“Good Old Days”
Interview with Grandparents
Objectives of this study were:
• To learn the playing habits of
the grandparents who were
children in a less digitalised
world
• Create curiosity among the
young generation for learning
traditional games that are no
longer played
• To develop research and
assessment skills and
capabilities of the students
• When? Thursday 3rd
November
• Who? Primary 5 (aged 8/9)
children as part of their topic
‘My School & Locality’ were
the perfect interviewers with
our ‘Annaclone Young at Heart
Association’
• Where? St. Colman’s PS & All
Saints’ NU, Annaclone,
Northern Ireland
• Why? Because we are
committed to ‘Bridging The
Generations.’
Young At Heart
• Club for the over 60's living in Annaclone.
• They value the importance of older generation
continuing to learn new skills and ideas.
• Organised and led by local pensioners for local
pensioners. School supports them by giving
them access to the building for
meetings/ICT/music etc
• Help the school with traditional crafts/art
Where the fun never ends!
Context – our grandparents talk
of life in Rural Ireland in the
1940/50s.
Many have lived in Annaclone all
their lives and have witnessed
the changes to the school and
community during that time.
9 year old children shared their
views on their own ‘Good Old
Days’.
Summary of Findings - 1
Creativity/Imagination
“Imagination deficit?”
• “…imagination was all we
had and it took us
everywhere…no alternative
entertainment – we were
the entertainment and
where you see a stick, we
saw a paddle on a ship or a
key part of the hut we were
about to build and go hide
away in…”
Summary of Findings – 2
Toy Creation & Craft
‘’Rich in thought, not in pocket.”
• “All of my toys came from the
shops or Santa.”
• “We spent hours making toys
from next to nothing. Mummy
taught us how to sew and
make rag dolls.”
• “Year after year we would race
our carts down Rathfriland
Hill. It was a big deal to win
and no one cared about cuts
or bruises.”
Summary of Findings - 3
Demographic Change
Who do I play with?
• “If my sister is busy, I play
on my own in my room.”
• “We had six/seven/eight
children in our family. Our
cousins would come to ours
and we would all play
together. We learned lots
from the older children,
song, games, how to be
bold and bad!”
Summary of Findings – 4
Similarities
•
•
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•
•
•
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Timeless Games
Duck, Duck, Goose
Skipping Games
Hide & Seek aka 40/40
Hopskotch
Pitch & Toss
British Bulldog
The Farmer Has A Wife
Ringboard Games
Summary of Key Findings - 5
Modern Day Parenting…
The big debate…
•
“We were allowed to run freer and
wilder than we ever let our own
children. They in turn have taken it
to a new level. Children are micromanaged in terms of safety and risk.
Parents drop their children off at
organised clubs and at sleepovers. I
think I little bit of organised chaos
and adventurous learning would go a
long way with this generation. Even a
walk home from school was a ‘game’
now everyone is bussed and belted
in. Has health and safety mixed with
scare stories in the media taken
childhood to a place we might never
get it back from?”
Summary of Findings - 6
Curiosity in our Children
“Let’s Investigate!”
Conclusion
• All present enjoyed the chance to engage and learn from each other
• Opportunities for new learning arose from the interviews
• Societal change has had both positive/negative impacts upon
childhoods
• Work for Sociologists to determine is this just life ‘through rose tinted
glasses’ or were childhoods in 1950’s substantially ‘richer’ for the
child?
• All grandparents conceded that schooling itself is much superior today
and that the removal of all forms of ‘corporal punishment’ can’t be
overlooked as a huge leap forward in terms of child-centred pastoral
care
• Children appeared envious at ‘playing opportunities’ open to
grandparents outside school hours that they don’t feel they have.