Childhood memories

[Primula Baggins]

Great stuff!

Hobby, I don't remember what that elastic-band game was called—I was no good at it and so didn't play. I used to watch the other girls sometimes.

Tetherball was popular—a ball attached by a rope to the top of a pole. Two people stood on opposite sides, and the goal was to wrap the ball around the pole in "your" direction until there was no rope left.

We played a lot of hopscotch at one of my schools, and not at all at the next—maybe that was when it went out of style.

One thing that was very different back then: we never played soccer (football); we didn't even know what it was. These days most American kids play it at some point, and almost all are taught how.

Mr. Prim used to play pick-up baseball games in the street. Now that's all been subsumed into organized sports.

[yovargas]

Has anybody mentioned paper football? Where you'd fold a piece of paper into a triangle and try to flick it into the other players "endzone" for a "tocuhdown"?

Oh, and that reminds me of pencil fighting, where you'd take turns whacking each others pencils with your pencil to see who could break the other's first? They actually sold specialty super-hard pencils to play this with!

[Primula Baggins]

Quiet games, such as for long bus trips or indoor recess in bad weather--

One that was fun was to draw a grid of dots covering a sheet of paper, and then you and your opponent would take turns connecting two dots. If you drew the last line enclosing a square, you got to write your initial there and take another turn. The goal was to enclose more squares than your opponent, and as I remember it got very strategic!

Then there was the game, now sold commercially but not back then, where one player makes up a story, leaving a number of critical words blank, and then asks the group to supply them: an adjective, and adverb, a number, the name of a city, an animal, etc. The result was usually hysterically funny, to kids anyway. And because the stories weren't pre-written (Mad Libs), you could make them about people and situations everyone knew.

[Erunáme]

Has anybody mentioned paper football? Where you'd fold a piece of paper into a triangle and try to flick it into the other players "endzone" for a "tocuhdown"?

Oh, and that reminds me of pencil fighting, where you'd take turns whacking each others pencils with your pencil to see who could break the other's first? They actually sold specialty super-hard pencils to play this with!

I remember both of those. I don't think I ever tried to play the paper football one because I was no good at it and didn't know how to fold the paper properly.

I did do the pencil fighting a few times, but not much because I didn't want to waste my pencils. I remember getting rapped pretty hard on the knuckles a few times when the person would miss.

That reminds me of slap bracelets...some of those suckers hurt.

[TheEllipticalDisillusion]

I played the paper football game. The ball wasn't too tough to fold. It's the same way you fold an American flag properly. Also quarter hockey was fun.

"Man Hunt" anyone?

[truehobbit]

Your 'sizzle in the mouth' reminded me of that powder in the long skinny straw-like wrappers, which you would open one end and pour it on your tongue. Very sweet and puckery!

Oooh, yes! Here, the filling wasn't sour, though, it was pure grape sugar they put in those.

More fun candy: what about "edible paper"? Tasted of nothing, kids just liked the idea of eating paper.
But there was candy of the same material (just a bit of flour and water, like the Host, IIRC ), but filled with sizzling, sour powder.
(Ok, I looked it up and found "effervescent powder" for "Brausepulver" which is German for the sizzling, sour powder which is very popular with kids - my guess is that this is not the word a kid would use! Does anyone know a name for what I'm talking about or don't you have the stuff where you live?)

This is also where the more daring children would play 'doctor'. This involved the pulling down of underpants. (I'm just recalling this as I write.)

Sounds like the most classical version of the game!

Hmmh, the doctor game I remember I'm a bit hesitant to post about here, as it might be a sensitive subject - but it shows children's naivete.

During elementary school I went to an after-school kindergarten (don't know what you call those in English) that mainly catered for the kids of people working at a neighbouring hospital, and many children's mothers were nurses. This meant that they sometimes got hold of real plastic syringes (minus the needle, of course), gloves, face masks and even surgeon's coats. When the kids played doctor (I don't remember playing myself, only watching others play), it usually involved operations, and often the "doctor" would determine that the patient had "cancer" and would have to be operated on - which meant cutting out, you may guess it...a real crab. (In German, the animal and the disease have the same name.) I remember finding the game scary, though.

