 |  | | | playtime games | There are 10 messages in this section. |
Mary Farnsworth from Emmett, Idaho USA. Posted 27 Jan 2003.
I remember the games we played at playtime. During the season when we played "balls" - it was a mad dash outside to get the best wall to "stoat" our balls off. We were quite proficient at bouncing two balls off the wall and performing lots of nifty acrobatic tricks into the bargain. First leg, second leg, both legs together ball bouncing through from behind, gibralter (ball going behind your back) and then the last one was "big birly". We went from ball season to skipping ropes to scraps. What wonderful fun we all had. I also remember getting the strap a time or two. I was a bit of a talker - but it definitely was a drastic form of punishment. However, I feel the worst form of punishment was the humiliation that the "not so bright" children had to suffer. Being called a dunce and humiliated when they struggled to learn. I teach struggling readers in an elementary school and believe me they suffer enough without public humiliation. That really was inhumane. I consider the education I received to be good - Mr. Tragheim, my qualifying teacher at Sandwood Primary school was excellent. I have many pleasant memories of my Glasgow childhood. I now live in Emmett, Idaho USA - | | |
|  | Tricia Tennent from Winnipeg, Canada. Posted 17 Feb 2003.
Mary, You have transported me back in time talking about playing balls! I feel the urge to dash out right now and play...I was really good at Gibraltar! Getting up early to get the best wall was a must and in fact at school, there was always a mad dash to the shelter and you had to stand, arms out, nose to the wall and holding your spot by shouting "nae half halfers for this whole wa'"!
I also have many memories of the belt and the cruel teachers who made pupils hold their hands over a desk so that the back of their hands got a wallop from the force of the belt hitting them. I didn't get it too many times and always took the belt when offered the choice of belt or lines but it wasn't right. I have cringing memories of some poor souls, especially the boys, who would cry as it was so painful and then were humiliated by the teacher for being a weakling. Humiliation seemed an integral part of education then but thankfully, no more.
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| | Izzie from Ontario Canada. Posted 24 Feb 2003.
Mary and Tricia, both of you brought back wonderful memories of playing in the street or the schoolyard. When Mary mentioned the strap that brought back memories as well. I used to get it every Friday for not getting all my math questions correct. Try doing that now to the kids.
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| | Isabel Wilkie from Blackpool. Posted 3 Jul 2003.
Well girls you've certainly taken me back.i come from Possilpark and balls were the big thing I remember driving my mother mother crazy practising in the close until i could perfect the moves, and i got quite good even with one hand. But do you remember playing chinese ropes with the elastic bands all tied through each other and you had to do amazing sequences without standing on them! and ropes do you remember when you were cawing, then you had to caw dead fast to make the jumper really jump. memories...
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| | Laura Davis from Ogden, Utah. Posted 8 Sep 2003.
I really enjoyed reading these comments. My family emigrated to America in 1974 and no one knew how to play any of the games I had enjoyed growing up in Scotland. I felt like a right fish out of water. It took me right back to read all your comments. I do remember fondly what "playing balls" is all about. Not only did we get the best wall at school but we would have to rush home to get the best part of the "close" to practice with our friends.
I remember playing chinese jump rope in our school uniforms at play time and the hours of pure excitement in swapping scraps that had been stashed in the folds of an old book. Although I wish I could remember some of the rhymes for jump rope and balls...
Thanks for sharing your memories. I think my Primary school was mostly protestant and the Catholic kids were in a school right next to it. My best friend went to it. There always seemed a bit of tension between the children. I remember being called a proddy dog (sp?) too funny. And the old, if I'm a Hen then your a duck and the bell the bell the bell, tell the teacher a'm no well. It is always good looking back. Thanks!
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| | isabel wilkie from England. Posted 14 Oct 2003.
you didn't go to Saracen School did you?
Anyway, do you remember Archiball the King of the Jews, there was a pattern on how you stoated the balls to go with the rhyme.
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| | Janice Forsyth from Scotland. Posted 24 Nov 2003.
one of the songs for playing ball off the wall and please excuse memory and spelling no straps !!!...
plainy, clappy, rolly pin, two-backy
right hand left hand, high stitush, low stitush t
urn yer back and away ye go [birly oh]
a rope song. on a mountain stands a lady who she is cannot tell all she wants is gold and silver all she she wants is a fair young man so call in my ... name and call in a friend who jumps in and start over again.
This was done with one rope or two [doubles]and I think the cawers kept going till the girls were all jumping in the rope/s
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| | Laura Davis from Ogden. Posted 16 Dec 2003.
You are the best! Thanks, it was fun to read these. It's funny how they come back. Archiball, ball, ball, King of the Jews, jews, jews. Bought his wife, wife, wife, a pair of shoes....and so on.
My school was Craigilea in Paisley. Of course I hear we "got out" before it really went downhill and eventually tore down.
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| | Jean Richards from Australia. Posted 5 Jan 2004.
Thank you for the wonderful memories of school years and games we played. I went to Kent Road, Townhead, Cuthbertson and then to Strathbungo in the '45 to 50's and well remember the ball games and rhymes we used.
How about 'The old grey mare'? Anyone remember that chant whilst we 'stoated' our balls against the tenement walls. Does anyone know if Townhead school is still there? I often wonder what made some of our teachers so cruel with their straps. They just seemed to enjoy belting the poor pupils, but, we did learn our 3 R's. Too afraid not to!
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| | Harriet Jameson Pellizzari from Austria or Cape Town. Posted 10 Apr 2006.
Hello
I was looking in Google to get more info to pass on about how we did Chinese skipping with Chinese Ropes. I used to play it in Bearsden Primary School and I saw that others also did in Glasgow too.
Now we had a teacher Mrs Buttery who gave us the strap too. It had the 8 thongs on one end. We were all scared of her she either gave us a toffie or the strap in 5th year.
Nice being brought back to school playtime memories.
Harriet
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