The most popular games among English children are the Chestnut Game and Marbles. From an early age, children begin to prepare attributes for these games: strong and large chestnuts and glass colored balls.
The game of Conker, or chestnuts
The history of this game begins in the middle of the 19th century, when the regulars of the local pub, who refused from fishing due to bad weather, played chestnuts for the first time, and then the winnings were given to the winner's blind relative. From now on, the winnings from these competitions are credited to the creation of books for the blind. To start the game, you need some preliminary preparation.
Snail shells and hazelnuts were previously used in this game instead of chestnuts.
You must first collect the largest and strongest chestnuts and prepare a strong rope 30 cm long. The chestnuts are soaked in vinegar for 2 minutes, and then they are calcined for another minute and a half in the oven at maximum temperature. The chestnuts are drilled, a prepared rope is inserted into the hole. Secure it by tying a strong knot.
The meaning of the game is as follows: the participants stand opposite each other, holding a chestnut on a rope in one hand. The first child holds his chestnut at arm's length, hanging from a rope wrapped around his arm. The second player strikes by wrapping the rope around his arm and aiming to strike.
The child then releases his chestnut and tries to hit his opponent's chestnut. The children take turns striking the chestnuts. If the chestnut is struck, then the child is entitled to one more blow. If, when hitting, the participant does not hit the opponent's chestnut, then they change places. The game ends when one of the participants breaks the rope.
Marbles
The principle of this game was discovered back in the days of the Roman civilization, but it was England that gave the modern name and the rules of the game. Marble is a glass ball, 49 marbles participate in the game.
In England there is a concept of "marble mania": children look for rare copies of balls, collect and exchange them.
The game takes place on a field with a diameter of two meters. Participants are divided into two groups of 6 players each, they are awarded 4 balls. The task of the teams is to knock 25 balls out of the field. The order of the blows depends on the draw taken before the game. In the Marbles language, it is traditionally called lagging. The first line is drawn on the field with chalk - a lag, 3 m is measured from it and a starting line is applied. Balls are thrown from it, while the participants in the game try to get as close to the lag line as possible. It is prohibited to cross the starting line.
The child whose ball is closer to the lag line begins to play first. The rest of the children follow the first one in the order that their balls took. At the moment when the ball flew over the lag line, the participant is eliminated from the game. In the case when the ball is exactly on the lag line, the player is considered to be the winner automatically. In the next round, the player who won the previous one starts first. So, until one of the participating teams completes the main task of the game.
