Games of the Past

Games of the past cost little or nothing and were loaded with fun.  Especially in the  Depression years when there was no money for non-essentials. 

In those days,  country  schools  were small two-teacher  affairs with about thirty kids.

                        Moss school “big room”  kids, 1932ish

 We  had long recesses and plenty of time to play our games. There  was  Dare  Base,  Wolf Over the river, Sheep Board Down,  and others--all running tag games with a mushpot to hold those that got tagged. 

As children, all we were interested in was playing the games, but as an adult with a blog to write,  I did  some research.  I found the old saying, there is "nothing new under the sun" to be true.

History tells us that tagged games  were played in ancient Greece, and knowing the nature of kids, I expect tag was probably the first game ever played.

 Then there were circle  games like Dodge Ball,  Flying Dutchman and Drop the Handkerchief and many more. All a part of long ago  unsophisticated  school life.

We  fell- got skinned  knees and seldom cried, although  a  generous swab of mercurochrome  was occasionally needed. Crack the Whip  and Statue were fun, but  a bit dangerous and would be banned today.

  Quieter games,  involving less people, were hopscotch, jump the rope, and marbles. We were warned by our teacher  that playing marbles “for  keeps” was not allowed. 

As for jumping rope, there is evidence suggesting that Egyptians used vines for jumping as early as 1600 AD. 

Hopscotch is another oldie. It was used in training Roman soldiers

At home, play was simply a matter of using whatever was available.  Swings were  made from an old tire  or short board hung with a rope from a tree limb. 

Grapevines did not swing high enough to be  good swings, but the thick overhead canopy the vines formed was a great  secret place to hide from the world on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

 A pipe placed between  tree limb forks  made a good place for simple gymnastics

Walking on a barrel was  fun, but  best done in a sandy spot that  would cushion the falls that were sure to happen. We veterans of  barrel walking could use a  little of that balance today.

Jacks was a favorite of the girls. We went  through onesies and twoes and went on to more difficult creations such as" pigs in a pen " or  “eggs in a basket." Those who developed good coordination did well at  "shooting stars” or "over the moon.”

Ancient murals found in caves in  the Ukraine show  Jacks history  goes back to the cave people and  their children. Rocks, shells, seed and bones have served as jacks and  there are many names. My favorite is Knucklebones.

Most homes had  a  set of dominoes; some had checkers.  Chinese Checkers or Monopoly were   popular but never  replaced the dominoes and domino games. The game was played in China as early as 1300. A set was found in the tomb of one of  their early rulers  He must have loved the game as, much as some people we know. 

There are many variations of  the  game. One called “42” was created in Texas. It only takes four players and is the cause of many Saturday night "42 parties."

Monopoly is a newcomer to the game world. It was created and patented in 1903  as  “The Landlord's  Rent” by left-wing feminist Lizzie Magee in  an attempt to show the flaws of capitalism. 

She must have succeeded , for an attempt to sell the game to Parker Brothers Games failed on the  grounds “it was too political.”

Years later,  Parker Brothers bought the game and after a few changes, it hit the market in 1935 as Monopoly.

Today, the little country school and its games are only memories. PE and better educational opportunities  have  taken their place.