"Adventures in Babysitting" is the twenty-fifth mission of The Home Front.
Nostalgic for her childhood, Jody jumps into some kid-friendly workouts. Ready to visit the Safari Park?
EXERCISES: Inchworm, Jumping Jack
Cast[]
Plot[]
Smash Hits
Jody is back and unfortunately still stuck in the warehouse. Her leg has healed up though, so she can be a bit more active. It's been pretty grim recently, so let's take the time to have some fun. When she was little, Jody and her brothers would tear around and never walked anywhere, and that sort of movement is good for adults too. So kids, join in with your grown-ups! You'll want to clear some space first, so you can start off with dancing!
Snakes
We're playing snakes-and-ladders - Marsh family style. Sometimes when her parents worked late, Jody would babysit her younger brothers, who would need to be exhausted before they'd go to bed. One night, they played snakes-and-ladders but actually got to be the snake, and climb a real ladder. Try this by doing 1 minute of Snake Wiggling.
Ladders
Now time to climb a ladder. Or as the Ministry likes to call it, Inchworm! One minute of these. Go!
Nellie the Elephant
Nice work Runners. When Jody's grandmother came to visit, she would take all of them on a big day out. They always chose the Safari Park. They would always make up stories about the animals and then act them out. So try that now! Imagine being an elephant and how they move and try to imitate that. Or how about a giraffe or a monkey. Jody stopped going to the Safari Park when she was fifteen and she'd love to go back to those times, but if she can't see a tiger, she's going to be one!
Stepping Stones
Jody had a lot of fun with that! The acoustics in the warehouse were great for the elephant noises. Next up is another Marsh family game called 'Floor-is-Lava'. Put some cushions or towels or anything non-slippery down on the floor, or draw chalk circles if you're outside, or your imagination works too. Those are your stepping stones, and the rest of the floor is bubbling hot lava. Your mission? To cross the room without getting burned! You can make it harder by moving the stepping stones further apart, or by alternating hands and feet like in Twister. Try to move in ways you normally wouldn't.
Superstar Challenge!
Jody used to hate that song, but her brother loved it and now she can't hear it without thinking of him. She hasn't managed to find any of her family yet. Her brothers would be all grown up and able to have kids of their own by now! The Abel kids are all great fun to hang out with, so this one is for them. The Abel Township Kid's Superstar Challenge. Try to do as many Star Jumps as you can in a minute!
Next Generation
That's the workout done, but take a few minutes to relax and recover. Think about a place you really want to be, somewhere you can't get to right now. Jody is thinking about the tiny garden outside her old house. It's okay if missing somewhere makes you sad. Those places aren't gone as long as you remember them. We'll visit new places and make new stories to tell to a bunch of new kids eventually.
Transcript[]
JODY MARSH: Hey runners, it’s Jody here! Still...stuck in a warehouse. Janine’s just been on the radio and apparently it’s my turn on the home workout rota, so you lot get warming up and I’ll talk through what we’re doing today. My leg’s pretty much healed, so it’ll be good to get moving properly again. You can only fill up so many rucksacks with protein shakes and thermal underwear before you start cracking up. If we ever get these bags back to Abel, we’re never gonna need new pants ever again.
Anyway, it’s all been pretty grim lately, what with the megahorde and all, so I was thinking maybe we should take this chance and have fun. Be silly, you know? My brothers and me, when we were little, the four of us used to tear about the place. We never walked anywhere, it was always running and jumping and leaping over stuff, and those sorts of movements that kids do without thinking, they’re really good for you, no matter what age you are. So that’s the plan for today. And if there’s any kids listening out there, I’d really love it if you’d join in and show your grown-ups how it’s done.
But first off, you’re gonna need to make some floor space. Clear away anything breakable and any furniture with sharp edges. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. While you do that, I’m gonna put some music on. It’s… Smash Hits for Runners, volume… [laughs] The number’s rubbed off, but the track list still looks really good. Once you’ve made some space, get dancing!
JODY MARSH: Okay folks, I hope you’re all warmed up, because we’re gonna play snakes and ladders, Marsh family-style. Remember how I told you to clear some space? You’re definitely gonna need it. When my brothers were little, my parents worked shift, so sometimes I’d babysit. My youngest brother, Titch - we called him that because he was so tiny when he was born, and it stuck, even when he got massive - Titch would never go to bed when he was supposed to. Always, “One more story!” Or, “Can I have a glass of water?” So we had to tire him out.
