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DeAnn (Wolkow) Kruempel, Columnists
Not Just Fun & Games
Long ago, it was called “The three R’s.” Though based on phonetic word beginnings, the term has withstood time as a summary of the foundations of education: reading, writing and arithmetic.
Deloris, Donald and Darlene began their education at country school in the 1950s, but when District #12 Country School closed, Erwin school became our new source for public education. The three R’s were definitely part of the curriculum during all our growing-up years.
Another R held high esteem in the eyes of students and teachers—recess!
Younger grades were given a fifteen-minute break mid-morning and mid-afternoon and an hour-long play-time after noon lunch. Unless the weather was life-threatening, the time was spent outside. Plenty of playground equipment was available behind the school. But some of our best recesses were spent playing with something we brought from home.
In early grades, the girls may have been seen carrying dolls bundled in blankets. We probably tried to hush the noisier youngsters who were shrieking as they whirled on the merry-go-round. “Don’t wake the baby!”
Babies were left, tucked in their cradles at home, when we brought jump ropes to school.
We shared and took turns. The goal was to see how many jumps we could make before “missing.” Sometimes two people swung a longer rope for someone to jump in the middle.
Adding another jumper elevated the challenge. Along with the skills of jumping, counting and rope-swinging, we learned rhythm and rhyme. Chanting a jump rope verse helped jumpers and rope-swingers keep in time. I recall “Cinderella, dressed in yella. Went upstairs to kiss a fella.
Made a mistake and kissed a snake. How many doctors did it take? 1, 2, 3, 4…”
One day someone brought a different kind of jump rope. This was a complete circle and a
bit stretchy, though we discovered yarn worked too. The rope was called “Chinese Jump Rope.”
Two people stood a few feet apart with the rope stretched between their ankles, forming a narrow rectangle. The jumper caught one side of the rope with her toes and did a series of steps. I think we made up our own.
Delmer remembers a time when he and several of his classmates decided to bring their roller skates to school.
Their plan was to skate down the long, narrow sidewalk that ran parallel to the street in front of the building. They strapped their skates on over their shoes, adjusted the pull-apart sections and the toe-holds with skate keys and took turns rolling down that sidewalk.
There was enough of an incline that they picked up speed without any effort. By the time they reached the end, they were traveling pretty fast. Trouble was, skaters hurtled downhill only to come to a rather abrupt halt—in the grass! They learned that the landing was softer if they knelt down and held out their arms on the descent. Then they “walked” on skates back up the hill for another ride.
There was a time when the youngsters decided it would be fun to play marbles during recess. Some showed up with their pockets full of Shooters, Tigers and Cat’s Eyes. Delmer came home all excited one day, proudly displaying his new collection which he had won.
Unfortunately, our dad was not so thrilled. He felt bad for the boy who had lost his marbles. Delmer returned them the next day.
Back then, we loved recess because it was fun. Today, researchers concur that recess is essential; it boosts academic performance, improves attention and teaches social skills.
Turns out those recesses were more than just fun and games!
Kruempel’s ten published books are available on Amazon. Signed copies may be purchased at the Harrison County Welcome Center. Contact Kruempel at deannkruempelauthor@gmail.com.
