by Paul Tukey
The relatively modern invention of flashlights can introduce a safety factor as well as add spookiness to the game. If you’ve ever pointed a light into the woods at night, you know the lurching shadows can create all sorts of illusions; with a light on, the seekers might be able to find the hiders more easily, but maybe not.
ALSO KNOWN AS
Bloody Murder, Flashlight Tag, Fugitive, The Witch Ain’t Out Tonight
THE SETUP
BASIC IDEA
Find the ghost then run to home base without being tagged and turned into a ghost yourself
PLAYING AREA
An open area with lots of hiding places
EQUIPMENT
Flashlights (optional)
AGES
6 and up
PLAYERS
3 or more
Rules of the Game
This is a “the-more-the-merrier” game, so begin by gathering up as many people of all ages as you can find. Designate the boundaries of the “graveyard” and also the home base, a patio or picnic table, from which all the action will begin. It’s always fun at this point to tell a ghost story or two to set the mood — the scarier the better.
Ghost in the Graveyard officially begins with the selection of the first ghost.
While the remaining seekers recite the game’s ages-old chant, “One o’clock . . . two o’clock . . . three o’clock . . .” up to “twelve o’clock,” the ghost runs off to hide.
After the seekers reach 12, they shout, “Midnight! I hope I don’t see the ghost tonight!”
The players then head off, alone or in pairs, to look for the ghost, but also to keep from being found by the ghost.
When a seeker finds the ghost, he or she hollers out “Ghost in the Graveyard,” upon which all the players try to run to the home base before the ghost tags them.
Any players tagged by the ghost on the way immediately become ghosts themselves.
In the second round of the game, all the accumulated ghosts go off and hide, either together or in separate locations, while the remaining seekers give the chant.
If, at any point in the game, the ghost catches a player off guard and tags him or her unannounced, the captured contestant hollers out, “John’s a ghost” or “Sue’s a ghost,” and that round of the game continues.
It’s up to all the players to recall who is, and isn’t, a ghost.
The final person to reach home base without being touched by the ghosts earns the privilege of being the first ghost in the next round.
Ghosts of Ancient Greece
The ancient Greeks were among the first civilizations to portray ghosts as scary, haunting, and even evil creatures. They believed the spirit of the dead hovered near the corpse and therefore avoided cemeteries, especially at night.
The Greek trilogy Oresteia, first performed in 458 BCE, contains one of the first known literary references to a ghost. Named Clytemnestra, she was the wife who murdered King Agamemnon. The Greeks, according to ancient artwork, were among the first to play a hide-and-seek game with ghosts as a theme.
≪FLASHBACK VICTORIA≪
This is a great game to encourage kids to go out and be active on warm summer nights. Every scent and sound is heightened after dark, from crickets chirping to distant front-porch conversations that suddenly seem right next door.
And the real fun? That was finding that special hiding place, one nobody would ever figure out in a million years. You might share it with your best friend or that cute boy from the next block, or maybe you’d keep it to yourself.
GHOSTS IN THE ‘HOOD
In the modern neighborhood game of Fugitive, the players, most often teenagers, are divided into fugitives and detectives. The goal of the game is for the fugitives to make it from start to end in a set period of time before getting caught by the detectives wielding flashlights.
No boundaries exist and, in some variations, the detectives are allowed to use bicycles or even automobiles in the chase. Neither blockading the destination by the detectives nor trespassing onto private property or other improper activity is allowed, though cell phones are typically permitted for communicating whereabouts among teammates.
Most North Americans over the age of 55 remember when playing with a hula hoop was far and away the most popular children’s pastime. Although the craze died down in the 1960s, hula hoops have made a comeback and millions are still sold every year. But the predecessors of that toy, which has inspired modern dances and exercise crazes, have a history with children dating back to the earliest cultures of virtually all continents of the world; in those days, children ran beside the hoops in fields and on early roads.
ALSO KNOWN AS
Hoop and Stick, Hoop Rolling, Trundle Races
One of North America’s first books of games, The Boy’s Treasury of Sports, Pastimes and Recreations, published in 1847, quotes the Roman poet Horace as saying “hoop rolling is one of the manly sports of our time”; however, thousand-year-old paintings depict young girls frolicking with hoops, too. The game has almost always involved a stick to drive the rolling hoop forward and keep it upright if it begins to teeter. Ancient Greeks called this stick the “elater,” while the Romans named it the “clavis.” Some cultures used heavy metal hoops that were steered with metal hooks, although this version of the game soon lost favor because of the rather obvious injury factor.
THE SETUP
BASIC IDEA
Keep the hoop rolling no matter what!
PLAYING AREA
Any smooth, flat surface. A bumpy lawn makes it more difficult to keep the hoop upright and rolling forward, but can provide a fun challenge.
