Did you use to play HOPSCOTCH?

[julie_yet]

Loved hopscotch. We used to play it all the time on the sidewalk in front of our house. We didn't have chalk so we'd get a rock to draw it on with.

 

[pixiedust218]

LOVED IT. Made it on the street with either chalk and if we didn't have chalk we found a good rock to "draw" the lines with. Lived on a cul-de-sac (still do) so not too many cars bothered us. Play with my daughter once in a while now (and also jump rope). Aaahhhh, the little simple things that made us happy

 

[doxdogy]

I fondly remember the days of using a rock as chalk.

Originally posted by bananiem
Yes, except at home we usually used a rock for the chalk! LOL!
At school they had several hopscotchs painted on the blacktop playground.

 

[disneygals]

I helped out at a school carnival and was shocked at how few kids knew how to hopscotch! Recently, they painted one in the school parking lot, but it must not get much use.

I lived in NYC for 3 years as a kid, not much room to do more than hopscotch outside.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Other person that used the rock as chalk!

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Yup, played it all the time at school but didn't really understand it.

 

[~*Belle 2003*~]

Originally posted by pixiedust218
Aaahhhh, the little simple things that made us happy

We used to spend hours playing outside quite happily making up games or playing all the traditional ones!

 

[dizneenut]

Yep, drawn with chalk and painted on the school playground.

 

[Nutsy]

Sure did both at school & at home.............taught my boys when they were younger too.

Good game that

 

[~*Belle 2003*~]

Game Origin

Hopscotch began in ancient Britain during the early Roman Empire. The original hopscotch courts were over 100 feet long! They were used for military training exercises.

Roman foot soldiers ran the course in full armor and field packs, and it was thought that Hopscotch would improve their foot work. Roman children imitated the soldiers by drawing their own boards, and creating a scoring system, and "Hopscotch" spread through Europe. In France the game is called "Marelles", in Germany, "Templehupfen" (try saying that three times fast!) "Hinklebaan" in the Netherlands (probably played with Heineken beer cans) "Ekaria Dukaria" (played while while watching Daria) in India, "Pico" in Vietnam, and "Rayuela in Argentina."

 

[Lovely2CU]

Thanks for the information on the origins Belle, very interesting.

I used to play it when I was a kid and we too used rocks or lumps of hard clay to mark out the paying area.

Just to add to Belle's reference to the origins of the game itself, here is the etymology for the word "Hopscotch":

The "scotch" in "hopscotch" comes from the Old French word "escocher," meaning "to cut." In the case of "hopscotch," it refers to the lines cut or scratched into the dirt where the game is played.

The "hop" in "hopscotch," is an entirely separate word, meaning "a short, springing leap, often performed on one leg." This "hop" first appeared in English around 1200 (as "hoppen") and is rooted in the Old English "hoppian," meaning "to spring or dance."

Put it all together, and we have "hopscotch" as a perfectly logical name for a game that involves "hopping" between squares "scotched" on the ground.

 

[~*Belle 2003*~]

I always wondered why they called it hopscotch - thanks for posting the etymology!
:thewave::thewave::thewave: