Playground pastimes consigned to health and safety dustbin

[Guest guest]

Was chatting to a taxi driver the other day and they mentioned how

skipping ropes had been banned from school playgrounds, my son also

said that they had indeed been banned from his school, so I've just

had a quick look online and found this.

http://www.eveningleader.co.uk/latest-features/Playground-pastimes-

consigned-to-health.3238961.jp

Playground pastimes consigned to health and safety dustbin

The traditional game of conkers.

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Date:

27 September 2007

By Joanne Shone

As more and more playground games fall under stricter health and

safety scrutiny Joanne Shone looks back to a time when a scabby knee

was an object of pride and climbing the highest tree was a right of

passage

It's that time of year when youngsters just love to go bonkers for

conkers, if only the politically correct health and safety moguls

would let them.

OK the little darlings could have an eye out, or worse have someone

else's eye out, but come on, how likely is that? The worse scenario

is a sharp rap on the knuckles and a wounded ego.

Some schools have banned conkers altogether from the playground.

Others permit them but only if the combatants wear protective goggles.

Certain forms of tick (also called tip or tag) are outlawed too in

case precious Harry or Holly should fall over and, heaven forbid,

their parents might sue.

I was in primary school in the 1950s and used to thoroughly enjoy

racing around playing tick on the concreted playground. Consequently

I suffered my share of scraped knees and hands, but the scabs were

trophies of bravery to be picked at with pride for at least a week

and a half afterwards.

I remember several forms of the game including the basic 'tick you're

on' to hospital tick, statue tick and the deadliest of all chain tick

which could flail out across the full width of the playground,

committing the one on the end and therefore the winner to be

whiplashed off the tail of the chain into a bush, a hedge, a fence or

worse into bricks and mortar.

So yes I have to reluctantly agree that particular game was

potentially lethal and deserved to be X-listed, but marbles?

Apparently they too are now someone's idea of a dangerous pastime.

Okay, children have a propensity for shoving small round objects like

marbles in strange places, but does that mean they should be

banished.

Of course not, Nobody has given tiddly winks the flick and they

certainly have the same swallow-factor.

In an age when obesity is rife among our young shouldn't we be

promoting any form of exercise and be ready to admit there's a risk

with almost any form of play?

Climbing trees, swinging on ropes, riding bikes, rolling down grassy

slopes should all be part of growing up.

Playground days should spark memories of big skipping ropes, chasing

and ball games and those endless 'Turn and catch you' games like

British Bulldog, What's The Time Mr Wolf and Bad Eggs.

Back in the old days while the boys were happy playing kick the can,

flip the cigarette card and manhunt and of course endless games of

football, the girls were far more organised with mass skipping

marathons, twirling washing line lengths of rope.

We jumped increasing heights with the rope pulled taut in an

endurance feat called 'Higher and Higher' and we went 'Under and over

the moon'

We touched the ground, turned round and touched our nose, touched our

toes, climbed the stairs and said our prayers all the while skipping

to the rhyme 'Teddy bear, Teddy bear', and of course there was the

condiment chant echoed countrywide of 'Salt, Mustard, Vinegar,

Pepper'.

Other playground games that had faded into the mists of my girlhood

include:

L.O.N - D.O.N

London involved one child facing away from the others spelling out L.

O. N D. O. N while the rest of the players crept up behind. If they

were caught still moving when the speller turned they had to return

to the start. The winner was the first to reach the speller with a

sometime much to vigorous slap on the back.

MAY I?

A child was picked to be 'it' and stood face towards the wall as a

line of friends tried to be first to reach them by employing a

sequence of moves with intriguing names like scissors, pinsteps,

dollytubs and aeroplanes.

LETTERS IN YOUR NAME

Similar routine except that the players moved forward depending on

how many times a chosen letter appeared in their name and surname. A

couple of Polish girls always used to win this, I can't think why.

THE BIG SHIP SAILS...

'The Big Ship sails on the Alley, Alley O' was a great favourite at

my primary school. It involved forming a chain by hands on the waist

of the child in front until everyone was lined up then as we chanted

the Big Ship goes to the bottom of the sea we all collapsed in a heap.

QUEENIO QUEENIO...

Queenio, Queenio who's got the ball-io. A simple throw and hide game

with a ball that was a particular favourite with girls. Nothing could

compere to that coy 'I'm not telling you' look we used to adopt to

outwit our friends as we swung round hiding the ball about our

person. Not at all a ladylike game.

THE FARMER'S IN THE DEN

This game has stood the test of time and is still familiar on

playgrounds today. It involves a circle of children chanting about

how the farmer wants a wife, his wife wants a child, the child wants

a dog etc.

DUSTY BLUEBELLS

In and out those dusty bluebells and rap a tap tappering on shoulders

is etched into my memory as one of my favourite games. How important

did one feel when a crowd of your friends picked you and were rapping

and tapping on your shoulders?

CAT AND MOUSE

Also up thecre with the favourites. A wonderful game still played

today as the players form a circle and mouse tries to evade cat with

the help of the others closing ranks. Another version involves two

players racing round to take the only space in the circle.

STATUES

Pretty obvious by its name. Players had to remain as still as

possible. Any movement and you were out.

Both boys and girls played Jacks and I can reveal with no small

amount of pride that I was something of a champion. Throwing a ball

and snatching increasing numbers of the little metal pronged jacks

before catching the ball before it bounced was addictive and made

many late when the bell rang at the end of playtime.

These games formed bonds and created a sense of team spirit that

would last through schooldays and beyond, and shaped shared memories

that would last a lifetime.

The full article contains 1079 words and appears in n/a

newspaper.Page 1 of 1

I also found this, but didn't want to sign up for a free trial, but

the below might explain to some extent why skipping ropes have been

banned. Personally I think it is all getting ridiculous, they

complain about children getting fat/obese and then take away their

playground play/exercise equipment. My son says they've even taken

the climbing frame away at his school :-(

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-10637701.html

School ban on skipping rope after attack in playground

From: Yorkshire Post Date: April 30, 2007 | Copyright information

Copyright 2007 Yorkshire Post. Provided by ProQuest LLC.

SKIPPING ropes have been banned at a Yorkshire primary school after

two pupils used one to " assault " a boy in the playground.

Gye said her four-year-old son could have been killed

after two boys put a skipping rope around his neck and pulled it

tight.

spent two and half hours in hospital while doctors examined a

red mark on his neck and other injuries.

Miss Gye has refused to allow to return to Gledhow Primary

School, Leeds, until she is assured that children are appropriately

supervised at breaktimes.

Police officers have called at the school to talk to the four- year-

olds thought to have been involved.

Miss Gye said: " The boys were only aged four or five, but ...

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