On our way into the schoolyard we accumulated Maddy’s friend S (his mom sometimes leaves him with me while she drops off her older child).
“Shortcut!” S yelled, and they both took off across the field, heading to the kindergarten yard.
Five seconds later, “new shortcut!” and they’re running back towards the fence — away from the intended destination. Repeat, repeat. They zigzag haphazardly (but at high speed) down the field until they near the portable classroom near the kindergarten entrance. “Look! There’s a shortcut here too!” and they take a looooong loop around the entire portable.
Still, they were running and I was walking so they got to the kindergarten gate first and had to wait for me, panting and grinning. “See? I told you it was a shortcut!”