Origins: Concentration (kids' game)

Subject: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Scoville at work
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 03:38 PM

We used to play this when I was in elementary school, twenty years ago. I assume it's one of those things that gets passed along from older to younger students but I'd like to know if anyone else knows of variants. I learned it in a private Montessori school in Denver, Colorado, in the mid-1980's.

The first kid sat on the floor or in a chair, with her eyes closed, and the second kid stood behind her, slapping her shoulders with alternating hands to "numb" her and make her focus on the chanter. The words went like this:

Concentration, concentration, listen to what I'm saying,
People are dying, children are crying, listen to what I'm saying.

Crack and egg on your head, let the yolk run down--
       [Second child "splatted" her hand on first child's head]

Concentration, concentration . . .

Stab and knife in your back, let the blood run down--
       [Second child "stabbed" first child between the shoulder   
       blades]

Concentration, concentration . . .

Take a rope and pull, pull, pull--
       [Second child pretends to put a rope around first one's neck
and pulls]

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Scoville at work, again
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 03:40 PM

Dang it--I hit the wrong button.


Anyway, the idea was that the first kid got put into a kind of trance and could actually feel what the second one was describing. The girls used to do this all the time (that, and the Bloody Mary game in the darkened bathroom--we were a regular bunch of little Wednesday Addamses, weren't we?).

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Azizi
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 06:17 PM

Scoville, this isn't the same game as you described,

But

there's a rather popular competition handclap game called "Concentration" that I've seen performed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Unlike most other handclap routines, elementary school boys don't have a problem playing "Concentration" -i.e. it's not considered a "girl's game.". But on second thought, I've seen "girls only" play this game but not "boys only"...so???

Here's how the game is played:

The girls {and boys}stand in a wide circle. Each child alternately claps the hands of the children standing on either side, and then claps her or his own hands. When clapping the hands of the children standing on either side, one palm is up and the other palm is down.

The hands are clapped on beat-of course.

While they are clapping the children chant in a sing song voice:
"Concentration
No repeats or hesitations
Name of ____ "

On "name of" someone [an older child, or a child who is a forceful, leader type] selects a category such as "Cars". "Girl's Names", "colors", "Fruits", "Sports"....

While reciting the first part of the rhyme {"Concentration, no repeat or hesitation, name of ___ ", one at a time, going around the circle in clock wise order from some starting point, each child has to quickly name something in the declared category-and like the rhyme says, there can be no repeats and no hesitations. If someone names something that doesn't belong to that category,or if she or he hesitates too long, or says something outside that category, or repeats something in that category that had been already been said, than, she or he is "Out".

Eventually there will be four childen doing handclaps {standing facing each other in two sets of "partners"}; then three children doing handclaps {standing in a triangle formation, and then two children standing facing each other doing partner style handclaps.

The object of the game is to be the last person remaining. That person is "The Winner".

****

I don't remember playing "Concentration" when I was a child. But this game must be played elsewhere as I have seen questions about it and examples of it posted elsewhere on the Internet, including on this great thread on children's schoolyard games and rhymes: http://octopuses.chaoticinsanity.com/000518.php

Enjoy!

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Azizi
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 06:20 PM

Ugh... I just repeated myself. I'm sure you noticed.

Well, I wouldn't last too long in that game.

I keep telling myself that the Preview Feature is my friend...but do I listen to myself?

Naw.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: JennyDeckner
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 07:10 PM

I played a very similar, if lengthier, version when I was a child (about a decade ago). Our version here on Long Island (NY) went as such:

Concentrate, concentrate. Listen to what I'm saying.
People are dying, babies are crying. Concentrate, concentrate.

Crack an egg on your head,
let the yolk drip down (3x)
Crack an egg on your head,
let the york drip down (3x)

Concentrate, concentrate, etc.

Squeeze two oranges on your shoulders,
let the juice drip down (3x)
Squeeze two oranges on your shoulders,
let the juice drip down (3x)

Concentrate chorus thing

Stab a knife in your back,
let the blood drip down (3x)
Stab a knife in your back,
let the blood drip down (3x)

Chorus

Stab ten needles in your back,
let the blood drip down (3x)
Stab ten needles in your back,
let the blood drip down (3x)

Chorus

Spiders crawling up your back,
Spiders crawling down your back.
Spiders crawling up your back,
Spiders crawling down your back.

