By: W.C. Reader

Wonder if children on the elementary school level still have the same imagination and ingenuity that you old-timers used to demonstrate when you were turned loose on the playground at recess in the morning and the afternoon. Or do they just expect to show up for these "breaks" - or play period - and be put through their paces by college-trained P.E. teacher and/or playground directors?

That though occurred to us the other day when we were driving round nearby Victoria, trying to make our way from one medical appointment to another and not having our good wife and full-time navigator, Doris, along to counsel us (often) and give advice on the right direction. Left to our own devices, it took us on several unplanned and circuitous routes, causing us to pass a few school playgrounds - plus a park or two - in the process. This gave us the opportunity to occasionally shoot quick glances at well-manicured playgrounds, which were populated with every kind of play equipment that man has been able to device in order to keep the attention of tireless and restless children. There were slides, merry-go-rounds, plastic castles, pipes to crawl through, ladders and knotted ropes to climb, see-says, balancing bars, sand pits, chinning bars, and goodness knows what other kinds of contraptions these ties old eyes overlooked. Mentally, we tried to calculate how P.T.A meeting, carnivals, and other projects it took to pay for all that stuff. But you don't get very far on something like that when you already are running late for a doctor's appointment.

Well, as intimated in the beginning, you old-timers didn't get to enjoy the particular pleasures, which came to your grandchildren, and great, great grandchildren from all this modern playground equipment, which now is located at strategic places, round the modern-day school campuses.

But pleasure and happiness you did have! It came in the form of you using your imagination at recess and during the lunch period to dream up a number of games and activities, which required a minimum of equipment while involving a large number of boys and girls.

We are going to list a few of these games which we remember from you own grammar school days and them ask you to add other of the many we have left out. Then call some of your grandchildren around you and ask them if they have played any of the games. Maybe you will have to do some teaching in own right.

Here they are:

Wolf over the River, Pop the Whip, Ring Around the Roses, Drop the Handkerchief, Hopscotch, Bum(p?) Sucker, Tree Bump, Mumble Peg, Jacks, Jump the rope, yo-yo's, Dodge Ball, Hide and Seek, Marbles (including "keeps") Baseball, Washers, Horseshoes, Spin Tops, etc.

You take it from there! And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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