This way Valerie That way Valerie This

[PinkSyCo]

way Valerie all the way home. Woke up early this morning with this song in my head for some reason and can’t get it out of there! Has got me reminiscing though about playtime at primary school in the 70’s and the games and activities we used to play/do. What were your favourites? I used to love ‘two balls,’ ‘Jacks’, marbles, skipping, French skipping, ‘Stuck in the mud,’ ‘kiss chase,’ ‘what’s the time Mr. Wolf’ and I’m sure I’ve left many out. I bloody LOVED playtime!

Never heard of it, (prob too old) but I now have the Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse song stuck in my head so thanks for that. I have heard that chewing gum gets rid of ear worms.

Haha sorry about that @Sparklingbrook 😄
Re ‘my’ Valerie, I think it’s probably me showing MY age. What about ‘oranges and lemons?’ That was similar in that kids made an archway to go under.

oh yes to oranges and lemons - not valerie

I remember This Way Valerie. Are you scottish?

The Zuton's version is the best.
I did like Amy's version , but if you hear the original , it's much better

Now wondering how everyone knew same songs before the Internet! Must have been parents I guess but I don't remember being taught anything like that. It just happened 🤣

Violet Grohl sang it at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute concert and her version is my favourite now.

I remember 2-balls and skipping fondly. There was also a craze for ‘elastics’ which I barely remember.

Has anyone else noticed that these games seem to have died a death in primary schools? Kids aren’t allowed to take stuff in to play with any more, and so much seems to be banned.

No I’m English….🎵Strut Miss Susie, strut miss Susie, strut miss Susie all the way home…. 🎵

I can't remember what we played in primary. We had some bars so we were always clambering all over those I think. Someone fell off and 'cracked their head open' every week.

My DSs it was football every break and playtime. There were weeks where everyone brought something like Crazy Bones in then the newsletter the next week would say they were banned, they all had a diabolo at one point.

Wasn’t elastics similar to French skipping? There was the hand clapping games too-cant remember what we called that now-that we’d do to songs like ‘ a sailor went to sea sea sea to see what he could see see see’, and we’d invariably end up getting faster and faster and more and more aggressive as we went along lol.

Yeah with the boys it was always just football or sometimes British bulldog. They also sometimes played a ‘tag’ game with us, especially ‘kiss chase’ and ‘skirts up.’ 🤨 I think you must be younger than me and that ‘Jacks’ was our version of ‘crazy bones’ and no-one was bringing diabolos into school and nothing was banned.

Anyone remember "I like coffee I like tea ..." and "not last night but the night before .." both skipping games.

I can only remember I like coffee I like tea - what comes next?

I remember it as I like coffee I like tea I like ( name ) in with me ) as a choosing game , but I can’t quite remember the point of it !

You must be my age or thereabouts OP . I used to love french skipping, stuck in the mud (or sticky toffee as it was sometimes called) and the clapping games. Was scared of British Bulldog though!

stuck in the mud
kiss chase
conkers
marbles

Jack's, elastics, British bulldog, swapping cards, plaiting hair, daisy-chains, making whistling noises through blades of grass, shrinking crisp packets on the hot air vents, railings (ie turning somersaults round some bars on the side....)

I like coffee, I like tea
I like [player 2] In With Me!

There must have been another part, unless we ended up with everyone on the inside?

(no idea about Valerie, by the way)

eeny meeny miny mo
catch a fishy by the toe
if he squeals let him go
eeny meeny miny mo

which has probably dated me fairly accurately

Noo I’m nowhere near as old as you! 😉 😂 British bulldog did tend to get a bit rough didn’t it? Oh God Pom has just come to me. I used to bloody love Pom. So much more fun than hide and seek!

Ah yes I remember I like coffee/tea now and ‘not last night’ sounds familiar too. Now I’m trying to remember other skipping songs. 🤔

Oh yeah Pom Pom 123, what was that all about? Garbage pail kids cards used to scare me!

Oh yes ‘railings.’ Used to love that. And handstands against the wall and walking down into a crab.

Remember the excitement of meeting kids from another school and learning their versions of games and taking the back to your school?

Spanish lady (skipping game)

What about 50:50 or it’s variants 60:60 / 40:40? It was like a cross between hiding seek and British bulldog. Was a lot of fun!