Chorus

Now, you're on the top of the Empire State Building, looking out over the whole city. It's a beautiful night, you're admiring the view, you can see everything (etc., improvise for a minute or so). All of a sudden, someone comes out from behind you and he pushes you and YOU FALL!

----

During that last part, the person is being rocked forward and back slowly until they're quickly pushed down hard at the end. Then the person has to tell everyone what color they saw when they were pushed. Supposedly each color had a different meaning, but I can't remember.

Thanks for reminding me of this game, Scoville!

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: JennyDeckner
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 07:11 PM

My mother reports that she played an almost identical game at summer camp in the late '60s.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: JennyDeckner
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 09:22 PM

Just remembered another game I used to play called Concentration. It was a hand game. Everyone sat in a circle and set a rhythm by twice slapping their knees, then clapping twice and repeating that pattern. All words were accompanied by slaps, and claps would fill the silence between lines. The game began with everyone chanting "Concentration. (clap clap) Are you ready? (clap clap) If so (clap clap), let's go (clap clap). Starting with (clap clap) names of (clap clap) ________." Fill in the blank. Birds, for example. The first person would say, for instance, "raven, raven". The next would say "raven raven, parrot parrot". Then "parrot parrot, sparrow sparrow", and so on until someone either forgets what the person prior said or can't think of another bird name. It was kind of fun.

There was another game, almost identical, called "Thumper" that had the same premise but different lyrics in the opening chant ("Thumper, thumper, how do you play the game? Thumper, thumper, what do you do? You thump! Raven, raven. Raven raven, parrot parrot.", etc.)

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Oct 05 - 11:24 PM

Kids nowadays could do with learning this game. None of them know how to concentrate! Maybe they should send them to concentration camps...

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Scoville (at work again)
Date: 01 Nov 05 - 03:02 PM

Hee hee--nobody I know now had ever heard of it. I'm glad I wasn't crazy.

I don't think that it was an official "girls only" game but I only recall girls playing it. I think it was more of a gender-squeamishness issue, though (all 8-year-old boys have cooties, right?).

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 12:06 PM

I used to know a drinking game called "Concentration." Everybody would bound on the table at a fast pace, and chant:

Con-cen-tra-tion. Concentration is our game.
Keep the rhythm, ___________ _________
__________ _________________

And then somebody would do hand signals and point to another person, and that person had to duplicate the hand signals or chug a beer.
I am fundamentally uncoordinated and don't catch onto games like this, so a game like this could be dangerous for me. I generally watched from the sidelines and ate pizza and drank my beer a little more slowly.
I really like pizza.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Old Roger
Date: 02 Nov 05 - 01:52 PM

Our family (Dad Mum and daughter ) used to play Concentration with other familys back in about 1975 when we lived at Fenny Stratford. We sat round in a circle. Each person had a number in order around the circle. One person was designated leader or starter.

The leader followed by all present sets up a slow four beat pulse

Beat one slap you hands down on your knees
Beat two clap your hands
Beat three snap finger and thumb of left hand
Beat four snap finger and thumb of right hand

Begin by chanting whilst keeping the hand movements going

Con    cen       tra    tion
Concen tration   now be gin
Keep    in       Rhy    thm

This bizarre spacing is an attempt to show how the words pulsed in time with the hand sounds.

The chanting stops but the rhythmic handwork keeps going.

The leader calls out two numbers. The first is his/her own number and then the number of another person in time with beats one and two. That person then calls out their own number and the number of another different person in time with beats one and two and so on.

It really requires a lot of concentration to keep the brain and hands working and coordinated and to remember the sequence. There are no absolute rules but you can decide beforehand what constitutes a break and offenders drop out until only one is left - the winner.

My wife and I were both teachers and we thought this was a great social, and hand and eye game, for kids. Did us good too.

I'd love to play it right now. It was fun.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,345
Date: 28 Apr 09 - 04:26 PM

concentraction( clap clap) 64 (clap clap)no repeats ( clap clap) or hesitation (clap clap) i go first ( clap clap) you go second ( clap clap)the topic is ( clap clap)names : and you keep clapping and example :KEKE (clap clap) kiara ( clap clap) and every time someone say a name you go clap clap and go in order so know one won't miss a turn and they or you say what an another person says your or they is out and if someone stop or you stop your there out

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Melissa
Date: 28 Apr 09 - 05:36 PM

the knee/clap/snap game we played was called "Categories"

Girls at my second camp played "Concentrate" and I was horrified the first time I heard it..'ten knives in you back, feel the bloooood run down'
Yike!