Mostly we took him outside to play, but when it was raining, there was nothing to do except TV and board games. This one time, he was still up at nearly midnight wanting one more game of snakes and ladders, and I had a genius idea. We’d play at actually being the snakes and climbing the ladder. So that’s what we’re gonna do now.
First off, you’re going to be the snake. Get down on your belly and press your legs into a tail and pull your arms by your sides. Now we’re going to spend the next 60 seconds wiggling. Try to reach the other side of the room. No cheating. Go! Snakes haven’t got arms and legs, so you’re not allowed to use yours! Try wiggling your shoulders, get a kind of rhythm going. Though… have snakes got shoulders? Halfway there. You can try hissing too, if you like. [hisses] Nearly finished! Who needs legs, anyway? Time’s up, snakes. Right, time for you to practice snaking about on your own and I’ll be right back after this.
JODY MARSH: Okay, so you should all be expert snakes. Now time to climb a ladder! According to Ministry guidelines, this next exercise is called the Inchworm, but it’ll always be ladder climbing to me.
So stand straight up, feet hip-width apart. Now bend forward and put your hands on the floor as close as possible to your toes. Bend your knees a bit if you need to. Now walk your hands forwards until your back is straight and you’re in a sort of plank position. Good. Now walk your feet up towards your hands until your bum’s sticking in the air. When you’re feeling a good stretch down the backs of your legs, walk your hands forward again.
Ready for 60 seconds of those? Go! Keep going until you’ve run out of room, then turn around and head back the way you came. Halfway there. You’re making good progress up that board. Only 15 seconds left. Bet you never thought a game of snakes and ladders would be this tiring. And done! I’m gonna play some music. You can keep alternating snakes and ladders, dance around, or do whatever feels good to you.
JODY MARSH: Nice work, runners. Slow down to catch your breath, but keep moving. We’re not done yet. When we were growing up, my gran only came to England once a year. She always brought a massive suitcase stuffed with presents, but the best bit was that she’d take us on a big day out, our choice.
Every year we picked the safari park. They had elephants, rhinos, a tiger, and a whole island full of chimpanzees. All the animals had a story. Most of them had been rescued from circuses or smugglers. They had massive habitats to move about and do, I don’t know, normal animal stuff. We’d go for the whole day, eat ice cream and chips, and we’d talk about it for months afterwards. My brothers’ favorite game was making up stories about the animals and acting them out, so I thought we’d do some of that.
We’ll start with my favorite, the elephant. Think about a big gray elephant and how they move. Make your legs stiff like tree trunks. Imagine you’re stomping and crashing through the trees. You can pretend your arms are a magnificent pair of ears and flap them about, or if you like, you can make one arm your trunk and wave it about from side to side.
That’s my favorite bit, making all the different elephant noises. They don’t just trumpet, they roar when they’re excited to see each other and make these amazing rumbles and chirps and squeaks to communicate, so any noise you want to make is good. Feel the way your body’s moving, really enjoy letting it all go, and if you’re done with being an elephant, you could always try being a giraffe or a tiger or those little monkeys with the really long beards.
The year I was 15, I decided I was too grown up for the safari park. Gran took my brothers and I… I don’t know, I went shopping or something. And the next year, I went away to college. I’d give a lot for the chance to see all those animals again, with my family. You know what? If I can’t see a tiger, I’m gonna be a tiger. I’m gonna prowl around to the next song, swiping my huge claws and pouncing on unsuspecting cushions, and you can join in with me.
JODY MARSH: [laughs] Okay, that was the most fun I’ve had since I got trapped in this warehouse. The acoustics are great in here! It makes my elephant noises really trumpety. Anyway, next up, I’m going to teach you another famous Marsh family game. This one’s called Floor Is Lava. We played it a lot, until my middle brother cracked his head open on the fireplace and my mum banned it, so uh, make really sure there’s nothing sharp for you to fall against. If any of you lot gets injured, I will get in such trouble with Janine.
First, put something down on the floor as stepping stones. Cushions or towels are okay as long as your floor isn’t slippery, but your imagination works fine, too. If you’re outside, you could chalk some big circles on the ground. Put some of your stepping stones close together and have some that you really have to jump between. Now imagine the rest of the floor is bubbling lava and if you slip off your stepping stones, you’ll instantly be burned to a crisp. Your mission is to get from one side of the room to the other and back again. Ready? Go!
