Games People (Used To) Play

I don't know why this always happens, but I had never heard of Cape May before yesterday, when I blogged about
Jen A. Miller's book, The Jersey Shore: Atlantic City to Cape May. Then, when I did a Google search on “adventure” to try to find a topic to blog about today, I found this article on the Web site for the Cape May County Herald.

> “Props, An Adventure in Theatre Workshop” at Court House Library

The article is an announcement of a mini-workshop designed to “bring more joy into your life through play.” Participants are instructed to bring a hula hoop and a crate to class. Sounds like this could be fun...!

I used to be pretty good at the hula hoop, back in the day, although I could only do the regular spinning-it-around-
the-waist movement—none of the fancy throws or crazy multi-body-parts tricks (which, somehow, at some point, managed to become an Olympic sport...?).

I also loved hopscotch and skipping, although I never could get the rhythm right to do double-dutch properly. And I really liked games where you threw a ball against a wall using different types of throws and catches, usually accompanied by some instructional song. (“Ordinary movesies... One hand and the other hand... One foot then the other foot... A clap in the front and a clap in the back...” Well, you get the idea.) Now kids probably only play that on a Wii!

I'm curious what other childhood games people think of fondly, or possibly shake their heads at today. Does anyone else remember that weird contraption that had a plastic ring that went around your ankle, and had a string attached to a bell-shaped piece? You would twirl it around in circles using the one leg, while skipping over it with the other. Do they even make that anymore? Inquiring minds and all that...

Blog of the Day

Speaking of things I loved as a child, writer/editor Sandra Hume administers Only Laura, a blog devoted to all things Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House book series. As part of the May Blogathon challenge, she's also running a commenting contest. Enter a comment on any post, and you'll be entered to win a really cool prize.

Comments

[Ruth]

Clackers!! Those wrist shattering glass balls that hit each other when you moved your arm up and down. I just looked them up on Wikipedia....says they're modeled off an Argentine weapon, named bolas. It all makes sense to me now.

[Elizabeth]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about those torture devices! I can just imagine the lawsuits they would spawn if they were still being sold today... :)