He’ll be OK provided he found the soap in the showers in time!
Childhood was freer - less organized, more self-deterministic, and with a much bigger territory:
- Finding a piece of old wood that became the basis for building a raft that would never sail.
- Playing hiding games and eating oranges in the orchards behind the house.
- Building high forts in the eucalyptus trees with cast off wood from building sights, and making other forts with tumbleweeds stacked sky high.
- Making boats and other structures to sail down the gutters, usually peppered with some kid daring some other kid to drink the gutter water.
*Playing board games until someone threw the board,
*Riding bikes doing modifications like adding a playing card attached to the spokes with a clothes pin or just turning them upside-down to spin the wheels, clean or make other supposed “repairs.” - Drawing bike and roller skate courses on the street with chalk and having to wash them off at the end of the day because someone’s mom said we had to,
- Making catapults and launching things - or just using the see-saw to launch stuff.
- Spending twenty minutes establishing and fighting about rules for football, four square, baseball, etc. and never really getting on with the game.
*Stealing utensils from the house to dig holes to China or otherwise dig pits.
*Establishing some territory and club that was all about defending said territory by amassing clods of dirt, snowballs or other items to be launched against a never-seen enemy. Plenty of discussion about who was in charge.
Life was better when there were no screens.
The things we played during games lessons.
Football, Rugby, Cricket, Rounders (the original tough version not the softy American version called baseball), Basketball, Volleyball, Pirates (when every piece of gym equipment was set out as an obstacle course and the person who was “It” would try and catch everyone, or make them fall in the water (the floor), Hockey against the girls, but only the once. We boys went back to the much gentler game of rugger after that.
Ugh, Hockey…I hated hockey during PE at school. I was always getting hit in the shin - by others or even doing it myself!
Dodge ball.
The most evil game ever invented. Lord of the Flies at its worst.
I don’t think it had a name, but we played a one sided version of that at junior school. Pupils had to run across in front of a wall and others would try to hit them with a ball as they went past.
In Rounders, the ball was thrown at the batter/runner, not to someone standing at the corners. It was not usually a soft ball.
Haha, no I didn’t, I’m afraid! Isn’t it funny, though, how these games and chants seem to have a life of their own? Adults don’t teach them to children - they’re just passed on in the playground, much like folklore being handed down, but only from child to child. And they appear in much the same form all over the country. I find the whole topic fascinating.
British Bulldog was my favourite
I assume you haven’t heard the allegations regarding Weed.
It was hard on the Estate, finding enough kids capable of counting 1, 2, 3.
I always won 
Innocent daze
Oh dear. The Threesome? :shock:
Ha! very funny 
.
But also very true in the vast majority of cases.
The Good Old Days.
Back in the days of tanners and bobs,
When Mothers had patience and Fathers had jobs.
When football team families wore hand me down shoes,
And T.V gave only two channels to choose.
Back in the days of three penny bits,
when schools employed nurses to search for your nits.
When snowballs were harmless; ice slides were permitted
and all of your jumpers were warm and hand knitted.
Back in the days of hot ginger beers,
when children remained so for more than six years.
When children respected what older folks said,
and pot was a thing you kept under your bed.
Back in the days of Listen with Mother,
when neighbours were friendly and talked to each other.
When cars were so rare you could play in the street.
When Doctors made house calls and Police walked the beat.
Back in the days of Milligan’s Goons,
when butter was butter and songs all had tunes.
It was dumplings for dinner and trifle for tea,
and your annual break was a day by the sea.
Back in the days of Dixon’s Dock Green,
Crackerjack pens and Lyons ice cream.
When children could freely wear National Health glasses,
and teachers all stood at the FRONT of their classes.
Back in the days of rocking and reeling,
when mobiles were things that you hung from the ceiling. When woodwork and pottery got taught in schools,
and everyone dreamed of a win on the pools.
Back in the days when I was a lad,
I can’t help but smile for the fun that I had.
Hopscotch and roller skates; snowballs to lob.
Back in the days of tanners and bobs.
JBR I love that! I don’t necessarily believe that they were the ‘good old days’ but that poem certainly makes it feel as if they were.
Oh yes, I remember those. I couldn’t wear them though as my hair was layered in those days.
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