Scrutable

science_fox wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:07 pm

Hunting Dog wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:09 pm

snoozeofreason wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 7:05 pm No worries. As you might gather, shoelaces have become a bit of a sore point for me (as well as a useful lesson that what comes easily to one person may be next to impossible for another). Scottish schools of the 60s sound even less fun than English ones!

If you have long lengths of dangly shoelace left over after tying they will tend to become undone again whilst walking. Tuck ends of dangly leftover bits under the cross lacing lower down shoe and things are less likely to become undone, hth

Trouser length also matters,

Lydia Gwilt wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:33 am

science_fox wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:07 pm

Hunting Dog wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:09 pm
If you have long lengths of dangly shoelace left over after tying they will tend to become undone again whilst walking. Tuck ends of dangly leftover bits under the cross lacing lower down shoe and things are less likely to become undone, hth

Trouser length also matters,

Trouser length - -you're joking! in 1960s schools girls wore skirts above the knee and boys under 11/12 wore shorts whatever the weather, woolly tights for girls were acceptable if there was heavy snow. My Mother couldn't actually buy long trousers for my little brother - didn't exist for that age -, so he wore woolly tights under his shorts, poor little beast!

jaap wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:16 am Here's how I do my shoelaces. I've never been able to tie them the traditional way, and always used to do the bunny ears method before this.

Allo V Psycho wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:56 am

Lydia Gwilt wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:33 am

science_fox wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:07 pm

Trouser length also matters,

Trouser length - -you're joking! in 1960s schools girls wore skirts above the knee and boys under 11/12 wore shorts whatever the weather, woolly tights for girls were acceptable if there was heavy snow. My Mother couldn't actually buy long trousers for my little brother - didn't exist for that age -, so he wore woolly tights under his shorts, poor little beast!

Wooly tights! She was being kinder than my mum (also Scottish '60s). My short trousers were made of such rough material that in winter they created red weals across my thighs where the edges were chafing them. And she made me wear those short trousers all through my first year at secondary, when all the other boys had long trousers.
I blame her for all my social and relationship difficulties ever since...

shpalman wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 11:25 am I remember when I had to watch the Four Yorkshiremen sketch on VHS, and remember the lines in it.

Little waster wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 11:37 am

shpalman wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 11:25 am I remember when I had to watch the Four Yorkshiremen sketch on VHS, and remember the lines in it.

Luxury, we used to dream about about watching the the Four Yorkshiremen sketch on VHS, we had to weave it into a tapestry on t'loom etc. etc.

discovolante wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:38 pm

Grumble wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:32 pm It’s a matter of supreme indifference to me how others tie their laces, but I changed how I tie mine after encountering this site: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/knots.htm

Which I think I got to from the old place.

f.cking hell, one more thing to think about.

opti wrote:I had to wear shorts ... and a f.cking cap ... to school till I was 14. Paedo magnet. I got my share of attention going from Staines to Hammersmith every day.
Dunno if that was an essential life skill.

Grumble wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:50 pm

discovolante wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:38 pm

Grumble wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:32 pm It’s a matter of supreme indifference to me how others tie their laces, but I changed how I tie mine after encountering this site: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/knots.htm

Which I think I got to from the old place.

f.cking hell, one more thing to think about.

I have a friend who has mocked me for over 25 years about how uncool my lace tying is. It doesn’t come up often, probably only 3 or 4 times in all that time, but I’m always mystified about what a cool knot is and how one finds this information out. I imagine he spends time watching rap videos looking at their shoes. I’ve never responded to him about it, and it’s always offhand not mean, but it’s amazing how things like that can play on your mind. Not enough for me to examine rappers’ footwear, but still.

Grumble wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:32 pm It’s a matter of supreme indifference to me how others tie their laces, but I changed how I tie mine after encountering this site: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/knots.htm

Which I think I got to from the old place.

nezumi wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:49 pm In my first year of secondary school, in 1994, the deputy head made all the girls kneel on the concrete floor to make sure our skirts were long enough. Up until then I thought that was a myth peddled by my mum and her sisters to scare us.

bjn wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 7:05 pm

nezumi wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:49 pm In my first year of secondary school, in 1994, the deputy head made all the girls kneel on the concrete floor to make sure our skirts were long enough. Up until then I thought that was a myth peddled by my mum and her sisters to scare us.

My youngest avoids all that nonsense by wearing trousers instead of skirts.

Lydia Gwilt wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:36 am

nezumi wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:16 am
If I were in charge of education I'd make this a core subject, English, Maths, Science and Life Essentials.

Life Essentials would include basic sewing, repairing household textiles and furniture, basic vehicle maintenance, effective cleaning, how to pay a bill, password management, personal care... All those things it used to be accepted that parents would teach kids but apparently don't anymore.

Absolutely! also changing a lightbulb and changing a plug, hanging wallpaper, and reading a map/use of compass.

Do children get sent to school these days not knowing how to tie shoelaces? if so, that should be lesson number 2 on the first day, straight after where the loos are and how to ask permission to visit them.

Boustrophedon wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 2:46 pm
I have spent a fair proportion of my working life teaching exactly these things.
Perhaps they are no more essential than all the other skills taught in school that may lead to gainful employment, but by and large they are not taught at all and I feel it always wise to open kids' eyes to other things that they might like to teach themselves properly if they need them.