The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #85915   Message #4181537
Posted By: NightWing
13-Sep-23 - 04:45 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
I remember a "hypnotic" chant that included the egg cracking on the head and the knife in the back and feeling the blood or the egg freeze. Perhaps "Something something, icy breeze / Crack an egg; feel it freeze"? But nothing about "Concentration" at all. And I don't recall anything about falling from a high place or meaningful colors at all, at all!

The other version, where you try to make a list of names, feels similar to what we used to call "Saint Peter, Saint Paul". The first three people were named "Saint Peter", "Saint Paul", and "Saint John". Remaining people were simply numbered: "Number One", "Number Two", etc. Saint Peter always started the game: They would start a rhythmic beat: 'thigh slap', 'hand clap'. We always would chant "Whoomp-a! Whoomp-a!" with 'slap clap slap clap' until everyone was on the beat. Then Saint Peter would say their current game name on the rhythm and than say someone else's name or number:

Saint Peter, Number Three

At that point, the person who is currently "Number Three" must immediately respond with their name and someone else's. For example:

Number Three, Saint John

Then the newly named person had to send it on to somebody else.

It was permitted to send it back to yourself. This meant that you had to take two turns in a row. This was a common place to make a mistake.

Sometimes it was permitted to send it directly back to the person who sent it to you; other times, not. This rule was always decided on before we started.

When you messed up, you went to the end of the line. Thus, with each new round, some of the players had to change their "name".

I'm 61, so this would have been early '70s and I grew up in northern Colorado (Denver, Westminster, and Loveland). I remember both games were always played with everyone who was available, so most commonly both boys and girls.

BB,
NightWing