Quiet games, such as for long bus trips or indoor recess in bad weather--

I don't think we had indoor recess - but maybe the weather doesn't get that bad here.

Hmmmh, sounds like you were good kids - the first game you describe sounds similar to something we sometimes played, too, only it's wasn't for long bus trips, but for boring lessons, to be played under the desks.

Another clever game for older kids, and one of my favourites, was "city, country, river" - you just drew a grid with six topics on a sheet of paper, someone said "A" and then went through the alphabet in their mind until someone else said "stop" - and you then had to find a city, a country, a river, an animal etc beginning with the letter they'd arrived at. The first person to fill the grid would stop the game. Points were given, and you got more points if no one else had the word you'd found.

[Primula Baggins]

Sometimes in the Pacific Northwest it rains sideways (the wind is blowing hard, and the rain is carried with it in sheets of water). That's when we'd stay inside. Especially since in those days we girls were required to wear dresses to school, and in the late 1960s/early 1970s those dresses were short.

We got up to no good at times, too, of course, but we had good teachers, in general, and were mostly absorbed in what the teachers wanted us to do.

Oh, in high school, in third-year German, I did write a long collaborative story with three friends that we wrote in a tiny notebook we would pass from one to another during class. You would write one line at a time (about three inches long) and try to make things funny or difficult for the next person.

We did this for months, and either Herr Simons never caught on or he wasn't bothered (we were all getting A's).

[elfshadow]

I was a child of the 90s, I remember some of the huge fads that came and went out of fashion quickly. Pogs were "in" when I was about 7 or so, little cardboard circles printed with glossy pictures. There was some kind of game that they were meant for, but hardly anyone ever actually played the game, we just collected them by the dozens and listened to Ace of Base while we sorted them out and compared them. Then it was Beanie Babies, everyone loved those things. Hideously expensive, $7 or $8 for a seven-inch-long animal stuffed with plastic pellets. They put miniature ones in McDonald's Happy Meals too. And then all the computer games that were big, first it was Pacman (a classic) played on the old school computers with black screens and green type. Then when everyone's computers got graphics it was Carmen San Diego and Oregon Trail, Oregon Trail being my favorite. If you were lucky your computer had Ski Free on it as one of the preprogrammed games.

We played Red Rover too, as well as Groundies which is still one of my favorite games. One of my group of friends' favorite things to do was to play Spice Girls. I was Sporty Spice, but almost everyone argued about who got to be Baby Spice. Our playground equipment was still made out of wood (we even got splinters sometimes ) and metal that got blistering hot in the summer. We were always disappointed when one of our old playgrounds was replaced with one of those plastic things, because the plastic slides didn't go nearly as fast as the metal ones. And apparently merry-go-rounds became unsafe, so those were gotten rid of as well.

You know, for something that didn't happen all that long ago, these memories sure seem far off.

[Primula Baggins]

I remember Pogs. Though my memory is of pulling them out of the sofa cushions and ranting at the children. We even had little tubular plastic cases for them that mostly lay around empty.

I still find the occasional Pog in the back of a drawer or in a box of old papers.

Those Happy Meal Beanie Babies! Those were nice, as Happy Meal toys went. My daughter wanted them and would confiscate them from her big brothers. She still has them.

[Cerin]

That's such a charming avatar, elfshadow. Can you tell us about it?

[Impenitent]

I remember hopscotch; I recall increasing levels of difficulty - jumping, hopping on your strong leg, hopping on your weaker leg, hopping backwards.

And elastics. That's all we ever called it, elastics, and you could play with 3 people or with 5, at which time you made a rectangle with the elastic.

And skipping rope - the double rope was the best and I really enjoyed "pepper" which was when the girls (it was always girls; boys didn't play this game, nor elastics) holding the ends of the rope swung it as fast as they could.

Rafters was played by just two kids at a time; it may have been specific to my primary school though as I've never known anyone from another school who knows it. It was played with a tennis ball, and we stood under the fire escape stairs, and the ball was thrown up to one of the rafters above our heads. The idea was to bounce the ball on the rafter and catch it again, counting up to 100 bounces, using first both hands for the ball, then your strong hand, then your weaker hand. If you missed the rafter, the girl standing on the other side took her turn. Again - it seemed to be played only by girls.

