A blast from my childhood past

IN an attempt to keep screen time to a minimum at home, I find myself coming up with imaginative and adventurous ways to entertain my children. From using bed sheets to erect a camping tent in the lounge to making homemade kites and jets, this is now my daily routine.

The sad reality though, is that the games we grew up with are no more. There was no DSTV in our day with a variety of kiddie channels to choose from as most of our time was spent outdoors. PlayStation, Ipads and Iphones were unheard of at that time. We read, we allowed our imagination to run wild and we played outside.

I was actually quite tomboyish growing up playing every sport possible. I remember many a day practicing long distance running and hurdling over chairs perfectly aligned on dad’s freshly cut lawn in preparation for the big day. I would idolise the graceful Gabriela Sabatini on Centre Court in Wimbledon and imitate the slick and agile moves of Jonty Rhodes at point in our backyard.

Every day was an exciting escapade back then and I now find myself reminiscing more about my childhood as I try to raise my own little ones.

So here is my top 10 list of toys and games growing up……..

1. ‘House house’ games

Playing mummy and daddy was perhaps our favourite pastime. All we needed were a few cousins and we could recreate an entire family. We used our imagination and imitated the ones we loved and those who disciplined us. We didn’t need a whole lot of props to pretend play. We spent hours cooking in the sand and entertaining our guests. What we didn’t know at the time was that pretend play was an important cognitive skill for developing creative thinking as well as our communication and social skills – something critically missing today.

2. Marbles and yo-yos

Maybe it was the myriad of colours or the glass finish but we were obsessed with marbles as kids. It wasn’t just about the actual game and knocking other marbles out but for me it was more about the collection. I had quite an impressive one and stored it in a glass jar. As for yo-yos, I practised daily until I mastered the moves up and down and side to side. I was so proud of my collector Coca-Cola yo-yo, which I still have to this day.

3. Hopscotch and ‘Biscuits’

Who would have thought that a simple drawing on the concrete floor would create the best game ever? The best memories were created playing Hopscotch and ‘Biscuits’ with my sister. We had crushed stones in our driveway and I would neatly mark the play area straight after school. For hopscotch, we would mark the concrete part of the driveway. A flat stone, a hop and jump was all it took to have hours of fun.

4. Karaoke with hairbrushes

Fortunately we grew up in a musical family and in church. My grandfather was a music teacher and choir conductor who played several instruments including the piano, organ, clarinet, saxophone and flute to name a few. My dad sang and played the guitar so we had fond memories of performing duets with him from a selection of hymns and classics. Every Christmas Eve, we would snuggle around dad on his bed as he sang and played Christmas carols. So it’s safe to say we were really good singers. My sister and I would whip out mum’s roller brushes as microphones to perform on our make-belief stage with well-choreographed dance moves, of course.

5. Cabbage Patch Kids

A Cabbage Patch Kid was no ordinary doll. This was a special baby, adopted from the BabyLand General Hospital where all Cabbage Patch Kids and Babies live and play until someone adopts them and takes them home. After all, everybody should have a family to love! My Cabbage Patch Kid came with adoption papers, which I personally signed as a pledge to take care of her. Her name was Gabriella. Oh, what fun I had with ‘Gabby’. From caring, loving and changing her to plaiting her hair, I spent hours with Gabby. I still have my Cabbage Patch Kid to this day – 32 years later and she is in great condition!

6. Impersonators

Our favourite stars to impersonate were the cast of the A-team and Airwolf. We crawled underneath dad’s study table which was our ‘helicopter’. The adventures and story lines we came up with were so entertaining. Oh, what animated creatures we were!

7. Carrom Board

Carrom Board was probably my training for eventually playing pool. Dad bought a board during the holidays and then we started our own championship at home. When we visited our cousins for the holidays, we would also form teams to compete. The laughter and fun experienced are still fresh in my mind. My aunt was the star player and the biggest cheater too! By the way, I am still quite a fine Carrom Board player.

8. Nine cards

Since we were too young to play Thunee with the older guys, nine cards was the best option. The game still gave us the opportunity to shuffle like old timers and practise our card tricks. It was my aim to perfect a table riffle shuffle without bending the cards.

9. Legos

This was by far my favourite toy. I would build anything imaginable with my Legos. I spent hours on the carpet coming up with amazing creations from elephants to aeroplanes and buildings. I took my bucket of Legos wherever I went.

10. Favourite TV shows

When we did watch a bit of TV – there were a few programmes that we would never miss. This included MacGyver, Tropical Heat, Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman and The Nanny. The whole family would sit in front of the TV and watch the hour-long drama. There was no age restriction, nudity, violence or obscene language.

Nothing beats the simplicity and sheer joy of our childhood – a generation where techno gadgets did not exist. This top ten list has been a wonderful blast from my past.

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