Recess Was Having Fun Playing

Across the Fence #540

While Linda and I were having lunch with her brother, Lon, in Madison recently, we started talking about games we used to play during recess in grade school. Lon is a retired 3rd grade teacher. 

We told him how we liked to drive around the Amish areas near us and watch the children out playing during noon recess. One day before the snow all melted we drove by the school on Pa’s Road near Bloomingdale to watch the children sledding and skiing. You could tell they were having so much fun as they slid down a long hill into the woods. There was constant activity as some kids were sliding down the hill and others were running back up, pulling their sleds behind them. It reminded me of our days in a small, one-room country school where one teacher taught all eight grades and the children created their own fun during recess.

Another day we watched children chasing each other around the school house at another school in the area. It was a cold day and our car’s temperature said it was seven degrees below zero. A little cold weather didn’t stop these children from having fun and getting lots of exercise. These same Amish children walk to and from school every day too, just like many of you did when you were in school. There are no buses to haul them door to door.

Now the weather is milder and spring is on the way. The sleds and skis are put away and have been replaced by balls, bats, and gloves. We enjoy seeing them playing ball on their small playgrounds too. Boys and girls of all ages play together, just like we did at Smith School. We didn’t need a teacher telling us what to do at recess. We always came up with some sort of game or activity to keep us busy.

Lon told us that things have changed on the playground since those days. Today, children have become accustomed to an adult leader telling them what to do, because children become involved in organized sports and activities at an early age. One day when he was on playground supervision duty during recess, the kids were standing around and not doing anything. They told him, “We’re bored.” “Then lets all get together and play a game,” he suggested. “What game?” they wanted to know. Lon told them about a game called “Pom Pom Pull Away” that he used to play in grade school. He showed them how it was played. Two goal lines were established. Then one person was chosen to be “It” and stood halfway between the two lines. Everyone else lined up on one line. When the “It” person yelled “Pom Pom Pull Away” everyone took off running and tried to cross the other line before they were touched by the “It” person. If you got caught you joined “It” as one of the catchers. The last person caught was “It” for the next game. Everyone thought it was a great game and they had fun playing during the remainder of the recess.

The next day Lon wasn’t on playground duty and when the kids returned from recess, he asked if they had played Pom Pom Pull Away again. “No,” they said, “We were bored.” He asked them why they didn’t play. “You weren’t there to tell us what to do,” they replied. “Why didn’t you just pick a person to be ‘It’ and play the game?” They didn’t seem to think they could do that without an adult in charge. We think those early, organized sports and activities don’t give kids a chance to just be kids, choose up sides, play a game, and have fun. They could even make up their own games and rules, just like we did.

Do you remember choosing up sides using a baseball bat? Two older kids would pick each team. They put one hand over the other on the bat. Whoever ended up holding the knob on the bat handle got to choose first. It was always tough to be chosen last, but even that person had a chance to score the winning run or make a big catch. In our small, country schools there weren’t always enough older kids to make two teams. We often had to play “Workup.” I think most people who attended a one-room school know what that is. You rotated positions every time there was an out. The person who was out, headed for the outfield and the catcher became a batter. In “Workup” you got to play every position. If you had at least 13 players you had four batters and nine fielders. If you only had 11 players, you had two batters. If one was on base they had to reach home during a hit or they were out. It made for some exciting games. Needless to say, there was no score and no one lost. Everyone was a winner because everyone got to play and have fun.

With the arrival of spring weather, the crack of the bat, and the excited voices of children having fun will be heard again, especially on the small playgrounds of the one-room schools in Amish Country. Those sights and sounds bring back a lot of memories to many of us.

*