Caine’s Arcade

This is a beautiful video about creativity, believing in people, and supporting each other’s dreams.  Life at its best here, at a little used auto parts shop in the middle of L.A.

I read about this story in Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome.  And, like many viral videos, I somehow missed it altogether.  But, here I am 8 years later…  When I read about Caine’s Arcade, I immediately thought of our daughter, as she loves creating things like this all the time and is always eager to share with the world.  And, as her mama, sometimes it’s overwhelming keeping up with all the creativity and ambitious projects in the way I’d like, but I love that she just goes with her ideas.  She’s built “toe shoes” from cardboard pieces and “DVD players” with a collection of DVDs in cases that have to be inserted into a machine.  We have “key cards” to get into our bedrooms and a “phone and charger” made entirely of paper.  It’s one of my number one reasons for wanting to homeschool, because the busyness of school days and after-school activities doesn’t always allow the space for such projects.  I love that Caine’s dad encouraged him to follow through with his arcade and gave him the freedom and space to make this dream a reality.  And I love that the film maker, Nirvan, stopped to play.  I once read advice to always stop at kids’ lemonade stands, and I’ve kept this a priority ever since.

I also love this follow-up video, showing how this one choice Nirvan made to stop and buy a Fun Pass changed both his life and Caine’s.  Encouraging kids’ creativity has been lost to standards and getting through curriculum.  We don’t know what problems our kids will be facing when they’re grown, but we CAN nurture creativity and problem solving through play.