Elementary Games Played

     When I was in Elementary School, my whole world of friends expanded.  My parents bought a house on a dead end street with many children living there.  There were two boys who were teens who  ignored us.  The one boy lived on the defunct farm at the end of the street and the other boy spent his time there.  So, Patty & I were the oldest and Sandy was one year younger.  After us there was an age drop of five years which was my sister's group of friends.  Then there were various younger children.
     When Patty and Sandy decided to exclude me, I would gather my sister and her friends and we would have a parade up and down the street.  I was the head majorette and the others had to follow me!  Some of the boys pretended to play drums or horns.  As we got older, the boys would ride their bikes behind us, the majorettes.
     My mom taught me how to play jacks.  I would spend hours and hours playing jacks on the smooth cement of our side porch.  Sometimes mom would play, but mostly my friends and sister played with me.
     The best play time was after dark.  Right across from my house was a street light that was home base for "Hide & Seek".   We played for hours until our parents got tired of watching us from the front porches and called us in for the night.  We also played other group games like "Upset the Fruit Basket".  It was a great, fun time with many memories of all the children.  We never had any fears.  We knew our parents and neighbors would watch over us and discipline us if need be.  It was an accepted fun-filled way of life.

First Grade

I'm following the blog ideas I found on a web page.  It is so helpful to follow these suggestions.  About 2 years ago I tried to join a blog group with Christmas topics.  However, even though I followed the directions, I couldn't get my blog to merge with the groups blog :(

First grade was wonderful for me.  After having Kindergarten cut short becaue our nun died, I was very eager to go to school.  The wonder of those large reading charts that sister pointed to with a very long handled, rubber tipped pointer.  Then after going over and over the charts, she would give us workseat papers to do and call us up to her desk one at a time.  We had to read to her from the "Dick & Jane" readers.  I loved them!

Soon after school began, I learned some valuable lessons.  We had double desks with double seats.  My desk mate was Marcella.  That Friday of our first week shocked both me & Marcella.  We learned that we had a time limit on studying those Spelling words!  Sister began passing out the papers for our spelling test.  I looked at Marcella and said, "I didn't know we were having a Spelling test today!"  She answered, "I didn't study at all!"  I was in panic mode!  My first Spelling test!!! Yes, my mom went over the words with me at home, but I didn't know we were having a Spelling Test today!

As if things couldn't get worse.  My seat mate put her open spelling book on the seat between us.  I began to panic and tell her, "No!"  Sister reprimanded me for talking, asking me if I had the heading on my paper?  I just knew sister was going to see that book and I would be in trouble as much as Marcella, even if I didn't use the book!

Sister gave us the words and began walking around the room.  I thought I would die or faint or wet my pants when sister came next to our desks and looked down!!!!!!  She kept walking!  Believe me, I told Marcella to never do that again!!!  We would have both been in trouble!  I made up my mind then & there I would learn my words as soon as we got the assignment, so I wouldn't have to be  worried when the test was!  Being in first grade wasn't as much fun as Kindergarten! I hated the double seats & tried not to socialize, except at recess!

My play time as a Preschooler

     As a preschooler, my favorite play time was definitely playing house with my dolls, kiddie table and chairs, dishes and pots and pans.  My kiddie table and chairs were beautiful!  They were a soft maple color.  Each chair's back had a heart shape cut out of the wood with painting of arched swirls flaring out to each side from the bottom of the heart.  I also had a child size opened top china closet, which had a more orangy maple & varnish finish.  There were two shelves at the top with grooves to display the dishes upright.  The third shelf was very high and wide.  I had a real china, soft white tea set with dishes and wide cups and saucers.  They were decorated with tiny blue dots spraying into medium sized open roses in reddish orange and blue.
      Below the shelves were two drawers.  I kept baby doll bottles, child sized pink plastic silverware, and real Alcoa Aluminum Company cooking utensils in the drawers.  There were two doors that opened below the drawers.  Inside the doors were two large shelves.  I kept my pots and pans on the shelves.  They were replicas of the pot and pan set made at the Alcoa Aluminum Company, located along the Allegheny River in my home town and where many of my relatives worked.
      My favorite time of playing house was when my mom put my table, chairs, doll high chair & dishes outside in the area between our house and the big 12 foot wooden fence separating our property and the property next door.  There was an overhang from the balcony off of my parents bedroom, so rain wouldn't bother us.  I remember having some friends over and we had a tea party.
      In addtion, I had a eight drawer chest that matched the china closet.  They were both made by a man who was a friend of my extended family and customer at my paternal family's bar.  I kept all of my doll clothes and shoes in those drawers.  Now you know why I always told my mom, "All I ever want to be when I grow up is a Mommy!"