We had a really ugly carpet in our living room, one of those vintage brown and orange ones. So we pretended the brown bits were the stepping stones and the orange was lava. There was a lot of shoving each other into the volcano, but don’t do that. If you’re finding the jumps too easy, put your stones further apart, or hop between them on one leg, or make this into a game of Twister where you’ve got to alternate putting hands and feet down. Anything goes, just move in ways you wouldn’t normally. Use some muscles that don’t usually get a workout. Have some fun with it, and I’ll put the next song on.
JODY MARSH: You know, I used to really hate that song. Titch, my brother, he loved it. He went through this phase where he’d play it all the time. I could have throttled him. Every time I hear it now, I think of him. We lost touch after Z-Day. We were so close. I’ve tried to find him, all my brothers, but...nothing. Nothing yet. I’ve got to believe they’re out there, that they’re looking for me, too. They’ll be grown up now, even Titch. They could have kids of their own. So if the three of you are out there with news for me, get a message to Abel, let me know you’re okay, would you?
It’s kind of a scary thought, bringing kids into the world at a time like this. I don’t know if I’d be brave enough. Maybe with the right person, someday. And you Abel kids are such fun to hang out with. You’ve all got so much enthusiasm and imagination, and you all know these amazing facts. You’re all superstars. So this last exercise is for you, the Abel Township Kids Superstar Challenge. I’d like to say it’s guaranteed to tire you kids out, but I’m pretty sure you’re all dynamo-powered. There’s no other explanation for all the energy you’ve got. We’re gonna do some star jumps on the spot.
Stand with your arms at your sides. Now jump your legs out and fling your arms wide so you’re making a star shape, then bounce back in again. Got it? Okay, let’s do 15 seconds of those. Go! That’s great! Now let’s do another 15 seconds, but instead of side to side, move your legs forward and back. Go. Brilliant! For the next 15 seconds, it’s back to side to side legs again, but this time punch your arms out in front of you in time with your jumps. Punch each arm in turn. Go. You’re doing great! Now back to your original star jumps for 15 seconds, but this time see if you can go twice as fast. Go.
Well done, you lot! That was a great effort. I’m imagining you all lighting up like little supernovas. I hope you’re all feeling, well, tired, but in a good way. Take a few minutes to cool down, stretch those legs, and I’ll be back after this.
JODY MARSH: And that’s our workout done! I suppose I should get back to filling these rucksacks with supplies. You lot’ll have things to be getting on with too, but let’s take a few minutes to relax before you go. Lie down on your back or flump down in a chair, close your eyes, and think of a place you really want to be, someplace you can’t get to right now.
Me, I’m gonna think about the little postage stamp-sized garden outside the house where I grew up. If you can’t think of somewhere, you can imagine that garden along with me. I can almost feel the sun on my face. There’s that smell of cut grass, and a bird tweeting away to itself.
It’s okay if missing somewhere makes you feel sad. I reckon there’s no right or wrong way to feel about this stuff. I don’t even know if our old house is still there, but I still love to imagine going back and opening that front door like I’m 14 again and my whole family’s waiting inside for me.
They’re not gone, those places, not as long as you remember them. I know we’ll visit new places and make new memories. You’ll see. And one day, all this’ll be stories we can tell a whole new bunch of kids about.
Codex[]
Letter[]
Hi Runner Five,
Thanks for tuning in today! I don’t know about you, but it was weirdly really nice getting to move about without it necessarily being to avoid the ~gnashing maws~ of an undead horde, or the clutches of a mad scientist. Before the apocalypse, I don’t think I’d really considered myself especially sporty (well, beyond archery), but I do miss getting to just run for the fun of it, you know? Hopefully some day soon, we can go for a jog around the closest park together. Or maybe we could see if Janine would approve a township-wide game of Tag or something! That could be fun!
All the best,
Jody
Supplies[]
The following supplies can be found in this mission.
(List may be incomplete.)
Board game
Dress
First Aid Kit
Flashlight
Football
Laptop
Makeup
Mobile Phone
Overcoat
Shirt
Sports Bra
Trainers
Umbrella
Underwear
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