Sunday 28 January 2018

Still playing

Yes, we did play elastics but didn't have any songs to go with it. I still remember the moves. If you look up 'elastics skipping' on Ytube there's plenty to see. 'Launch pad elastics' even have some songs to sing to the skipping.

England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, inside, outside, puppy dog tails.

 Single rope skipping with a group had quite a few songs.

House to let,
Apply within,
When I go out,
Mrs. ____ comes in.

Then there was a reciting of the alphabet and when your initial was called you jumped into the rope.

Do you remember -

All in together girls,
Jolly fine weather girls,
When it's your birthday please jump in.

All the months were then chanted.

All in together girls,
Jolly fine weather girls,
When it's your birthday please jump out.

All the months were chanted again.

Salt was ordinary skipping with a little jump between skips and pepper was fast skipping with a jump on each turn of the rope.

We even did what we called 'French Skipping' where 2 ropes were turned.


Hand clapping rhymes were good.

I am a pretty little Dutch girl,
As pretty as can be, be, be,
And all the boys in my backyard
Go crazy over me, me, me.
My boyfriend's name is Fatty.
He comes from Cinuratti, (??????)
With 10 black toes and a pimple on his nose
And this is what he said to me,
"I L-O-V-E love you,
I K-I- double S kiss you,
In the D-A-R. in the D-A-R
In the D-A-R K-K.

I'll finish with a 'rude' poem my dad taught me.

Chin, Chin, Chinaman bought a penny doll.
He washed it and dressed it and called it Pretty Poll.
He sent for the doctor but the doctor didn't come
Because it had a pimple on its bum, bum, bum.

xx

PS - A very big thank you to Angela and Rachel for explaining some of the games in the last post.

8 comments:

  1. Oh the innocent days when people didnt over analyse the words used in simple songs. Now you say anything and without your knowledge youve offended x, y &z. Some things should just be taken at face value. Did you ever think Morecombe and Wise were gay? I didn't yet they were regularly seen in bed together.

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  2. I used to love skipping and playing elastics. Do you remember starting with it around ankles, then knees and then waists? Crazy when I think about it now. I even used to wrap the elastic around chair legs if no one was around to play with me. Many a time the chairs would fall over, but I would just pick them up and carry on all the same. Simple times and pleasures. In out over out, jump in, jump out, turnaround, jump out.

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  3. You are wonderful for invoking all these fab memories. I've been singing away for the last couple of days!
    We would play clapping games the most. Standing facing each other, me and Joanne H my best ever friend!
    Aaaaaaaa sailor went to sea sea sea ( we'd stop clapping at the end of the line and add an extra action! ) ( hand made waves )
    To see what he could see see see ( hand to eyes )
    And all that he could see see see ( hand to eyes )
    Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea ( hand made waves )
    Then the second verse got bizarre!
    A sailor went to see, chop , knee ( hands to eye, make chopping on elbow and hand on knees )
    To see what he could see, chop, knee
    And all that he could see, chop, knee
    Was the bottom of the deep blue see chop knee!!!


    Another one we clapped to was v odd and v bizarre I remember it! There was a complicated hand routine to it that I can't quite recall!!
    Up par vee, titty vee, titty ash car um par vee
    Follow me
    Acadairy so Mary
    Acadairy Pom Pom !!!

    Full instructions now in case people want to do handstands.
    Stand and face a wall, and when you sing the word UP, you go up into a handstand against the wall, and stay there until you sing the word DOWN.
    Ready? Check no boys are around in case they see your knickers !!!
    Those magnificent men in there flying machines, they go UP tiddlyumpom, they go DOWn tiddlyumpom, UP, Down, flying around ( optional spin here ) looping the loop and then touching the ground ( touch the ground ) etc!!!


    We used to also have lots of different ways to choose who was on in a game! Some of them were so long, it's a wonder playtime wasn't over by the time the person was chosen. Gang gets in a circle, and you point in turn rhythmically to each person in time to the rhyme.
    There's a party on the hill, can you come
    Bring your own bread and butter and a bun
    Who is your very best friend ( this person landed on picked a name ) say they say Fred
    Fred will be there, with a ribbon in his hair
    And oh you tee spells out
    With a jolly big clout. This person would be out!


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    Replies
    1. !!!!!!!! :) You're my kind of girl - slightly bonkers! Let's form a club. :)
      I'll try and do a post on 'choosing' rhymes.

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  4. Ps. I never played elastic. Never had the time!!!!!

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  5. I'd forgotten all about the rhymes and the elastics-we called them chinese jumpropes here in the U.S. We used to do the Pretty Little Dutchgirl hand clapping too.

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  6. Played elastics a great deal. Here in Canada skipping with two ropes was called Double Dutch. While the boys could skip one rope, for some reason they never could figure out how to skip with two ropes going.

    God bless.

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  7. I remember these too.
    My grandmother taught me
    Two, four six eight cherries on a plate
    come in an shut the gate

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Thank you for your comments. it's always exciting reading them.