EQUIPMENT
A wooden or plastic hoop; ideally the rim is chest-high to the player
AGES
7 and up
PLAYERS
2 or more
Still Rolling
The Cooperman Company of Bellows Falls, Vermont, has been manufacturing nineteenth-century replica wooden toys since the 1950s. Co-owner Patsy Ellis says, “Our belief is that simple, natural toys that are long lasting are worth making. With the hoops, in particular, it’s really amazing to see children today play a game that was passed from the Greeks to the Romans, through the medieval and Renaissance eras, right up to today.”
FROM GRASS TO PLASTIC
The earliest hoops for trundle races were made from grapevines and grasses by Egyptians at least 3,000 years ago. Seeing a bamboo trundle hoop in Australia in 1957 inspired the founders of Wham-O, Arthur “Spud” Melin and Richard Knerr, to introduce the first plastic hula hoop to the American marketplace in 1958. More than 100 million customers purchased the toy, priced at $1.98, in just its first year.
Trundling for Glory
The King’s School, Cambridgeshire, England, holds a famous hoop trundle race each year to mark the refounding of the school in 1541 by King Henry VIII. Opened circa 970, the school is one of the world’s oldest. The overall winners of both the boys’ and girls’ hoop trundle races keep commemorative wooden tankards in their possession for a year. That high honor makes the annual trundle “the most spirited contest of the school year,” according to the school newsletter.
Variations
Rolling a hoop, or “trundling,” sometimes combines running speed with hand–eye coordination in races or relays among one or more people. To win, it’s just as important to develop deft skills with the stick as it is to be fleet of foot. Practice in this game is essential, but fortunately hoop trundling is an addictive form of athletic solitaire.
Set up an obstacle course where the hoop must pass between two rocks without touching either one, or around trees or other obstructions.
Boys seem to like the version where the object is to roll their hoop into the opponent’s hoop with the goal of knocking it to the ground. It’s most fun when entire teams square off in a full-blown hoop battle. The team with the final hoop standing wins.
Another version involves one player rolling the hoop while another pla
yer aims an object through it. Balls, stick, acorns, rocks, or pine cones work great!
A group of kids with just a couple of hoops can set up relay teams to compete on a straightforward back-and-forth course or a more complicated one with obstacles.
≪FLASHBACK PAUL≪
I have to admit that I’ve never had much success controlling hoops, either vertically or horizontally, but I was astonished at the ease at which my writing partner slipped into her hula hoop and made it spin for minutes on end. I’m certain Victoria could have gone on for hours. I figured that racing the hoops vertically would be more my speed, but I soon found trundling takes a special knack and lots of practice.
It brought back fond memories of racing my grandfather’s discarded tractor tires down Reeves Road in Bradford, Maine. Those heavy, wide tires weren’t nearly as difficult to balance, but they were nearly impossible to stop once you got them rolling.
Played for centuries before being standardized in England in 1869, horseshoes remains a serious sport and backyard bonding experience the world over. The best players are deadly accurate from 40 feet away, often achieving “ringers,” in which the horseshoe lands with its arms wrapped around the stake, on upwards of 60 percent of their shots. Some of the best games, though, are played between grandparents and their grandchildren, with techniques and family stories passed through generations.
ALSO KNOWN AS
Chinese Horseshoes
Regulation stakes are of iron or steel, one inch in diameter, and protrude 15 inches from the ground. Each one should be leaning approximately 12 degrees (3 inches) toward the other. The pits can be dug anywhere from 43 to 72 inches long and 31 to 36 inches wide.
THE SETUP
BASIC IDEA
Pitch the horseshoe at the stake and try to hit a ringer; closest one scores
PLAYING AREA
Lawn quality doesn’t matter. The stakes are typically set 40 feet apart and leaning toward each other about 12 degrees, with 14–15 inches showing above the ground. Frequent players may wish to dig pits for the stakes.
EQUIPMENT
• 4 horseshoes
• 2 stakes
AGES
4 and up
PLAYERS
1 on 1, or 2 on 2
Hit a Ringer
A simple game at heart, the idea is to pitch the horseshoe so it hits the stake. Although the official game with its heavy metal implements might be considered somewhat dangerous, especially for young children, horseshoes can be enjoyed by the youngest of players using small plastic shoes or even homemade papier-mâché rings.
It’s a wonderful game to build hand–eye coordination and also to teach early conflict resolution, because the shoe deemed closest to the stake is awarded a point on the way to 21 for a win. As the saying goes, “Closest only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades”; therefore, the scoring is often a matter of debate! (A ruler can come in handy for really close calls.)
Ringer
Rules. Stakes are pounded in the ground 40 feet apart in an official game, but can be closer together in a friendly contest. Smaller or younger players are permitted to throw from a shorter distance.
Each player tosses two shoes in a row per round.
The horseshoe must fall within the boundaries of the court.
The order of throwing offers no particular scoring advantage, but going second often provides a psychological advantage because you know the challenge in advance.
When pitching the shoes underhand along a line that stretches outward from one stake, players are allowed one step toward the opposite stake.
