Nowadays most kids know exactly how to use ipad, iphone, kindle and all other devices that we never heard of as kids! Beautiful toys, amazing playgrounds..Everything is so amazing today. But simple games and playing with rocks and sticks bring back many of great memories!

Children playing in a kindergarten playground, photo: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe (NAC)

Nobody had cell phones, we all used to meet “na podwórku” (in the backyard). Nobody cared what we were wearing – I never even heard about designer clothes. Podwórko was our “Facebook”. We met all our friends there, we shared all our memories there, we talked about our day:)

We all knew trzepak – a metal construction in the shape of a rectangle, typically raised among apartment blocks of concrete for very practical reasons. It is in fact a version of a clothes horse. Back in the day, almost everyone had carpets, and the simple construction of metal bars was employed for “trzepanie”, slapping the dust out of these with a special beater (wicker ones were especially valued). Yet, somehow, it was always the favorite place to, literally, hang out – even if a more or less proper playground was also available somewhere near. The metal bars of the trzepak provided infinite acrobatic possibilities and served as the base in all kinds of tag.

Zabawy na trzepaku

We also loved playing “Policjanci i złodzieje” (Policeman and thieves)! I think this game was my favorite!  I always used to play it with my cousins and friends. There was usually a drawing who will belong to which group…Surprisingly, everyone always wanted to be the thief and be chased by a policeman:)

A break between classes was usually enough for one “ten”, or a series of jumps on the elastic rope. The “guma” (meaning elastic), a Polish equivalent of Chinese Jump-Rope enjoyed record popularity. Rules of the jumps varied, but while standard top levels are usually described as ending at the waist, many brave girls wound that notch up higher and higher, tackling the twists and jumps at armpit level, and then, adapting it even for a hand-clapping version.

I miss those days…Nobody was thinking about material things. I still try to remind my kids how different my childhood was. Times change and there is not a lot we can do about it. I’m not trying to make my kids feel bad about what they have now, but I do teach them how to appreciate what they have and what are the most important things in life!