Childhhood Games

Yesterday I was teaching my daughter a song I had learned as a child. It was actually used in a hand clapping game my sister used to do with her friends while we road on the bus (in the four years I attended private school before my parents began homeschooling). Unfortunately, I was the "pesky" little sister, so she never bothered teaching the hand motions to me.

The song went like this:

Say, say oh playmate

Come out and play with me

And bring your dollies three

We'll climb my apple tree

Slide down my rainbow

Into my cellar door

And we'll be jolly friends

For ever more.

After indulging in this bit of nostalgia, I began thinking about some of the other childhood games I remember but haven't taught to my children, and all the ones I've probably forgotten. I was thinking it would be nice to make some kind of website to record these games. That afternoon, I received this email from the Games for Learning Yahoo Group list:

"I have an idea I'm starting to put into action that I need your help with. I've created a group at YouTube for people to upload videos of step-by-step instructions of children (or grownups) teaching how to do different playground games. Examples would be clapping games, jump rope rhymes/games, Chinese jump rope, traditional or Chinese jacks, hopscotch, playground ball games, cat's cradle/string games, etc. The idea being to create a place to go to learn all these wonderful games from our childhoods and to be able to pass them along to the next generation. I want to see a resurgence of these games! I know they are still out there, but they don't seem as prevalent as they used to be, so I want to change that!"

Talk about providential! I love when God works things out like that, don't you? If you're interested in seeing what is posted or posting some videos of your own, please visit Playpalooza. Let's all renew our childhood memories this summer and help our children create some of their own.