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Ami
Date: 09 May 09 - 09:23 AM

This is how I used to play it.

Two people stand facing each other with their hands out. Both their right hands are on the top and left is on the bottem. They move their hands up and down clapping 3 times in between. They are chanting

"Concentration.64. No mistakes. Or hesitations. I'll go first. and you go second. The topic is --make up a topic--." Keep going on with the topic until someone messes up. The other person wins.


P.S. In the quotes, when you see a period(.) that is where you clap three times.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Padre
Date: 09 May 09 - 11:05 AM

"Categories" was a favorite drinking game in the late 50s - went something like this:

Group sitting at a table, each one with a beer in front of them. The starter began by thumping the table twice with his hands and then clapping twice. When the rhythm was established, he would begin

[T= thump]
[C= clap]

T-T "I am" c-c
T-T "Thinking of" c-c
T-T "Names of" c-c
T-T "Automobiles" c-c
T-T "Buick" c-c
Then the person to his left would have to name an automobile, while keeping the rhythm going. It continued around the circle, and if a player could not think of an automobile, or repeated one previously named, or broke the rhythm, he had to chug his beer. The chugger than began the game with another category (beers, colleges, magazines, etc)   

Padre

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Bay Area, CA
Date: 20 Sep 09 - 05:19 AM

I used to play this game a lot in elementary school. I'm in high school now. It's funny how these things are passed down.

At my school, we played many versions: spiders, needles, knives, and horses (?). Go figure.

We did it to get chills out of each other. haha
Kids do the craziest things!

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Rumncoke
Date: 20 Sep 09 - 09:45 AM

There is a simple card game called Concentration.

For younger children only the picture cards or the spot cards were used,

The card were laid out in rows face down on a table and players took it in turns to turn over two cards. If the cards were not a pair they were turned back, if they were then they were picked up and kept until the end of the game, and the one with the most pairs won.

The winner was the one who could remember where they had seen which cards.

I suspect that playing this game helped me to minimise my dyslexia, though it was a long painful process. I won only rarely, though that was perhaps a good thing as it meant others were willing to play against me.

Anne Croucher

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Azizi
Date: 29 Sep 09 - 02:50 PM

Here are three examples of concentration handclap games from http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=4123&page=3:


"How about this: remember this game that was played, usually with five or more people, and you have to name a certain number of things that was related to a particular subject? The chant went something like this: "HANDS DOWN VANILLA FIVE (CLAP CLAP) GONNA GET (CLAP CLAP) ONE-A-PIECE (CLAP CLAP) TO NO-A-PIECE (CLAP CLAP) NO HESITATION...(CLAP CLAP) NO DEMONSTRATION (CLAP CLAP) SUBJECT (CLAP CLAP) NAMES OF (CLAP CLAP) (enter subject name here)" Usually, the subject name was boys, or cars, or teachers....and after each round, the number of things you had to name went up....that used to be my FAVORITE GAME!! lol"
-PrettyPetite (African American woman; ATL, GA by way of Miami, FL;
12-29-2000


**

Ours went like this:

"Hands up to eighty-five (clap, clap), Gonna get (clap, clap), Names of (clap, clap),_________(fill in the blank w/ names of boys, colors, food, whatever), No hesitation (clap, clap), No demonstration (clap, clap) So let's go...."
-ZChi4Life (African American woman); December 30, 2000

**

Okay....our Hands up for 85 wnet like this:

Hands up for '85 (clap clap) it's gonna be (clap clap) a big surprise (clap clap) no repeats or hesitation-concentration (clap clap) naaames oooof _____________ (category) (clap clap) starting with ___________(persons name).

It's interesting to see how the same hand game had different verses. I wonder if it depended on your region or your era
-Diamon,(African American woman; New Jersey; 01-01-2001

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Azizi
Date: 29 Sep 09 - 02:55 PM

Here's a concentration handclap game from:


Zing-Zing-Zing
Zing-zing-zing, and away we go
To the Jackie Gleason studio.
Calaree! Calarah!
One apiece,
No repeats
Or hesitations
Or demonstrations!
Name some...