The boys seemed to play football in winter (Australian rules, that is. Soccer was looked down upon as a "wog" game wog meaning southern european immigrant - it wasn't easy being a migrant in 1970s Australian schools) and cricket in summer and there was an unspoken rule that the boys "owned" the oval and the girls got the playground that was under the trees and the ashphalt.

There was downball too; tennis ball bounced onto the ashphalt and onto a brick wall - a bit like squash without the racquets and you had to catch the ball after only one bounce and send it against the wall again. It could be played by a group of up to about 6 or 7 kids and was one of the few games played by both boys and girls.

But I spent many of my primary school years not really in a friendship circle - spent a lot of time in the school library during the cold months. I recall vividly asking the librarian if she had anything on child psychology because I couldn't find anything in the non-fiction section; she looked at me like I had grown two heads and disappeared into the back room reappearing with a hefty volume that I couldn't understand at all. I struggled through about five pages though, just because I didn't want to look stupid.

In the summer months, I used to take my book and sneak around the back of the library near the fence, an area which wasn't patrolled by the teachers and where students were not allowed to play. There was a fire hose box there, under the eaves, and I sat there all through play time and lunch time, in complete contentment and aloneness, with only the rustling of the leaves on the huge gum trees to break the quiet. I loved this tranquil place so much that I would actually count down to play time and lunch time with delighted anticipation and longing. That was my own private place for the last two years of my primary schooling, the only place where I felt totally happy, me and my book, my pastrami sandwiches and apple and the sound of the gum leaves. Even today, when I hear that distinctive rustling, I slip back into that peaceful emotional space.

I guess I was a lonely little girl, but I only realise that in retrospect. At the time I didn't know there was another way to be.

[Athrabeth]

Hobby, I don't remember what that elastic-band game was called—I was no good at it and so didn't play. I used to watch the other girls sometimes.

We called it "Chinese Skipping".

I LOVED that game. I distinctly remember the sense of pride and accomplishment I had when I made it to "waisties". I also remember watching in awe a girl who was able to complete all the moves while the elastic band was being held at "armpit" level. It's funny that we didn't think to call that level "pitsies"........it was "chesties" instead.

Ah, memories!

vison......I taught Red Rover to my Grade Five class last week during a lull in our class lock-in (basically, a "sleep-over" party at the school). They're hooked!

[Primula Baggins]

Ath, that was it! That was it! We called it "Chinese Jumprope."

Imp, what a beautiful picture you paint. I don't know if it's fair to say you were lonely, if you loved where you were and what you were doing. Or maybe it just calls out to the introvert in me.

Or the mom. (Alone? In a tranquil spot? Undisturbed? With a book? And a pastrami sandwich? And no one knows I'm there? . . . I am so there! )

[elfshadow]

Yes, I remember skipping rope as well! We used to try to do all the fanciest tricks we could, like crossing your arms with the rope in them while jumping, and swinging it around in between jumps. We'd do double dutch as well, at least when we could find people who were good enough at twirling the ropes.

And after reading one of nerdanel's first posts about war, I remember the game that we used to play in elementary school - Boys Chase Girls. A very prophetic title, though of course we didn't realize it at the time. But that was one of everyone's favorite games.

Cerin, the painting in my avatar is one by Alfred Sisley, an Impressionist painter. I don't like most of the Impressionists, but I love Sisley's work.

[Rowanberry]

Hobby, we played that elastic-band game, too!

Cool! And what was it called, Prim?

Here, it was called Twist. I was never very good at it, either.

As for candy, salty licorice powder was a delicacy (and I still like it). At that time, it was only sold in the pharmacy in small paper bags. There was also a small store close to my school where they sold banana-shaped meringues that I often used to buy.

[Cerin]

I wonder how I totally missed any awareness of the elastic game, since so many of you know it. Sure sounds like fun!

Imp, it sounds as though you were mature beyond your years.


Rowanberry, salty liquorice powder and banana shaped meringues sound very exotic to me! I'm not sure if such a variety of candies is sold anymore, as was available during my childhood. There are lots of chocolate bars, of course. I'll have to check the candy aisle next time I'm in a variety store. The Vermont Country Store catalogue always lists old-fashioned candies in the front of their catalogue.

