Questions about Skipping Games

Reference code: FOL.QUES/59
Level of description: Series
Title: Questions about Skipping Games
Scope and content: A CHILDREN'S QUESTIONNAIRE
"Children in senior primary school classes during the years 1937-1939 collected and recorded, as part of their school work, folklore including information on their own games. One of the games described in this collection is skipping. Apart from these school manuscripts, we have very little information on how the game of skipping was played in Northern Ireland up to the present day. This questionnaire is an attempt to fill some of the gaps in our knowledge about the game.
We would be very grateful if you could assist us by asking your senior pupils to answer the following questions. The more information they can give us, the more useful these answers will be.
It will help greatly if the children write their names, school address, home address, age and class at the top of their answer sheets."
1. Do you play skipping?
Is it a popular game in your area?
By what name is it known locally?
2. Do you skip all year round or just at certain times?
If you skip at certain times of the year, what are they?
3. Where do you play skipping?
At home?
At school?
Both?
4. If you play skipping at home, do boys and girls play?
Girls only?
Boys only?
Boys and girls together?
5. If you play skipping at school, do boys and girls play?
Girls only?
Boys only?
Boys and girls together?
6. What age group plays skipping?
7. Do you skip by yourself using a short rope?
Do two children turn a long rope while others skip?
Both?
8. Is there any particular word used to describe the people who turn the rope?
Do they take a turn at skipping?
9. How do you decide who turns the rope?
How do you decide who skips first?
10. What happens when you make a mistake and stop the rope?
Is there a special name for stopping the rope?
11. Do you recite rhymes when skipping?
If so, write down all those you know and describe how each one is played.
12. Please state in the case of each rhyme if the rhyme is used for individual skipping or group skipping or both.
13. If rhymes are recited, who recites them?
The skippers?
The people turning the rope?
The children waiting for their turn?