Foods: "Ham." "Turkey." "Eggs." "Cheeseburger." "Bacon," "Sausage." "Hot dog." "Watermelon." "What?" "Watermelon." "Toast."
"Hamburger." "I said hamburger." "No you didn't," ALL: "Yes she did. You out!"
Cars: "Mustang. ""Pinto." "What!? What you all naming? Oh." "Mustang II." "Firebird." "Mercury." "Cutlass Supreme." "Cadillac."
"Mustang." "Supreme II." "Cutlass S." "Um ...F'irebird." "You out!"

-Washington, D.C., schoolgirls, vocals.
Recorded 1976 at Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, Washington, D.C.; Old Mother Hippletoe: Rural and Urban Children's Songs New World NW 291

http://www.newworldrecords.org/linernotes/80291.pdf

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,kafferine
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 06:07 PM

well im a sophomore
and in fifth grade i used to play this game
what we'd do is stand on something off the ground
for example: we used a crate once
the person on the crate would have their eyes closed
someone would stand behind the person on the crate
pounding their back lightly twice with a closed fist
then pat their back lighty twice [it was a rythm]
and we'd do that while saying
"concentrate concentrate
people are dying
babies are crying
concentrate concentrate
they're gonna stab you in the back; watch the blood dripping down
they're gonna stab you in the back; watch the blood dripping down"
and they'd say it about 3 times.
then what would happen is they'd whisper to the person on the crate
and tell them
"your on the top of the empire state building
concentrating on the city.
and all of a sudden
someone comes up behind you
and-
PUSHES YOU DOWN!"
at the "pushes you down" part
we'd push the person off the crate
:] it was one creepy experience

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Brittany
Date: 08 Nov 09 - 07:35 AM

I remember playing this in elementary school. I guess we tried to shorten ours a little, but we used to sit on the floor and start by karate chopping each others backs and do the concentration chant..... concentration, concentration. People dying, children crying, concentration. Crack an egg on your head and have the yolk coming down 3x. Concentration chorus.
Stab a knife in your back with the blood dripping down 3x.
Concentration chorus.
Then we'd always say spiders crawling up the wall and tickle our fingers up the other persons back and then when you get to their shoulders squeeze real hard and blow air on their necks and say now you got the chills, but I have played it with the building idea too... I guess it never worked for us so we decided to switch it up.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Nanny150
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 09:32 AM

Our Concentration game was a rhythm elimination game - great for b-day parties. Everyone sat in a circle, slap knees, clap hands, snap left hand, snap right hand while saying "con-cen-tra-tion, keep in rhy-thm, cat-e-gor-y, names of _____________" (boys, girls, foods, cars, etc.) Whoever broke rhythm or repeated was out, until one was left, who was the winner.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Crowhugger
Date: 29 Nov 09 - 11:39 AM

We did what seems like a variant of the game, although it didn't use the word 'concentration.' I'll have to dredge up the exact chant from somewhere in the back room of my memory. I (vaguely) recall it had a spooky or Hallowe'en-y slant; don't know if it will strike me that way now, once I can come up with it again.
~CH.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Me
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 10:51 PM

What do the colors you see stand for when you are playing (concentrate)?

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 09 - 09:02 AM

In 3rd grade we used to play a hand game called 'Concentration'
If I remember it it went something like...

Concentration (clap clap) 64 (clap clap) Do not open (clap clap) the bathroom door (clap clap) if you do (clap clap) you will die (clap clap) concentration (clap clap) 64.

Then we would usually start another hand game, but sometimes we would continue and it would go like...

no repeats (clap clap) or hesitation (clap clap) the topic is
-something-

You'd have to keep in beat (examples)

The topic is, names. Ophelia (clap clap) Alexander (clap clap)

Then you would pass it on to someone else and if you missed the beat you had to sit down (a stand-up circle)

Hehe.
Looking back this is kinda creepy!!
I had no idea what it meant when I was playing it, yikes!

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Rowan
Date: 12 Dec 09 - 10:35 PM

Four years ago, Joe Offer wrote
I used to know a drinking game called "Concentration." Everybody would bound on the table at a fast pace, and chant:
Concentration. Concentration is our game.
Keep the rhythm, ___________ _________
__________ _________________

And then somebody would do hand signals and point to another person, and that person had to duplicate the hand signals or chug a beer.
I am fundamentally uncoordinated and don't catch onto games like this, so a game like this could be dangerous for me. I generally watched from the sidelines and ate pizza and drank my beer a little more slowly.

