One potato ( but spoken as patatah) One potato, two potato, three potato four, five potato, six potato, seven potatoes more. That was a game of elimination and played with closed fists and counting first with one on top on top of the other, moving around the circle to count your friends fists. After saying the above phrase up to seven each time, the fist that your landed on was out and the child had to place that hand behind their backs. When the counter lost fist, they would touch their chin with their remaining fist when counting themselves. They would continue around the circle until that last person with one fist out was left. He was the winner. Sometimes it was played strictly as a game; other times it was a way to decide who would go first in a game by a different name. Then there was: Eenie, meanie, minie, moe, catch a tiger by the toe If he hollers, let him go! Eenie, meanie minie moe. That was another elimination game played by touch the toe of each player who had gathered in a circle. For each word in the phrase, a different toe would be touched until the phrase was completed one and someone was "out". The like "One potato" the rhyme was continued until only was foot was left in the center. This would be the person who would get to go first in another game... as in who would be IT forst in a game of tag, or some other game. Of course their is also the racist version of that with the word tiger replaced with 'niger." We used to say that without even knowing what it meant. Happily, my children do not know that version. On 25-Apr-10, at 6:47 PM, [email protected] wrote: > I remember something like that and part of the rhyme was "high > ball, low > ball, touch your head, touch your toe, clap your hands and away you > go." > Enjoying the memories. Linda in Maine > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Dave Tanner" <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 4:55 PM > To: "iris shea" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; > <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [NS-L] Early School yard games > >> I remember something that sounded like: Claimsies, clappsies, roly >> poly, >> foldsies, behind-your-back, above-your-head, beneath-your-leg and >> basketball. OXO >> >> We certainly played it against the side of the house or school in >> the late >> 40's and early 50's. >> >> Pat Tanner >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> -------------- >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "iris shea" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> >> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 5:21 PM >> Subject: Re: [NS-L] Early School yard games >> >> >>> Beverly, I remember one where we threw the ball at the wall of the >>> school, stood just far enough away to catch it. We may have >>> called it >>> "Eightsies" but not sure. Taking turns, a person threw the ball she >>> clapped her hands..behind the back, above the head, beneath the >>> leg, and >>> ??? I wonder if anyone remembers the sequence. When you finished one >>> sequence you went on to clap your hands twice before catching the >>> ball, >>> following the sequence. The winner was the one who could clap her >>> hands >>> the most times without missing the ball. Some of this is very >>> vague, but >>> the girls played it a lot. >>> Iris >>> ---------------------------------------- >>> Basic List Commands: >>> >>> 1. To post to the list >>> Send a message to: >>> [email protected] >>> >>> 2. How to unsubscribe >>> a. List mode: Send a message to NOVA-SCOTIA-L- >>> [email protected] that contains only the word >>> unsubscribe >>> >>> b. Digest mode: Send a message to NOVA-SCOTIA-D- >>> [email protected] that contains only the word >>> unsubscribe >>> >>> 3. How to subscribe >>> Send an email containing only the word >>> subscribe >>> to [email protected] >>> >>> 4. How to change to Digest mode >>> a. Unsubscribe from List mode (2.a. above) >>> b. Subscribe to Digest mode >>> Send an email containing only the word >>> subscribe >>> to [email protected] >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' >>> without the >>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> ---------------------------------------- >> Basic List Commands: >> >> 1. To post to the list >> Send a message to: >> [email protected] >> >> 2. How to unsubscribe >> a. List mode: Send a message to NOVA-SCOTIA-L- >> [email protected] that contains only the word >> unsubscribe >> >> b. Digest mode: Send a message to NOVA-SCOTIA-D- >> [email protected] that contains only the word >> unsubscribe >> >> 3. How to subscribe >> Send an email containing only the word >> subscribe >> to [email protected] >> >> 4. How to change to Digest mode >> a. Unsubscribe from List mode (2.a. above) >> b. Subscribe to Digest mode >> Send an email containing only the word >> subscribe >> to [email protected] >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' >> without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > ---------------------------------------- > Basic List Commands: > > 1. To post to the list > Send a message to: > [email protected] > > 2. How to unsubscribe > a. List mode: Send a message to NOVA-SCOTIA-L- > [email protected] that contains only the word > unsubscribe > > b. Digest mode: Send a message to NOVA-SCOTIA-D- > [email protected] that contains only the word > unsubscribe > > 3. How to subscribe > Send an email containing only the word > subscribe > to [email protected] > > 4. How to change to Digest mode > a. Unsubscribe from List mode (2.a. above) > b. 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