Origins: Concentration (kids' game)

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,lovely
Date: 08 Sep 12 - 02:24 PM

I read all of these hoping someone would bring up this sand man thing me and my cousin would do when we were little, one of us would lay down with your eyes closed and the other would pretend to cut your limbs open (with her nail) and then pat down as if she's stuffing sand into your limbs and then pinch places to make it as if she's stitching you back up and when you stood up you would feel like your limbs are super heavy. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I cannot remember how we really did it, but its something like that. I was also looking up to see the children are dying chant one because my boyfriend thought I was crazy because he didn't know what I was talking about. I worked at an elementary school a few years ago as an after school program aide and the girls would always do that one on me during their playground time.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,guest- searae
Date: 29 Dec 12 - 02:38 PM

GUEST,lovely

I know what game you mean! I use to play that with the neighborhood kids when I was younger. Slightly different variation, but the same effect. Our version was that a witch kidnapped you and drugged you, either by an apple like Snow White, or she gave you a drink or something. So you would lay down and the other person would tell you the story, they'd softly rub your temples to help you go numb. The story basically went like this:

walking in a forest
old lady walks up to you
she offers you a drink
you drink it and feel woozy
everything spins and you black out
you start to wake up but you can't open your eyes
you hear footsteps walk towards you (person taps foot on ground)
and you hear the old lady's voice say "Now I have a friend to play with, but lets fix you up first"
she takes out her pen and draws out lines on your face, neck, and chest (person take finger and draws dashed lines)
then she takes out her knife and cuts along the lines (person softly drags their fingernail along the lines)
she then starts to stuff you full of random objects, a bicycle, a trash can, a tire, a tea pot, etc (get creative as you "stuff" things into the person)
then she sews you back up (softly pinch and drag your finger along the lines to sew them up)
then she leans down to your ear...
WAKE UP!

then when they sit up they feel really heavy

it was always such a weird story/game...

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jan 13 - 03:23 AM

Lets see, I played both versions of concentration here & the sandman game (and a different version of that game too).

For starters, concentration.
Our the version I grew up with seems to be quite the mix of versions that I see here.
Ours went something like this...
(you would pound on the persons back to the tune, alternating right fist & left fist)
Concentration, idiodiation
People are dying, children are crying
Crack an egg your head (hits person over the head) let the yolk drip down (runs fingers down neck & back)
Concentration, idiodiation
People are dying, children are crying
Stab a knife on your back (hit their back) let the blood drip down (run fingers down back)
Stab a knife in your back, let the blood drip down
Concentration, idiodiation
People are dying, children are crying
Spiders crawling up your back("walk" up their back with your fingers like a spider) they bite, they bite (pinch them twice)
Spiders crawling down your back, they bite, they bite
You're running up to the top of the empire state building (Move their shoulders back and forth as if they're running) you open the door (take their arm & make them open & close the door) and slam it behind you.
You hear someone scream. You quickly run forward (do the shoulder thing again) and look to the left (move their head) and then to the right (move their head again). Suddenly a little old lady yaps on your shoulder (tap their Shoulder) and she asks if you've seen her purse. You turn around to look for it when she pushes you off the building (shove them hard)
Then you'd ask what color they saw.
Dark blue = drown
Light blue = frozen
Orange/red/yellow = fire
Black = murdered
White = peaceful death
Grey = death by machinery (I have no idea where that came from)
Green/brown = buried alive
Purple = gassed
Purple with speckles = poisoned (for some reason a lot of people got this, so we had to come up with something)

Next concentration form
+ = 3 claps
Concentration + 64 + no repeats + or hesitations
I'll go first + you'll go second + category is + (insert category here)

And now for sandman.
The first version of sand man that I learned wasn't actually sand man.
Here's how it went.
You lay the person down with their eyes closed then tell then this story
Tonight, some man robbed a bank. The police were after him. He didn't know what to do with the money. He stopped at a random house, unfortunately, it was yours. He woke up your parents and asked if he could buy one of their children for a large sum of money. Your parents chose you. So the man took you home and laid you on his couch and cut open your arm (traces line on arm with nail) he then stuffed the money in (pat their arm down), then sewed you back up. (do this with all body parts while explaining like so)
The other version I know is pretty stupid. You lay the person down like before, and pretty much do the same thing, but the story is kinda stupid
You're at a grocery store messing around when you knock a shelf full of cans down onto yourself (pat down their whole body harshly, like cans crashing down. You're then rushed to the hospital. The doctor cuts you open (cuts open all body parts by tracing a finger along them) then you say sandman, sandman (lightly tap your fingers on the body parts you "opened" up) then you say that the surgery is over and that the doctor will sew you up now (lightly pinch as if the sew them up) then you ask them to try and get up.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Feb 13 - 09:29 AM

Hands up and take a five * clap clap*
names of *clap clap*(category e.g. singers ) *clap clap*
i wanna beat *clap clap*
and to the beat *clap clap*
no hesitation*clap clap*
no demonstration*clap clap*
starting with *clap clap* (name of player) *clap clap* ending with (name of player on the left of the player starting)

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Littleton Colorado
Date: 20 Jun 14 - 12:15 PM

When I was in Littleton we played that game but it was 90s.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,(guest)Phatmadame Thanxs Everyone!!!
Date: 02 Feb 16 - 12:39 AM

Con-cen-tra-tion(clap,clap,clap)To be won(clap,clap,clap)Thinking of FOODS(clap,clap,clap)No Hesitation(clap,clap,clap)No Demonstration(clap,clap,clap)Let's go(clap,clap,clap)Starting with......