His description is almost identical to the game we in Oz (in intervarsity circles around the early to late 60s) called "Thumper". The differences were;
1 Each player had their own unique hand signal (rather difficult when played with 10 or more in the group) and
2 When a signal was transmitted (properly) the receiver had to repeat their own signal and then pass it on to someone other than the person who had sent it to them.

The skolling of the beer as punishment for errors was the same, however. It wasn't a game I favoured once I saw a group coordinate a focus on a person who, like Joe, had difficulty with signal dexterity and was known to have a limited tolerance of alcohol.

There was another drinking game (ie, similar penalties) called "WhizzBang". This involved a circle of participants who would, consecutively, call out the next sequential number as the 'call' proceeded around the circle. Any number that was a multiple of 5 had to have its call replaced by calling "Whizz" and every number that ended in 7 or was a multiple of 7 had its call replaced by calling "Bang". 25 was replaced by "WhizzWhizz", 35 was replaced by "WhizzBang" and 49 by "BangBang". At every call that was not a proper number the direction of calling reversed around the circle and a mistaken call or reversal incurred a skoll, after which the skoller (scholar?) restarted the count at "1".

Very few games got past "WhizzBang" as I recall and my ability to get to 50 without error was rarely needed, but I did meet one fellow who had all the calls and reversals 'off pat" up to 100.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Feb 10 - 10:22 AM

Dude, I'm a kid. The game is
This is (clap, clap, clap)
Concentration(clap, clap, clap)
No Mistakes(clap, clap, clap)
Or hesitation(clap, clap, clap)
I'll go first(clap, clap, clap)
You go last(clap, clap, clap)
Category is(clap, clap, clap)
____(clap, clap, clap)

Ex. and first person to hesitate or repeat loses.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Mar 10 - 07:56 PM

Dude, I'm a kid. The game is
This is (clap, clap, clap)
Concentration(clap, clap, clap)
No Mistakes(clap, clap, clap)
Or hesitation(clap, clap, clap)
I'll go first(clap, clap, clap)
You go last(clap, clap, clap)
Category is(clap, clap, clap)
____(clap, clap, clap)

Ex. and first person to hesitate or repeat loses.

--------------

I'm a kid too, and instead of this is concentration we say concentration (clap, clap) 64 (clap, clap) Hence the name concentration 64. ;]

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,SNOOPA14
Date: 29 Mar 10 - 11:13 AM

The songe goes like this:

Concentration(clap,clap)
No repeats(clap,clap)
Or hesitations(clap,clap)
The topic is (clap,clap)
_________

Subject: Concentration (kids' game); Hands up for 185
From: GUEST,Melissa
Date: 02 Jun 10 - 01:23 PM

I'm from Queens,NY. The game we used to play is as follows:

Hands up for one eighty-five (clap-clap)
It's gonna be (clap-clap)
A big surprise (clap-clap)
No repeats (clap-clap)
No hesitations (clap-clap)
No demonstrations (clap-clap)
Starting with (clap-clap)
Names... (clap-clap)
Of... (clap-clap)
(colors, girls, boys, etc...) (clap-clap)... repeat names until someone loses.

The first person to repeat, hesitate, or demonstrate any word lost the game.

Multiple people stood in a circle and clapped hands with kids to the right and left of them. If only 2 people, they faced each other.

I now play this game with my kids. They love it!

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Kit_Kat
Date: 10 Jun 10 - 10:58 PM

Never heard the clapping versions. I remember it to go like this:

Two people: one person has their back to the other and closes their eyes.
Lightly tapping the person with the closed eyes on the shoulders, alternating (right hand, left hand, right hand, etc.) in time with the rhythm of the song.
Chant (of whatever you want to call it):

Concentration, concentration.
People dying, children crying. (X2)

(Close one hand loosely (forming an "O")(on top of their head) and smack and open hand on the closed hand, making a cracking sound. repeat for every time "crack an egg" is said. On the "let the yolk run down" part trail hands down their head and onto their back.)
Crack an egg on your head and let the yolk run down.
Crack an egg on your head and let the yolk run.

Concentration, concentration.
People dying, children crying. (X2)

(On "stab" closed fist into their back. "Let the blood run down" part trailing fingers from the area of the "stabbing")
Stab a knife in your back and let the blood run down.
Stab a knife in your back and let the blood run.

