Hop Scotch and other Games.

Hop Scotch
courtesy photobucket.com

Growing up in the era prior to, Television, computers and game gadgets, we were left to our own resources to entertain our selves. 

 

With limited funds our parents helped us find low cost to no cost games.  At night our neighborhood kids played kick the can or hide and go seek, a popular game still with many children.

The game of hop scotch apparently is older than the hills and has been played by many nations for decades.  All you need is a piece of chalk or a stick to draw in the dust your outlines and numbers.

The sidewalk in front of our home was marked by squares probably to keep the cement from cracking. 

We would write the numbers with a piece of chalk and mark out our game within the squares.  If no one was around to play the game with us, we could practice our moves and improve our hop and skips.

 

In those days, we also played jacks on a smooth surface.  This game could be ours for a few pennies and a small ball. 

Marbles was another game that required only skill and no electricity or batteries.

 

For a group of children at school, a game of jump rope would keep us busy and active during recess.  Individuals could use a small rope for their personal expertise.

As I researched on Google, it was amazing how many of these simple games are being marketed for around $25.

Our school did offer us the use of a basket ball with the hoop for good exercise and to improve our game.  

We could also check out a soccer ball we could throw against the walls for a game of “Back and battle.”  This must have been a rather “Olden days game, because no one on the internet seems to have heard about “Back and battle. With two persons the goal was to catch the ball on only one bounce.

The wall at school also offered us a place to practice our tennis serves.

Our parents were frugal, but we did receive some board games including a game of Monopoly one Christmas that gave our family and our friends many hours of good clean fun.

Honestly, I enjoyed those days, but I do love the technology of today. 

 

It is nice to remember our upbringing, but we must go forward and not backward.