put in there. They laughed and laughed at our expressions and talked about it for years to come! That night it rained and turned the maze to ice. It was even more fun to go through, but when it melted, it became too soggy and we had to get rid of it. This I believe is my favorite fall memory. I would love to do this again someday for my boys. But, it is not easy when all one has to work with is a forty-eight square foot balcony. Yet another reason why I would love to live in the country! Did you ever do something like this as a teen? Would you consider doing it for your teens?