Concentration, concentration.
People dying, children crying. (X2)

(On "a cool breeze", gently blow on their neck.)
A gust on wind, a cool breeze.
(whisper) Now I'm going to push you off a cliff.
(GENTLY shove their back)

I say gently because some of the girls that were doing this pushed the others to the ground.

Well this is my version from Canada. Fun sharing this!!

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,rose garden
Date: 02 Jul 10 - 03:51 PM

what about those games that kids used to play where they would pretend to plant rose gardens in people's arms and then they would pinch the skin and a rose garden would appear?

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,blank
Date: 24 Jul 10 - 10:50 PM

This is the concentration game I use to play when I was a kid...

1)One person chants concentration 64...no repeats or hesitations...i'll start by naming names

2)And then the person who was chanting names a name

3) Then this process continuing to alternate until someone hesitates or can"t name a name. A name can not be repeated.

NOTE: The beat that continues is like 2 double low fives (like in the game of slaps) and then 3 fast claps. This process continues until the end of the game.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Aug 10 - 05:20 PM

Concentration 64 goes like this:

Concentration (clap clap clap)
64 (clap clap clap)
No repeats (clap clap clap)
Or hesitation (clap clap clap)
I'll go first (clap clap clap)
You go second (clap clap clap Repeat as necessery number of persons
Category is (clap clap clap)
----- We usually use names or animals
I recently played this at a camp in Alabama. I'm 12

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Joe_F
Date: 21 Aug 10 - 05:55 PM

Nastiest of all: The October Game

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Sai
Date: 01 Sep 10 - 08:38 AM

First off, people are talking about many different games here; I believe we are focusing on the "people are dying children are crying..." one? Because the origin for that is not obvious. Though I wonder if there was meant to be a connection to the WW2 concentration camps..

Anyway, the meanings of the colors you see after being "pushed" that I grew up with are as follows:

Yellow -> You died in a field of flowers. (Happy)

Blue -> You died while staring up at a beautiful blue sky. (Happy)

Green -> You died on a grassy field. (Happy, though boring.)

Gray -> You hit pavement. (Not so happy.)

White -> You died in the snow. (Neutral)

Black -> You died before you hit the ground. (We saw it as neutral then, though at this age I would much prefer dying before I went -splat-, as it were.)

Purple -> You died in polluted air or you landed on Barney the purple dinosaur and killed him too. One boy said that when you landed on Barney you lived (he broke your fall) but being the morbid children we were, we quickly corrected him.

Orange -> Yepp, you guessed it. Died in an orange orchard.

Red -> Your blood splashed everywhere when you died. (Evidently, 'not' happy) I've heard varistions on this; anything from a shark attack to seeing the red curtain at a drama theatre ("Your play ends here"?)


Hope this helped/freaked out/entertained someone! ^_^

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,MJ
Date: 10 Oct 10 - 09:01 PM

I'm a sophomore in college now, and I vividly remember playing this game on the bus ride to and from school in elementary school. (Not the 64 version, although at camp we played that one too.) It was just 8 of us or so, in the Gifted and Talented Program, so we all got really close. Over the months we ended up making many variations on the original, using feathers to tickle people's backs, making it less gory with milk and cereal and bowls and spoons, etc. Our ending was also a LOT more detailed than most of the ones I've read about on these responses. The general formula is as follows:

[Person has their eyes closed and is relaxed, either sitting sideways on a chair or standing]
Chorus:
Con-cen-tra-tion
Con-cen-tra-tion
People are dy-ing
Children are cry-ing
Con-cen-tra-tion
Con-cen-tra-tion
[while firmly beating fists on the person's back to the beat of 4]

Crack an egg on your head [bump fist on head]
Let the yolk run down [x3] [trail spider fingers down back]
[Repeat]

Chorus

Stick a knife in your back [beat fist once against top middle of back]
Let the blood run down [x3] [spider fingers]
[Repeat]

Chorus

Insert variations here: (Crack bowl on head, milk run down; stick a fork in the back, let the meat/blood run down; stick a spoon in the back, let the milk/blood run down; put/kill a bird/chicken on your head, let the feathers run down)

Now, you're on the top of a taaaaaalllll skyscraper. [move head/torso around in a biggish circle]

You walk forward. [if standing, make person take two steps forward]
Suddenly, you hear footsteps! [clomp clomp clomp]
You look right [turn head to right]
You look left [" to left]
You look up [" up]
You look down [" down]
Nooooobody there. [shake head back and forth "no"]

[Repeat x2, each time getting more anxious that you can't find where the footsteps are coming from]

Gasp! You've reached the edge!
You leeeeeean over to get a better look, [bend person forward]
and [push person forward out of the blue!]

