Having read online how hard they were to find, I ordered six spaldeens on e-bay. Then I was buying some groceries at a Fred Meyer store (I’m in SW Washington state) went over to the sporting goods on the off-chance and they had boxes and boxes of spaldeens $1.99 each and boxes of some off-brand ball- not a pensie- for $1 each. So if there’s a Fred Meyer anywhere near you, check it out. Boy was I surprised!
I grew up in West Baltimore and my friends and I played skully, especailly during the summer, almost everyday. This was during the 70s. We used for caps the tops from the plastic gallon milk jugs and the tops from certain liquor bottles, which we mainly found in alleys. The tops were made out of a sturdy plastic, which allowed us to melt the crayons and candles wax right into the caps. Also during heat waves, we would dig up asphalt from the streets and rooftops to fill in the caps.
This is a song that we sing at our preschool but I believe it was sung by the children’s musician: Tim Cain. We have all children in a large circle holding hands up high as the open windows and it starts with one child being the bird going in and out of the open windows, while the rest of the children sing: “Bluebird, bluebird, through my window, Bluebird, bluebird, through my window, Bluebird, bluebird, through my window, Oh…you make me so ha-appy…it’s hugging time” And the one bluebird picks a child (who hasn’t had a turn yet), hugs him or her, then the song is repeated until all children have been hugged (or gently tapped) and have gotten a chance to be bluebirds going in and out of the open windows. Works well with several adults (depending on the size of the group), to remind which kids haven’t been chosen yet, (otherwise they pick only their best friends over and over).
Here’s the rhyme I remember, playing with two rubber balls against the garage door in Dublin, Ireland in the 70s Plainy, a packet of rinso Over, a packet of rinso Uppy, a packet of rinso Downy, a packet of rinso Dashy, a packet of rinso Right Leg, a packet of rinso Left Leg, a packet of rinso Archy, a packet or rinso Plainy, plainy, a packet or rinso, etc. etc. until you were out! We got so good at this we could then do with one hand.
I was just teaching some kids “school” jump rope and am trying to remember all the “grades. I remember Kindergarten is running through without touching the rope. Gr.1 is one regular jump, Gr. 2 is spin around while jumping two jumps, Gr. 3 was touch the ground (froggy style) while doing 3 jumps, Gr. 4 was close your eyes while jumping 4 jumps, Gr. 5 was getting in the rope on the opposite side (backwards) and jumping 5 regular jumps, Gr. 6 was jumping with your legs spread far apart (we called them the splits), Gr. 7 was jumping on one foot 7 jumps, Gr. 8 was the snake (we lowered the rope just off the ground and slithered it back and forth and the person jumping had to jump back and forth over it 8 times…I’m at a lose for the upper grades…anyone else know them??
I hadn’t thought about SPUD in a long time. Thanks for reminding me. It was a game we’d play in the yard in Indianapolis in the 1970’s with brothers, sisters and neighbors. It was really fun. Our favorite game as twilight turned into night was Ghost in the Graveyard. The IT (ghost) was chosen and sent to go hide in the bushes or wherever. The rest of us would stand on the stoop with our eyes closed and count: “One o’clock, the ghost’s not here; two o’clock, the ghost’s not here…all the way to…twelve o’clock, the ghost’s not here. We hope to see the ghost tonight!” We would work ourselves into a nervous frenzy counting, and then we’d split up to wander around the yard in search of the ghost. Whenever the ghost decided to come out, the ghost would chase any players. If the ghost tagged you before you made it back to the stoop, you were the next ghost. It was fun and scary.
I live in Castleford, England, U.K. We live in a pleasant, peaceful cul-de-sac, where kids from ages 3 to 23 have played street Tag Rugby, Soccer, Basketball and Cricket for the last 25 years. It’s a joy to see and encourages participation and good health away from the video console! Yesterday the police visited our street after a complaint of noise from a few residents and banned ALL ball games with immediate effect. They have said that even if my 3 year olds plays with a ball in the street, they (or I) will be arrested and an ASBO (Anti Social Behaviour Order) applied for, possibly leading to a 6 month exclusion from the town!!!….. This IS NOT A JOKE and the action is apparently supported by our local Government Representative. So… whatever you play, enjoy it ….and be happy that you don’t live in the UK!!!