I remember two things about recess. Fifteen minutes seemed like a loooong time, and the games we played changed with the season.
We played marbles in the winter and jump rope in the spring. We had several rhyming songs for Double Dutch, but I’ve long forgotten the words to them. Red Rover and Duck, Duck, Goose were popular. Remember a game called Telephone or Grapevine? A group of children would stand in a row and the first would whisper something into the ear of the next child. The message was passed that way until the last person said what they’d heard out loud—and of course it would have been hilariously altered from the original.My July release, Firefighter Daddy, was inspired by the William R. DeAvilla school, a block and a half from the Haight-Ashbury intersection in San Francisco.
The school’s paved playground still has numerous painted playground courts, and they’re even visible from Google’s satellite maps! (Click on the marker and zoom in.)
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One of them is a hopscotch court, and it became an important theme in the story. One of my favorite scenes in the book takes place on that playground, where the hero’s seven-year-old daughter teaches him how to play hopscotch. As I wrote that scene, I wondered...do children today still play games on the playground? I hope so.What were your favorite childhood games? Did you or will you teach them to your kids? Grandkids?
Happy reading!
Until next time,
Lee
The Writer Side of Life
Firefighter Daddy available now!
12 comments:
Hi Lee!
Great blog... as usual!
One of my most vivid memories of recess involves tobogganing. Our 'regular' school wasn't near a hill, but one winter, when our school was being renovated, we were temporarily located in a building with a large hill right outside our classroom! (or, rather, it seemed large to us, ha ha) We had great fun that winter—red noses and all!
Cheers,
Joy
What fun, Joy! Thanks for sharing that!
We played Red Rover, Kickball, Dodgeball, and Hopscotch. My children also went to a country school so learned all of these games there.
For us it was 4 Square where four of you stood in a square (duh) and bounced a ball to others in the other squares. If you dropped the ball, you were out.
Off to get your book!
That's interesting, Estella. I wonder if some games were more popular at country schools. Red Rover and Dodgeball could be kind of rough. Better played on a field than a paved playground, I'm sure.
Thank you, Julie! You made my day!
I didn't play four square as a child, but there's a four square court on the playground that inspired this book.
Thanks, Lee for reminding me of those bygone days shooting marbles, skipping double dutch and others. Your book is out!!! I must get down to Chapters before it disappears.
Who remembers penmanship classes?
Hi Lee! I loved Four Square as well, and Tetherball. Not sure I see a lot of kids playing different games now.
Oh, hopscotch! And tetherball – the only sport at which I've ever excelled.
Anita, I remember penmanship classes. We needed recess to recover from all those interlined rows of bbbbb…such a complicated letter.
LOL, Anita. Penmanship was my worst subject. Still is, I'm afraid.
Gillian, whatever kids are doing at recess these days, I hope they're getting exercise and having a chance to use their imagination.
Rachel, I'm glad you're still basking in the glow of being a tetherball champ :)
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