Games you played as a child

[Rebi]

I was reminiscing (sp?!) with a friend the other day about when we were children and started talking about games we played. The thing was that we couldn't really remember all the details of the games and I thought how awful that we won't be able to pass them onto our children.

I thought it might be nice to put down the games I do remember and the rules, so that it might jog other Mumsnetter's memories. I would LOVE to hear others and I'm sure others would too!

So here are my contributions...

French Skipping - elastic put around 2 people's ankles/knees, etc. There were rhymes and a third person had to do specific moves. (God I'm no good at explaining things!) The only one I can remember (and we had hundreds I'm sure, we spent years doing this) "England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales. Inside, Outside, Donkey's Tails". The third person jumped either side of one side of elastic and then jumped to other. At 'Donkey's Tales' the third person jumped onto the elastic.

Cat's Cradle - haven't a notion how to do this now!

Skipping

In the car this morning, I remembered a hand riddle along the lines of .. "Here is the church, and here is the steeple. Here is the preacher and here are all the people"!!! I know you end up with your hands clasped together waving all your fingers - will have to work the rest out though!

Anyway, highly intellectual stuff I know!!!! Anyone else have memories of games played in the "old days"!!!!!! (I'm sure everyone else will be able to explain rules a lot clearer than me)

btw the emotion I feel when I think of my childhood games is freedom! I remember long summers spend outside with all the children in the neighbourhood and it was amazing. I wouldn't let my children play in the street, there aren't any children on our street even. Just got me thinking, I wonder what their memories will be?

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, I love this tread -old style skates - he heeee!

I also spent a lot of time perfecting the Bucks Fizz dance where the girls whipped off their skirts! That and pretending I was Olivia Newton John in Greece!

Well.... the boy that everybody thinks you fancy. Oh to have such simple feelings again!

Turning my bike upside down and trying to grind rose petals up in the chain.

lol Thomcat!!! I used to pretend I was Olivia Newton John in Xanadu on my roller skates!!!!!!!

I lovvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeedd two balls - can't remember any of the rhymes though.

Ah yes, mouldy rose petals in stagnant water, cluttering up the airing cupboard. I remeber it well....

We had French skipping too and used to spend hours knotting elastic bands together especially!

I don't recognise any of these skipping rhymes though!

We had:

Vote vote vote for little xxxx
In comes yyyy at the door, at the door
yyyy is the one who is having all the fun,
so we don't need xxxx any more
shut the door
drop the candle on the floor.

And about 500 others.

We also had the racist version of eeny meeny miny mo, but I didn't realise that until many years after I had left school.

"My heart is not the first heart brooookkennn
My eyessss are not the first toooo cryyyyyy!"
Sung hanging over the edge of my paddling pool!!!!

M2T, I remember that skipping song well - you had two 'enders' and the turning of the rope was called 'coins' or something like that......

We also did
High, low
Dolly, rocky,
Medium, pepper - this last one was incredibly fast and tripped you up.

THere she goes...
BLack stockings and dirty toes.......
Look at her feet
She seems so neat
BLack stockings and dirty toes.......
(Running through the turning rope)

It was also a challenge to jump in with the rope going away from you

There were some clapping songs as well -
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
and
Under the (I can't quite get the word) tree

When playing tig, if you didn't want to be caught, you put your thumbs up and said 'Keys'

Ah the memories.............but it was SO long ago.

In your Laura Ashley nightdress!!!!!! LOL (You admitted to it first!!!!)

Excuse me - I had a pale blue satin nightdress, with rouching on the bust and shoestring straps. My mum had to stop me from wearing it with her high heeled boots and going off round the block to post a letter (which wasn't a letter at all, just a folded up piece of paper!!) I felt to grown up and sexy I wanted to go out dressed in it! OMG!!!!!

I just taught 'here is a church...' to my 3yo. You put your hands back-to-back and lace the fingers, then close your hands palm-to-palm so that your fingers are inside (Here is the church) release index fingers and touch them together up out of your hands IYSWIM (and here is the steeple) move thumbs apart (open the doors) wiggle fingers (and here are all the people.) DS got fed up struggling to get all his fingers inside, so he did the rhyme with his fingers interlaced and clasped on the outside and instead of 'here are all the people' said 'where are all the people? On the roof!' lol!

Ip dip sky blue
Who's it not you
Not because you're dirty
Not because you're clean
My mother says you're the fairy queen.

Draw a snake upon your back
Which finger did....THAT?

