We rode bikes and we roller skated. Once, two blocks away they newly tarred the road. I probably drove the people on the block nuts because I would roller skate up and down that road for hours and for many days. lol
Besides the usual games of Tag and Hide N go seek, we played many other games usually needing a ball.
We played, War. You drew a big circle (depending on how many kids were playing) with a small circle in the middle. You divided the circle and named each a country. Germany, Japan, England, etc. Kids would pick a country and stand in that spot.
Someone would stand near the middle with a ball and say...I Declare war on...Germany! Then pound the ball in the middle circle and everyone would run, Germany would catch the ball, step into the little circle and yell, STOP. We all had to freeze. Germany could take (I forget how many) giant steps and then try to hit someone with the ball, who then became the next person to declare war.
Some games were girl games and some were boy games.
Johnny on a pony was a boy game. You can see why...lol
Girls played jump rope, chinese jump rope and potsie. There was also double dutch jump rope.
Potsie was a favorite and it was similar to hop scotch. Lets not forget the hula hoop.
I would play punch ball, I was not good at stick ball. Checkers, chinese checkers, chess, pick up sticks. Hit the stick.
Marbles, I did not play marbles.
One of my all time favorite games was nok-hockey! I loved playing this game. I got this exact game for Christmas one year. Now it goes for over $125! I wish I still had mine.
We played all kinds of board games too. Girls played with dolls, boys with GI Joes and trucks.
These are just some of the games we played, I don't remember seeing one over weight kid on the block, now that I think about it. Nope, not in the Bronx and not in College Point when I was young. In school there were a few chubby kids. 2 or 3 in our class.
We built forts and carts and climbed trees.
In the summer, after a bath, we were allowed to sit outside on the stoop in our pajama's. It was one of the few times we just sat. I loved the dusk/evening. Listening to the trees moving in the breeze, hearing frogs and crickets, and of course, looking at the sky....always looking at the sky.
