shazrasha: (jenkins beware)
shazrasha ([personal profile] shazrasha) wrote2007-01-19 12:38 pm
Entry tags:

Childhood games and Playground fun.

I had a rather random conversation with K last night about games we used to play as children in the playground. I really have no recollection of how we ended up on that topic, but we did. Two things should be noted about childhood games.

1. We all played them and there were lots of them, and No, some of them don't make sense.
2. Just because we recognise the names of each others games does not mean we share the same memory of the rules.

This is what I remember playing. Behind cuts as the explanations with make this long.

What's the Time Mr Wolf ? - With one child as wolf and everyone else trying to get close enough to touch the wall he was standing by. Every time he turns round he adds time to the clock until lunchtime when he runs after you to eat you. Person gets caught they are the wolf next.

Mother May I? - One person was Mother standing at the end of the playground with back turned. The others would take turns asking "Mother may I move closer?" or some such and she would reply "Only if you take so many (sometype of wierd) steps". When she turns round you have to be still as statues or she sends you back to the beginning. First one to the wall wins and gets to be Mother next turn.

Crocodile, Crocodile, may I cross your golden river? - I can't remember the exact name of this one but that was what we always had to ask. The Crocodile in the middle would then reply "Yes if you are...." and obviously those who couldn't cross had to run and risk getting caught and becoming the next crocodile. I remember this being quite fun for us as we had a sort of dip section with high banks that emulated a river.

Stick in the Mud - Simply a slightly more advanced version of tag. One person is Tag and if they catch you you end up stuck to the ground. To unstick the person someone has to crawl though their legs. The tag person wins if you all get stuck at which point a new person is appointed.

Bulldog - There is some discussion as to what the rules were for this as I know two versions under two different names. I will give them seperate entries. One bulldog in centre of playground. He/she picks someone to run. If they reach the other side everyone else can make a run for it. If they get caught that person becomes a bulldog too and a new runner is called for. The game ends when everyone is a bulldog.

British Bulldog - Ok I admitt right now that this is NOT the version that got banned from almost every playground in the country. I'd love for someone to tell me what that version was like though. In our version the bulldog choose a theme and then everyone else would think of an item or thing within that theme. One person would call them all out to the bulldog who then picked a thing at random and they would run. Lent that sort of element of surprise to it all :)

Scarlett Letter - Now I never played this at school. I think we were taught it by some summer visitors to our village and I only remember something about choosing letters and getting to move if that letter was in your name anywhere.

Nuts, Bolts and Screws - Probably the most dodgy sounding of our games but perfectly innocent (in that childish way). Set up like Bulldog but the person picked gets to choose whether he wants to run alone(Nuts), with someone (Bolts) or make it real tricky for the chaser and have everyone run (screws). Again taught to us from outsiders to the school but rapidly became a great hit with everyone.

So do you have any games you used to play that I haven't listed? Or do you have alternate rules to ones that I have? If so I'm rather curious to hear them. :) I'm in a childish mood

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