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Lavender
Date: 11 Sep 23 - 02:02 PM

I played the first game in this thread but separated into two separate games. Both have one kid with their eyes closed and the other behind them tracing patterns on their back and speaking.
For the first game, trace a slow spiral on their back while saying "People dying, children crying." Then sqeeze their shoulders and waist while saying "concentrate" twice. Then repeat the whole pattern. Grab their shoulders and say "You're standing on top of the Eiffel Tower when you hear someone call your name. 'Name!'" Turn them to the left. "You don't see anyone. You hear them call again. 'Name!'" Turn them to the right. "You still see no one." Turn them forward, then push them. Ask what color they see. The meanings of the colors were largely made up but were what they landed in and determined whether they lived or died. I remember surviving by falling in light blue cotton candy.
The second game was simpler.
"There's an egg on your head, (put fist on their head)
and the yolk is running down. (wiggle fingers down back)
"You've got a knife in your back, (put fist on their back)
and the blood is running down. (wiggle fingers down back)
And repeat the whole thing once.
There was a similar game that was much more popular because the goal was to give someone the chills.
"Around the world" (Draw a circle on their back)
"X marks the spot" (Draw an X)
"Dot, dot, dot" (Poke three times down their back)
"Comma, comma, comma" (Draw three commas down their back)
"Attacks, attacks" (Squeeze their shoulders, then their waist)
"Tight squeeze" (Squeeze their shoulders hard)
"Cold breeze" (Blow on the back of their neck)
"Now you have the chills"
I also played Concentration where you have to list words in a category. It was only played with two people. You started with your right hand slapping down with your left slapping up, switching directions to slap again, then clapping three times. Slapping always happened on words.
"Concentration" (Clap 3x)
"64" (Clap 3x)
"No repeats" (Clap 3x)
"Or hesitation" (Clap 3x)
"The topic is" (Clap 3x)
"[Topic]" (Clap 3x)
If you said a word that had been used before or failed to say something before the claps, you lost.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: NightWing
Date: 13 Sep 23 - 04:45 PM

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

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 Sep 23 - 07:10 AM

"From: Rowan - PM
Date: 12 Dec 09 - 10:35 PM

There was another drinking game (ie, similar penalties) called WhizzBang"

We played a similar game at teenage parties & church socials. No drinking, just eliminate anyone who made a mistake. "Fizz Buzz" any number with the digit 3 or a multiple of three was replaced by fizz, 5s with buzz. So 15 was fizzbuzz.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: GUEST,Lavender
Date: 11 Sep 23 - 02:02 PM

I played the first game in this thread but separated into two separate games. Both have one kid with their eyes closed and the other behind them tracing patterns on their back and speaking.
For the first game, trace a slow spiral on their back while saying "People dying, children crying." Then sqeeze their shoulders and waist while saying "concentrate" twice. Then repeat the whole pattern. Grab their shoulders and say "You're standing on top of the Eiffel Tower when you hear someone call your name. 'Name!'" Turn them to the left. "You don't see anyone. You hear them call again. 'Name!'" Turn them to the right. "You still see no one." Turn them forward, then push them. Ask what color they see. The meanings of the colors were largely made up but were what they landed in and determined whether they lived or died. I remember surviving by falling in light blue cotton candy.
The second game was simpler.
"There's an egg on your head, (put fist on their head)
and the yolk is running down. (wiggle fingers down back)
"You've got a knife in your back, (put fist on their back)
and the blood is running down. (wiggle fingers down back)
And repeat the whole thing once.
There was a similar game that was much more popular because the goal was to give someone the chills.
"Around the world" (Draw a circle on their back)
"X marks the spot" (Draw an X)
"Dot, dot, dot" (Poke three times down their back)
"Comma, comma, comma" (Draw three commas down their back)
"Attacks, attacks" (Squeeze their shoulders, then their waist)
"Tight squeeze" (Squeeze their shoulders hard)
"Cold breeze" (Blow on the back of their neck)
"Now you have the chills"
I also played Concentration where you have to list words in a category. It was only played with two people. You started with your right hand slapping down with your left slapping up, switching directions to slap again, then clapping three times. Slapping always happened on words.
"Concentration" (Clap 3x)
"64" (Clap 3x)
"No repeats" (Clap 3x)
"Or hesitation" (Clap 3x)
"The topic is" (Clap 3x)
"[Topic]" (Clap 3x)
If you said a word that had been used before or failed to say something before the claps, you lost.

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: NightWing
Date: 13 Sep 23 - 04:45 PM

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

Subject: RE: Origins: Concentration (kids' game)
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 Sep 23 - 07:10 AM

"From: Rowan - PM
Date: 12 Dec 09 - 10:35 PM

There was another drinking game (ie, similar penalties) called WhizzBang"

We played a similar game at teenage parties & church socials. No drinking, just eliminate anyone who made a mistake. "Fizz Buzz" any number with the digit 3 or a multiple of three was replaced by fizz, 5s with buzz. So 15 was fizzbuzz.