Elastics

tSubh Dearg

Did anyone else play with elastics when they were younger? They were giant pieces of elastics, usually brightly coloured, that you stretched out between two people around their legs. Then a third person would jump in and out of the elastics saying a rhyme like

"England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales.
Inside, outside,
On the scales"

or

"England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales.
Inside, outside,
Twist!"

Each time you sucessfully completed the rhyme the elastics would move up the bodies of the people holding them. You started at the ankles, then the calves, then the knees and so on...

So did anyone else play this? It was great fun

Matthewthebig

I remember them

Faith

They were fantastic!

kittenz

yep i loved that game.... oh i would really love a game of it now:p

athena 2000

I remember these! We would jump and dance a pattern using our feet to move the rubber bands across eachother in a series of steps. If you did it without tripping or snapping the elastic then we'd raise the bands up our bodies. Fun but not easy! We called it "Chinese jump rope."

Bamboozled

I remember them. You dont see kids doing things like that any more.

I remember practicing with the elastics around two kitchen chairs. They only got up to about knee-height because they were chairs but I used to do it all day nearly.

Ahhh the memories.

tSubh Dearg

I'm so tempted to try and find my elastic and willing people to play a game or two with me now.

Kolodny

I remember these from school! Great fun. I was really crap initially and kept catching my feet (very clumsy child) but got better with practice.

Bamboozled

tSubh Dearg wrote:

I'm so tempted to try and find my elastic and willing people to play a game or two with me now.

Use the kitchen chairs
Or an ESB can

Mind you it was easier on the females when we were younger. Didnt have to worry about bouncing stuff. I've a huuuge pack of elastic bands and i'm considering threading them together to have a bash again

quickbeam

Yeah, loved them. We tied normal elastic bands together to make one big long one. Also used kitchen chairs to practise. I was never very good at it though - never got any higher than the knees before I'd screw up

Ah, the innocence of kids in those days - all that kept us happy were a few crummy elastic bands tied together!!

Larianne

Yes! Was thinking about this the other day. Think I was in 3rd class when we went mad for this.

I used to do the whole put it around kitchen chairs. Worked for the easier moves but sometimes I'd step down on the elastics and the chairs would move and I'd end up nearly taking the legs off myself.

Wonder where it all came from......

Bamboozled

my chairs were heavy enough not to move.

Shame you dont see it happening anymore. But thats the way its going - no kids playing outside any more.

emeraldstar

wow yea, this game was brilliant!! As soon as it started the school playground was full of coloured elastics, lol they were everywhere. And then after school, you'd go over to your friend's house and play more, right up until the time you had to go home. fond memories, so good

Moonbeam

French skipping I seem to recall is what we called it:)
It was great fun and the more coloured bands you had the cooler you were obviously;)

Dudess

Elastics was the job! Forgot all about it! Loved it. Highly addictive.

GAA widow

Used to play with them all the time - "England Ireland" and "Banana Splits" - they'd cut the back of the knees off ya!. Used to love doing the string thing with my fingers too when you'd make a pencil etc.