Fun and Games in the 1700s
Although Paul Revere is now famous for his contributions to the
Revolution, he might also be remembered for his role as a father!
During the course of his lifetime, he had sixteen children, eight with
his first wife Sarah, who died after the birth of her last child, and
eight more with his second wife
Rachel.
Although he had sixteen, all of the children never lived in the house
together at the same time. Can you guess why not? There are two
reasons: five of the children died when they were babies and the
surviving children were spread out over thirty years. (Imagine having a
brother or sister who is thirty years older than you are. Ask your
parents to imagine having a newborn baby in their house from the time
they were 22 until they were 52 as Revere did!) So at the most, there
were eight children living in the house at once.
Before and during the Revolution, Revere was primarily working as a
silversmith. Although Revere made beautiful pitchers, bowls, buckles
and buttons, he was not wealthy. As a result, he could not afford to
buy toys for his children. They played with things they made or could
find in and around the house. Below are instructions for playing two of
the games the Revere children probably played.
Five Stones
Players: Any number
Materials: Five stones or pebbles per player
Fun Facts
When the Revere children lived in Boston, the city streets were
either dirt
or cobblestone. Nothing was paved. As a result it was easy to find
pebbles
to play this game. Today in the North End, it is almost impossible
to find
pebbles!
How to Play
Sit in a circle. Choose one person to begin, then take turns going
around
the circle. The first player tosses one stone in the air and tries
to catch
it on the back of the hand from which she threw it. If she catches
it, she
remains in the game. If not, she is out. The person to the first
player's
left tries to do the same.
After everyone in the circle has tried to catch one stone, try with two,
three, four and five stones, taking turns as before. Continue playing
until everyone has missed. The person who is able to catch the highest
number of
stones on the back of her hand wins.
Hints:
- Practice for a while before you begin playing.
- Keep your fingers together when you are trying to catch stones.
- Flat stones are easiest to catch.
Jack Straws or Pick-Up Sticks
Players: 2-5
Materials: 20 straws cut from a broom - real straws are
better than
plastic. Be certain to ask your parents' permission to cut the
straws before
you do it!
Fun Facts
The Revere children had no trouble finding straw to play this game.
Even
though the Reveres lived in a crowded city neighborhood, they had a
barn behind
their house in which they kept chickens and a cow. (As a
silversmith, Revere
could not afford a horse! Whenever he worked as a messenger he
borrowed or
rented one.) The barn undoubtedly had straw for the animals'
bedding. Although
you may have played this game with wooden sticks, you will find it
much more
difficult to play with straw. Straw is often frayed and irregular.
It is much
trickier to extricate a straw from the pile than it is to remove a
smooth stick.
How to Play
Choose someone to begin. He holds the straws about five inches
above the
surface on which the group will play, then drops them. The player to
his left
tries to pick up as many straws as he can without moving any of the
others.
When he moves another straw, he must leave the one he was trying to
remove
and his turn is over. The person to the left goes next.
Play continues until all of the straws have been removed. The player
with the most straws wins.
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