1 potato 2 potato 3 potato 4, 5 potato 6 potato 7 potato more.

Under the bramble bush, down by the sea
Johnny broke a bottle and he blamed it all on me.
I'll tell my mama
I'll tell my papa
And Johnny'll get a spanking on his oom-pah-cha-cha-cha!

I could do all those cat's cradle, hopscotch and handclapping games, but anything involving ropes or balls was a nightmare for me. There was one game called Donkey where you had to bounce a ball against the wall and leap over it as it came down. I never got the timing right and the b*y thing always got caught in my skirt.

British Bulldogs was also banned in my school, so we played a sort of reverse version called Fisherman's Net. I don't know if it's a 'real' game or we invented it. Everyone playing would be at on end of the playground, with two in the middle holding hands (the net). When they yelled out the starting rhyme (which I've forgotten) everyone charged across to the other side and the two in the middle would try to catch as many as possible without letting go of each other's hands. Anyone caught became part of the net and had to hold hands and catch others. It went on and on back and forth across the playground until everyone was caught or the net gave up and declared the remaining people the winners. When the net got long it was just as scary and painful as BB, and not surprisingly was eventually banned as well.

I've got a brand new pair of roller skates
you've got a brand new key
I think that we should get together and
try them out and see

(not a kids' rhyme - sung by Melanie. Trying to remember the brand name of the red-and-shiny roller skates - anybody?)

Bron - LOL at Joy Numfa!

Okay stopped laughing! Just picked myself off the floor (boss looking at me very strangely!) I'm SURE dear Thomcat that you were sex itself!!! Me, I was just melancoly and virgin-like!!!! Thanks for the laughs - have to run off on school run!!! See ya later!

"I've got a brand new combine harvester
and I'll give you the key
come on let's get togther now....."

Is that not how it went??!!!

Rebi, not sure of the timing, but suspect the Wurzles(?) pinched the tune and the idea from her!

Wish I had a picture of me in it Rebi - would scan and email it to you if I did. I've scared myself remebering that! My mum did let me post a pretend letter once in her boots, but NOT nightdress, but even so - BITCH! What was she doing letting me out of the house in boots I could barely walk in??!! They were dark red, knee high, 3ish or so heel and I wore them with my tight jeans and a brigh pink satin boob tube, again all rouched and a pac a mac thing that had a picture of roller boots on the back in pale pink!!!! What was I doinf wearing red boots with a pink boobtube - would never wear pink and red togther!!!!!!!!! Rest of outfit looked fab!!! Anyway Rebi - I've started a white trash thread in chat - we should be there, well I should with my fashion mistakes.... I did grow up in the 80's!! Anyway - get yourself over to chat where another thread awaits you!

Wish I had a picture of me in it Rebi - would scan and email it to you if I did. I've scared myself remebering that! My mum did let me post a pretend letter once in her boots, but NOT nightdress, but even so - BITCH! What was she doing letting me out of the house in boots I could barely walk in??!! They were dark red, knee high, 3ish or so heel and I wore them with my tight jeans and a brigh pink satin boob tube, again all rouched and a pac a mac thing that had a picture of roller boots on the back in pale pink!!!! What was I doinf wearing red boots with a pink boobtube - would never wear pink and red togther!!!!!!!!! Rest of outfit looked fab!!! Anyway Rebi - I've started a white trash thread in chat - we should be there, well I should with my fashion mistakes.... I did grow up in the 80's!! Anyway - get yourself over to chat where another thread awaits you!

My best friend from school and I wet ourselves laughing when we remember laying on my bed pretending to give birth to our baby dolls. Mine was called Joanne and I'd shove her up my top and writh around my bed in agony, whilst she'd be shouting 'I can see the head' 'Keep pushing' Then I'd pull out this doll (fully clothed)put her in her cot, then it was my friends turn to give birth.

We also used to have pretend 'I've got my period' conversations long before we even really knew what periods where!

Ticky pump, ticky scarecrow, ticky offground, freedom (I draw a snake upon your back, which finger do I prod you with?)
Also loved playing murderer in the dark at home with my 3 brothers and some cousins - epic game, and as there were always power cuts it made it more fun.

Yah there were always power cuts when we were kids! God I sound old!

Sorry - meant 'yeah', didn't mean to come across all South African!

No, you don't sound old, darling! There was still sweet rationing when I was tiny - now that IS old!

Sweet rationing!!!!!!!!!!!!! He heeeeeeee , tell me more.