The color they see when they open their eyes represents how they died when the disembodied footsteps pushed them over the edge. When I happened to get a free pack of fake multi-colored feathers, we get creative and took a handfull, throwing it up into the air as the person is pushed. What they manage to catch also signified something about their death, although I can't remember what they all meant now.

Huh, now that I actually write this down, I realize how long this thing was, and how...er, creative we got. Innovative little buggers, weren't we? Maybe it's the G&T piece coming out a bit. Kids have some messed-up minds sometimes. (Really, blood, children crying and people dying?) makes me wonder where this actually started from and if it's something similar to the backstory for "Ring Around the Rosie".

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,renee
Date: 11 Oct 10 - 05:27 PM

concentration(clap,clap,clap

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 03:10 PM

I was remembering this game and was curious about it's origins too. I'm a month short of 23 and I remember playing this game on bus rides to/from school way back in elementary school. I don't remember exactly how it went, but the version went something like this:

While lightly pounding on the person's shoulders from behind: Concentration, idiodiation,
Crack an egg on your head and feel the yolk run down your back (bump person's head with your fist and trail your fingers run down their back) x2
Concentrate, Concentrate (pounding shoulders)
Squeeze an orange on your head and let the juice run down your back (trail fingers down head/back)x2
Concentrate, Concentrate (pounding shoulders)
Stab a knife in your back and let the blood run down your back (Pound a fist on their back and trail fingers)x2
Concentrate, Concentrate
Spiders crawling up your back, Spiders crawling down your back (trail fingers up and down)x2
Cool breeze (blow on person's neck)
Tight Squeeze (Squeeze person's shoulders)
Now you've got the chills! (or shiverees... I remember that too).

We didn't make up any variations that I recall, and I'm not sure if this is exactly correct, but this is how I remember it.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Brit
Date: 19 Oct 10 - 07:50 AM

Hey! We had a similar game in Britain. Or at least in our playground.

Con-cen-tra-tion
Concentration motivation
keep the rhy-thm
okay, let's play.

and everyone had a number or name or word, sometimes we used swear words.

and then doing the hand rhythm where you pat your legs, clap your hands, and then throw thumbs over your shoulders you say your number/word and then the word of the person you're sending it to.

I can't remember all of the rules, but I think you just weren't allowed to stumble over your words. It got faster as it went on. And eventually everyone was out except the two facing each other who just had to go faster and faster until someone stumbled.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Leslie Lee
Date: 26 Oct 10 - 10:10 AM

Ok so I am 22 years old and it seems like there are different versions of "Concentration" we all know. My big sister taught me and my other sister this game. But I'm from Orlando, Fl and this the game we grew up playing:

"HANDS UP TO 85'(CLAP CLAP) GONNA GET (CLAP CLAP)NAMES OF(CLAP CLAP) (PEOPLE)(CLAP CLAP)NO ONE-A-PIECE (CLAP CLAP) NO TWO-A-PIECE (CLAP CLAP) NO HESITATION...(CLAP CLAP) NO DEMONSTRATION (CLAP CLAP)SO LETS GO (CLAP CLAP)SO LETS GO (CLAP CLAP)STARTING WITH(CLAP CLAP) LESLIE (CLAP CLAP) ENDING WITH (CLAP CLAP)JAMIE (CLAP CLAP)SO LETS GO (CLAP CLAP) SO LETS GO (CLAP CLAP)...AND THEN I WOULD START AND WE'D KEEP GOING UNTIL SOMEONE REPEATED A NAME, HESITATED, OR MESSED UP. HAHA I'M 22 AND STILL LOVE THIS GAME! I JUST MADE MY BOYFRIEND PLAY WITH ME YESTERDAY! =) Usually, the subject was people's names or cars, or food, etc....and after each round, the number of things you had to name went up.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Sarah
Date: 20 Dec 10 - 04:21 AM

We still play a game like this at my school, (I'm in grade 5) But the lyrics are slightly different.

