Games We Used to Play Outside as Children , livre ebook

Andrews UK - Aluta Nite

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39 pages

English

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Contained in this book are 32 outdoor games and activities we were involved in as children growing up. We made apparatus we needed ourselves using all sorts of materials available around our homesteads.

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Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	08 janvier 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781783335107
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Title Page
GAMES WE USED TO PLAY OUTSIDE AS CHILDREN

by
Aluta Nite

Publisher Information
Games We Used to Play Outside published in 2014 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
The right of Aluta Nite to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
Copyright © 2014 Aluta Nite
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Introduction
As children growing up, there was so much to do with our time, besides going to school and helping our parents with various chores.
There were numerous games and activities we were involved in outdoors, both at home and school. Some were typically played by boys and some by girls, while others were enjoyed by both.
The games and activities were all fun to begin with, although a few ended up being somewhat dangerous. As a result, playing was characterized by a mix of laughter, running around, screaming, shouting, singing, crying and fighting. In the end we were tired, thirsty, hungry and sometimes angry.
Some games needed nothing but our willing bodies, while others needed apparatus. For the latter, we improvised using materials available locally.
Toy shops were almost non-existent, and if there were a few toys in some merchandise shops, our parents could not afford them. The little money they had was spent on necessities they could not produce themselves like some foods and clothing, as well as on expenses such as tuition.
Dedicated to all children of the world.
Acknowledging Boyie and Sikoot.

Walking on Stilts
Aspiring for height was characteristic of us as children. Waiting to grow older and therefore taller was not desirable, as we were impatient. Stilts, therefore, became our solution.
The first type we used were made of two slender poles to be held on to, and a short stick tied on to the lower half of each pole to form steps to stand on. We cut the poles and sticks from bushes and trees at home, on farms and in forested areas.
The poles and steps had to be sturdy enough to support our little bodies, but light enough for us to lift them and ourselves, as we manoeuvred forwards or backwards with our little limbs. The poles were made from dry wood that was lightweight.
To hold on to the stilts, we wrapped the palms of our hands around the poles near the top ends. To make them more stable, the poles were chosen such that the bottom ends were thick and firm, while the top ends were lean and easy to grab with our small hands.
The poles did not sit under our armpits either. They moved with our feet in front of our little arms and torsos, as we stepped forwards or backwards, with our hands guiding them in our chosen movements.
Tying a small stick to each of the two poles, to support and attach our small feet to them, made for makeshift steps. However, these proved to be dangerous because the string or rope used to tie the sticks could slip out easily and cause us to fall off. The steps were about a foot or more above the ground, and falling could thus cause injury.
Making shallow grooves on the two poles, to partially embed the sticks and then tying the sticks on to the poles with rope, made better steps.
Some of us went a step further and made somewhat permanent steps by piercing holes through the poles from side to side in order to insert the sticks that would serve as steps. The sticks would then be secured with rope, after ensuring that they protruded sufficiently on the side of the pole where our feet were to be supported.
To climb on to the steps and start walking, we carried and hoisted each other up the steps, or leaned against a wall or tree, to get support and balance as we climbed on to the steps.
The second type of stilts gave us less height than the first. They were made of tin cans or dry, lightweight wooden blocks, that were cylindrical, square or rectangular in shape.
With the wooden ones, large nails were hammered on to the top, such that our big and second toes could easily grip the nails, and thus partially secure our feet to the blocks. In addition, string or rope was tied to the nails, then extended to our hands to be held and used to lift and lower the blocks in order to take steps.
In the case of tin can stilts, the cans were turned upside down, and therefore the open ends touched the ground, whereas the sealed bases became the tops of the stilts. A single hole was made on the top of each stilt, close to where our big toes would rest.
This would allow a string to pass through the hole and be secured with a knot on the inside of the can. The string would then be extended through the hole to our hands. Our big and second toes held on to the string, as our hands lifted the cans and moved them forward in the process of taking steps.
These stilts were more burdensome than those made from poles, because moving around was not as easy. In addition, the sizes were usually uncomfortably small for the lengths of our little feet.
Some of us inherited stilts from our older siblings who were now on to other games in puberty. Others had older siblings make stilts for them. Some parents also helped in making them.
However, the lazy ones among us would not strive to make or acquire their own, yet they too wanted to play with others’ stilts. As a result, there were quarrels and fights, when one took another’s stilts without permission. All in all, there were none to be bought, if they were not made at home.
We played with stilts any time of year, except when it rained. Both girls and boys enjoyed making them. However, boys were better at making them, though some girls also did quite a good job.
Competitions were held to see who could move faster and even run while on stilts. The winner was the one that moved the fastest, stayed longest on the stilts or made interesting or odd manoeuvers like dancing while on the stilts.
The races were risky because we often fell and hurt ourselves or collided and really hurt each other. But despite all the peril and pain, we never stopped playing with stilts. We healed from our scrapes and minor injuries, and continued as if nothing had happened.

Playing the ‘Five Stones’ game
Girls, in particular, loved playing the game of five stones. This game was played on patios, under tree clearings and on the open soil. Pathways were especially well suited for this game, because walking had worn away all the grass to expose soil, and therefore, stones would be easily visible when they landed and be quickly picked up.
We collected pebbles, mostly from the river, streams and springs, where they were readily available. This was a game played any time of the year, even if it was raining, because it could be played on a covered patio.
Just two people played the game to make it easy to keep track of scores, and only one hand was used by each person. A round consisted of four steps. A total of five stones were scattered on the ground closely, at the beginning of each of the four steps.
Failing in any step meant that the player was out of that round of the game. The winner made it through all the steps in one round. Additional rounds were played, if necessary, until a winner was determined.
To start the game, and therefore the first step, the first player picked the first stone, which was to be used as the control stone. She then threw the control stone in the air four times and after each throw, she individually picked the remaining four stones in turn, while the control stone was still up in the air.
The control stone was never to touch the ground, but was to be caught mid-air, after picking one of the four stones, such that the player would have two stones in the palm of her hand. She then put the other stone back down, while holding the control stone in her hand, and repeated the exercise of picking each of the remaining three stones, one at a time, after tossing the control stone in the air.
The first player progressed to the second step if she completed the first step successfully. For the second step, she threw the control stone in the air two times and after each throw, she picked any two stones together, while the control stone was still up in the air. Again, the control stone was never to touch the ground. It had to be caught mid-air with two stones already in the palm of the player’s hand.
For step three, assuming the player succeeded in step two, she threw the control stone in the air two times and after each throw, she picked any combination of three stones. Likewise, for step four, again assuming the player succeeded in step three, she threw the control stone in the air just once, and attempted to pick up all the remaining four stones, before catching the control stone mid-air.
The first round was completed at this point, and the first player had won one round, if she got this far. The second player could then begin her first round.
This game required keenness, accuracy and speed, as our eyes scanned both the ground where the second, third, fourth and fifth stones were, and the air where the control stone was.
Some losers got mad and threw all the stones away, though finding five small pebbles of about the same size that were easy to handle, took some time. But that was the nature of some of us when competing.

Jumping Ove