Never played buttons — tho o did love going thru Grandma’s button jar! Friends and I were just talking about Red Rover the other day and how fun/violent it got once 6th grade boys hit puberty 🤣 Also, growing up in Minnesota USA, winters were all about King of the Hill, with the hill being piles of snow and dirt scraped off the parking lot we called a playground. Good times! Do kids even play games anymore? They don’t know what they’re missing!
Interesting to hear that you played Red Rover in Minnesota too. In Southampton, on the south coast of the UK, we rarely got snow, let alone enough for a huge pile in the playground/car park!
I love a button biscuit tin, my nan had one. I've never played the button game and feel bereft! We also used to play red rover at school, (Essex) regularly banned and renamed to try to fool the teachers!! (Also called bulldog) Didn't do brownies, so missed some of these magical games, have enjoyed learning some with my kids
A button tin is a magical thing! So many treasures to become familiar with and to search for. lol at you and your classmates for trying to fool the teachers with your renamed version of Red Rover!
Interesting that you learned some of these games with your children. I was just talking to my hairdresser about this post, and we were reminiscing about these games, and then wondering if children still played them...
I am as neurotypical as they come (surrounded by many neurospicy relatives and friends, and with decades of experience with neurodiversity in the classroom) and I love a button. My granny's button box was fascinating to me. She also had a ribbon stash, and we used to hang a whole selection of ribbons over the back of a dining room chair to play "Mother Ribbony Rose" which I think was based on an Enid Blyton story. I loved all the different textures - embroidered, velvet, satin...gorgeous.
At school I also played Red Rover (until it got banned), marbles using a chalk circle (until it got banned), conkers (until...you get the idea), a handstand game called Eggs, Bacon and Round The World, kiss chase (with 'home' being the brick wall of the toilet block, and strangely I don't remember this ever being banned!). I also remember people linking arms and walking round the playground chanting, "Who wants to play...Kiss Chase" (it whatever game it was). If you also wanted to play the game, you linked arms too and walked round with them chanting. Sometimes this collection activity took the whole break time, so you never actually got to play whatever it was.
Two friends and I also used to play an imaginary game based on Blake's Seven at Middle school - but we all used to argue over who got to play Callie (I'd be Servalan all day nowadays, but those were more innocent times).
I'm glad to hear buttons have such universal appeal! They really are so fascinating. Ribbons are also lovely, but in a different way. "Mother Ribbony Rose" sounds like a great game. What a wonderful memory!
Oh, the linking of arms and the chanting, that was almost more fun than playing the game? Yes, we did that too! "Who wants to play '9, 9, in'?" was a popular chant in our playground.
The imaginary games were wonderful too. Long, co-operative (or not!) story-telling sessions...
Ooh! And also - I used to work with someone who had a button phobia! I didn't even realize that could be a thing! She used to hate being in PE lessons because the children would ask her for help undoing or doing up their top button, and she couldn't do it. Couldn't look at buttons or wear any clothes herself that had buttons.
I do remember button would set us all laughing and getting into trouble but then turned to poo button because mum had some really big buttons on her coat 😂
Granny Jenner had a big tin of buttons which I loved to look at! Also the word button used to start us all giggling when we were supposed to be quiet, meal times etc: One person would whisper button and we would all be trying not to laugh! I think your Mum is too young to remember this! Thank you for the memories lol
Never played buttons — tho o did love going thru Grandma’s button jar! Friends and I were just talking about Red Rover the other day and how fun/violent it got once 6th grade boys hit puberty 🤣 Also, growing up in Minnesota USA, winters were all about King of the Hill, with the hill being piles of snow and dirt scraped off the parking lot we called a playground. Good times! Do kids even play games anymore? They don’t know what they’re missing!
A button jar is a treasure trove!
Interesting to hear that you played Red Rover in Minnesota too. In Southampton, on the south coast of the UK, we rarely got snow, let alone enough for a huge pile in the playground/car park!
Thank you for reading and commenting, Lori.
I love a button biscuit tin, my nan had one. I've never played the button game and feel bereft! We also used to play red rover at school, (Essex) regularly banned and renamed to try to fool the teachers!! (Also called bulldog) Didn't do brownies, so missed some of these magical games, have enjoyed learning some with my kids
A button tin is a magical thing! So many treasures to become familiar with and to search for. lol at you and your classmates for trying to fool the teachers with your renamed version of Red Rover!
Interesting that you learned some of these games with your children. I was just talking to my hairdresser about this post, and we were reminiscing about these games, and then wondering if children still played them...
We learnt some at woodcraft, because it was games some of the parents remembered
I am as neurotypical as they come (surrounded by many neurospicy relatives and friends, and with decades of experience with neurodiversity in the classroom) and I love a button. My granny's button box was fascinating to me. She also had a ribbon stash, and we used to hang a whole selection of ribbons over the back of a dining room chair to play "Mother Ribbony Rose" which I think was based on an Enid Blyton story. I loved all the different textures - embroidered, velvet, satin...gorgeous.
At school I also played Red Rover (until it got banned), marbles using a chalk circle (until it got banned), conkers (until...you get the idea), a handstand game called Eggs, Bacon and Round The World, kiss chase (with 'home' being the brick wall of the toilet block, and strangely I don't remember this ever being banned!). I also remember people linking arms and walking round the playground chanting, "Who wants to play...Kiss Chase" (it whatever game it was). If you also wanted to play the game, you linked arms too and walked round with them chanting. Sometimes this collection activity took the whole break time, so you never actually got to play whatever it was.
Two friends and I also used to play an imaginary game based on Blake's Seven at Middle school - but we all used to argue over who got to play Callie (I'd be Servalan all day nowadays, but those were more innocent times).
I'm glad to hear buttons have such universal appeal! They really are so fascinating. Ribbons are also lovely, but in a different way. "Mother Ribbony Rose" sounds like a great game. What a wonderful memory!
Oh, the linking of arms and the chanting, that was almost more fun than playing the game? Yes, we did that too! "Who wants to play '9, 9, in'?" was a popular chant in our playground.
The imaginary games were wonderful too. Long, co-operative (or not!) story-telling sessions...
Ooh! And also - I used to work with someone who had a button phobia! I didn't even realize that could be a thing! She used to hate being in PE lessons because the children would ask her for help undoing or doing up their top button, and she couldn't do it. Couldn't look at buttons or wear any clothes herself that had buttons.
Oh wow! I've never heard of anyone having a button phobia before. That must have been incredibly difficult for her.
It was! Quite debilitating.
Ruth looks so tiny 🥰 against you all
I do remember button would set us all laughing and getting into trouble but then turned to poo button because mum had some really big buttons on her coat 😂
lol Poo button is always going to be funny!
Granny Jenner had a big tin of buttons which I loved to look at! Also the word button used to start us all giggling when we were supposed to be quiet, meal times etc: One person would whisper button and we would all be trying not to laugh! I think your Mum is too young to remember this! Thank you for the memories lol
Also, Granny Jenner was clearly a woman of good taste!
She was a wonderful hard working woman! Auntie Jean and I spent many summer holidays with her and Grandad!
Do you know, Auntie Stella, I think I have heard this story and had forgotten it! Thank you for telling it to me/reminding me of it!