Guest Blogger
Guest Post: The Games We Play
Do you remember the outdoor games you played as a child? What about the rhymes which determined who was going to be “it” for the next round of freeze tag or hide and seek?
Engine Engine number nine,
Going down Chicago line,
If the train goes off the track
Do you want your money back – yes or no?
I’ve been sharing the rules of the playground games and simple songs of my childhood to my daughters ever since they were old enough to hold a skipping rope.
I remember many of songs we sang. This was (and still is!) is one of my favourites:
See-see my playmate,
Come out and play with me,
And bring your dollies three,
Climb up my apple tree,
Slide down my rainbow,
Into my cellar door,
And we’ll be jolly friends,
Forever more!
(We sang a different version when the teacher was out of earshot. What rebels!)
One of the other games we played was hopscotch. As kids we used ordinary chalk but nowadays we make our own sidewalk paint. The formula is very easy:
- one part corn starch
- one part water
- a few drops of food colouring
Mix well, and use a thick brush to paint it on the pavement. It might not look like much at first, but when it dries it’ll leave a bright, thick chalky line…. perfect for hopscotch. And when we tire of hopscotch we use the rest it for freeform sidewalk art.
We’ve also made rocket balls and learned how to walk on stilts.
I love sharing my playground heritage with my girls. Not only is it a window into the little girl I was growing up, but it also proves I was once something other than a mother of two.
~ Andrea
Tags: Easy Projects, Fun
[...] Today’s guest post at Canadian Family Magazine is about the games we like to play. [...]
I remember the dirty version of that song: (You’re thinking, of course you do.)
See see my playmate
Come out and neck with me
And bring your boyfriends three
Climb up my sexy knee
Slide down my panty hose
Into my underwear
And we’ll be jolly lovers
Forever more, more, moremore-m-more!
Ooh we thought we were so bad in the townhouse complex. Looking back, this version was waaaay over my head. As was Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. *sigh*
I think these economic times make games like these even more important. Not because we have no money but because there’s a trend to stay a little closer to home, cherish simple family time and pass down our stories. Thanks for reminding me what the words we were singing were.
Nadine, that’s a good version I was not aware of but got a good laugh from.
Nadine. That is it! LOL.
Yvonne, I think you make a great point. Simple family times are where it’s at.
We make that sidewalk paint too (maybe I got the recipe off your blog??) and I think it’s better than the brand name stuff (much cheaper too). Ohhhhh I remember see-see my playmate (Nadine’s version anyway), so glad you posted the clean version so I can share it with my girlies!