A shoe that lands within six inches of the stake is worth one point, while a ringer is worth three.
Points can be accumulated in each round or cancellation scoring can be used. That means that only the shoe closest to the stake earns a point. In other words, if both teams or players throw a ringer, no points are awarded. If both teams or players land shoes within six inches of the stake, only the shoe closest to the stake is awarded a point.
Strategy. Accuracy of shoe pitching takes loads of practice on the speed of the arm swing, the knee bend, the release point, and, most importantly, how to best hold the shoe. Some players hold it at the base, with the U of the shoe resting in the palm of their hand. Others hold the shoe sideways as a backward C. Whichever way you decide, learn to stick with it and establish a personal rhythm. It’s always a good idea to warm up the back, legs, and arms before playing horseshoes. Repeatedly lobbing a heavy metal object 40 feet in the air may be more exercise than you think.
Variation: Chinese Horseshoes
A hybrid of cornhole (see page 51) and Cherokee marbles (see page 42), the game of Chinese horseshoes is played using six hockey pucks or metal discs and two playing surfaces with three holes each, known as “pits.” A player or team has the option of rolling, throwing, or bouncing its three pucks toward the pit.
Pucks that go in the closest hole score two points, the middle hole four points, and the farthest hole six points. Pucks that land on the surface of the pit, which measures 18 inches wide by four feet long, score one point.
As in cornhole, players have the right to try to knock pucks away from holes, which are four inches in diameter. If both players or teams land a puck in the same hole, they cancel each other out. Games are played to 31, but players can win instantly by scoring a “yack-a-pooh,” which is tossing all three pucks in the three different holes on the same turn.
A horseshoe hanging as a talisman on the wall, chimney, or door is considered lucky in most cultures around the world. Many people believe that the horseshoe must be pointed upward to be considered fortunate; a downward-facing horseshoe allows the luck to run out!
An exciting combination of hide and seek and tag, this relatively modern variation of a game with ancient themes was once a staple activity in neighborhoods across the United States. Similar to Capture the Flag, it can be played on lawns, in alleys or streets, or on school playgrounds, provided, of course, that safe hiding places are nearby and plentiful.
ALSO KNOWN AS
Tin Can Alley, Tip the Can, Turkey Lurky
The object of the game is for the “it” player to find all the other players and put them in jail. Depending on the number of players involved, this can take a long time, because if a free player beats the “it” player back to the can, all other players are released from jail to go hide again.
THE SETUP
BASIC IDEA
The “it” player spots hiders and races them to kick the can and get them out
PLAYING AREA
An open area with plenty of nearby hiding places
EQUIPMENT
A can, bucket, or milk carton; anything that will fly a reasonable distance when kicked
Note: Using a ball makes it tough for the “it” player. We think players should stick with tradition. It’s more fun to kick an actual can!
AGES
3 and up
PLAYERS
3 or more
How to Play
The game begins when players mark a central base or “jail” in an open area. Just about anything, from a picnic table to a Frisbee to a hula hoop to a baseball glove lying on the ground, will serve the purpose. Another area fairly close by is selected as the location of the can, which can be a bucket, a paper or plastic milk carton, or a small cardboard box. It’s also a good idea to determine boundaries so that hiding players are not allowed to go too far away.
An “it” player is chosen by any appropriate means and the game begins any number of ways. Sometimes one player kicks the can and scatters with the rest of the players to hide while the “it” player retrieves the can and returns it to its original position. Another way to begin is to simply have the “it” player close his or her eyes and count to 50 or 100.
The “it” player then tries to find the hiding players.
When a player is spotted, the “it” player calls out the name and location (“Sally behind the tree”) and then
races her back to the can.
If Sally gets there first, she kicks the can and then goes to hide again. If the “it” player reaches it first, Sally must go to the jail area.
This can be a fun game to play with multiple “it” players, but set the rules so that one of them can’t spend the entire game defending the can area. Timing the game can also be fun: every player must make at least one run for the can within a certain period of time, or run the risk of being disqualified when time runs out. This is one of those games where “olly, olly oxen free” or another catchphrase is used to bring in players who are still out hiding.
Strategy. Daring players may break for the can at any time during the game if they feel they can kick it before getting caught and going to jail. Players quickly learn the notion of risk/reward; a hiding place nearby keeps you close to the can, but potentially easier to spot.
A hiding area farther away might keep you safer longer, but it can be hard to win a race back to the can from a great distance.
Tin Can Alley
British merchant Peter Durand patented the tin can for food packaging in 1810. The first tin cans for beverages were used by the Gottfried Krueger Brewery of Newark, New Jersey, which delivered Krueger Cream Ale to beer drinkers in Richmond, Virginia, in 1935. Pepsi, still in its infancy, was one of the first emerging brands to test soft drinks in cans in 1948, but Coca-Cola waited until 1962 to adopt the process nationwide.