Concentrate, Concentrate,
People are crying, children are crying,
concentrate, concentrate,
people are crying, children are dying,
concentrate, concentrate,
spider crawling up your back, (While you're saying this move your hands up their back)
Egg crack (Hit them on their head)
Belly whack (Reach around their waist and slap their belly)
Concentrate, Concentrate,
Your on the Eiffel Tower (Place your hands on their shoulders and rock them)
You're going to fall! (Shove them forwards as you say "Fall")

Tell them to open their eyes and ask them what colour they saw.

Red/Orange means they are going to be killed in a fire,
Blue/Green means they will drown,
White meant they will go to Heaven,
Grey means they will die in hospital,
Black means they will go to hell,

I get blue literally EVERY time.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Amala
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 02:02 AM

hello everyone

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,L.A.
Date: 22 Feb 11 - 02:08 PM

This is so funny as I had not played in years and then on a drive this weekend I taught it as I remembered it to my friends kids and the chant is different than everybody's. We slab both hands on knees, then clap, then snap right fingers then snap left fingers to a rythemic beat and sing... Concentration, Elimination, starting with names of ...   name subject like zoo animals.

You always say the words on the snaps. If you repeat or stumble you are out.

2nd version same chant you can repeat from the first word and then add yours to the end to see who can remember them all.

zebra, zebra bear, zebra bear elephant, zebra bear elephant kangeroo, etc.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Apr 11 - 07:23 AM

mine went like this.

the hearts (♥) mean you hit your knees with both hands then clap with both hands then you point with your thumbs backwards, left hand then right hand, just above your shoulders.

♥ con - cen - tration
♥ concentration lets begin
♥ keep - the - rhythm
♥ keep the rhythm moving
♥ start now
♥ (topic e.g Na - mes, Animals, Coun - tries)

:)

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,AnonymousInIllinois
Date: 26 May 11 - 10:28 PM

My classmates and I are in 5th grade now, and we still keep the 80s going, haha. This is our version:

Concentration (ClapClapClap)

64 (ClapClapClap)

No repeats (ClapClapClap)

Or hesitations (ClaClapClap)

I will start (ClapClapClap)

By naming names (ClapClapClap)

Such as (ClapClapClap)

____ (ClapClapClap)

____ (ClapClapClap)

etc.

And you just keep naming names until someone repeats your classmates' name or hesitates while trying to think of a name...it may seem VERY easy but unfortunately it is extremely hard.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,SuperGuest
Date: 19 Jul 11 - 11:33 PM

My sister and I used to play it and it was similar to one of the earlier version (the back rhythm, not the clapping; I've never heard the clapping). It went like this (pounding the back with a rhythm):

Concentration, relaxation, people dying babies crying concentrate concentrate.

Then it was the yolk, knives, and spiders, and we only very rarely did the empire building one or the cliff because we didnt know what the colors meant. what do they mean? But anyway, glad I finally remembered haha cuz I forgot this chant like a year ago lol

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,UdLike2No
Date: 07 Aug 11 - 01:43 AM

Concentrate, Concentrate,
People dying, children babies crying,
concentrate, concentrate,
people dying, babies crying,
concentrate, concentrate,
spider crawling up your back, to bite you(x3)
Crack an egg on your head and let the yolk run down(x3)
Stab a knife in your back and let the blood flow down(x3)
Concentrate, Concentrate,
Your on the Eiffel Tower (Place your hands on their shoulders and rock them)
To meet*name the 'victims' friend*
When you reach the edge, they push you (Shove them forwards as you say "You")

Tell them to open their eyes and ask them what colour they saw.

Red/Orange means they are going to be killed in a fire,
Blue/Green means they will drown,
White meant they will go to Heaven,
Grey means they will die in hospital,
Black means they will go to hell.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,just visiting
Date: 11 Nov 11 - 08:33 PM

I used to play a game called concentration
all the girls played it
it was like this

concentration(clap clap clap)
64(clap clap clap)
no repeat(clap clap clap)
or hesitation(clap clap clap)
I'll go first(clap clap clap)
you go last(clap clap clap)
the category is(clap clap clap)
______________ (fill it in your self.)
you slapped each others hands while you were saying the words
and after the category name the person had to say something in that category without repeating what someone had already said
or hesitating or they were out.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,blah
Date: 11 Nov 11 - 08:39 PM

we used to play that too but we often did
repeats okay
and hesitation
because we were always repeating and hesitating and it was very frustrating.