[Lurker]

I'm a child of the 80's.
I remember playing DND every weekend with my friends. Our parents used to buy the books cause it keeps us out of trouble, until we brought it to school and the headmaster started confiscating it. Anyways, we would hang-out out in the hallway instead of the playground or the basketball court where most of the kids are. The "hall monitors" found this unusual for our "gang" since we often play basketball or soccer during lunch, so they started asking us stuff and looking at the books.

We would also play basketball or soccer wearing our "suit type" uniform (black blazer, white shirt, blue tie, black pants) and penny loafers (black leather shoes that was a huge craze in the 80's) during recess and lunch. I would often go back to the classroom with my buttons missing or my pants ripped or dirty and stinky. It was a physical game, and wearing leather shoes playing basketball is no fun but we're bored. My mom gets upset when I get home cause my shirt is ruined. My shoes doesn't last long, I think dad buys a pair every six months. Running shoes are not allowed at school unless it's PE. I remember going to class in my boxers cause my pants got ripped and the school ran out of my pant's size. (The school keeps a set just in case this happens.) It was a good experience cause the other kids were clapping when I got back to the classroom and told the teacher, sorry no pants, unfortunately, they had me wear the tie and blazer just to humilate me but it backfired, my classmates think it was so cool. The following day they had to call my parents, though, I got grounded.

Michael Jackson was an icon for kids at school back then. We would often copy his dance moves in the playground and a few even brought that jacket he had in Thriller. (I wasn't a Michael Jackson fan, I like the Cure.) Then we learned how to "break dance" which was so cool. We use the school hallway cause the marble tiles were shiny, and I cut my chin doing it and was brought to the hospital for stitches. I told my parents and the headmaster I cut it playing basketball (since I play point guard for the elementary school team) when in fact I cut it doing the head spin.

I remember when one of the "well off" kids brought a walkman to school. Man, we thought it was the coolest device. It's like having the new MP3s.

I love road hockey, played goalie most of the time, I remember yelling out car or the driver would honk his horn loud enough for us to scramble to our feet and run and I would carry the goal post and let the vehicle pass.

[Lhaewin]

We also played the elastic twist game - anywhere and anytime. Although I was very tiny and not sportive, I could do that one quite well. I couldn´t explain how I managed to jump over the fifth level, but I couldn´t jump high in PE.

The skipping rope was fun too, but I never managed to run quickly through the swinging rope without touching it.

We used to play "Indians and Cowboys" a lot and I always was the Indian Squaw. I never liked the way the Cowboys "shot" at the Indians.

Sometimes we played a game called "Father, Mother, Child". Of course, no-one wanted to be the child because the poor kid got "educated" all the time. The role of the father wasn´t very popular because all he had to do was going to work in the morning and often he wasn´t allowed to come back too soon because the "mother" enjoyed to command the child all the time. So everyone wanted to be mother and we tried to take turns, but often we started arguing at that point so that we didn´t get very far.

I think it would have been interesting for the parents to watch it because we mirrored the different styles of education we experienced at home.

And of course, everywhere in the street there was football/soccer. I never liked it and I tripped more than once and hurt my knees. Like you, Impy, I loved reading and never had more than one or two close friends. I didn´t feel comfortable in larger groups.

As to candy I remember soft and very sweet strawberries and also jelly raspberries and brambles covered with tiny, red or black sugar beads.

[WampusCat]

My brothers, the boy next door and I played Tarzan. It frustrated me because they always made me be Jane, which wasn't nearly as cool a role as Tarzan, Boy or even Cheetah.

[Maria]

One of the best things about growing up in the backwoods of the Ozarks, was that when I had a notion to be "Tarzan" I could dress only in a loin cloth and go climb a tree. There really was no one around to see. And there was plenty of stuff around to make a bow and arrows, and to braid a grass rope too.

I started reading the Tarzan books in 3rd grade (about 8 years old). I soon had a complete collection. They were a tremendous influence on me. When we moved out in the woods when I was about 10, I insisted on going everywhere barefoot, because that's what Tarzan would do. And when I started dating my husband, I think I finally fell in love with him when I found out that he, too, had a complete dog-eared collection of Tarzan books. Those books primed me to love a "hero". I'm just lucky I found one.