Crafts and Games-
Marbles
Marbles were very popular with pioneer boys, who saved and traded them, carrying their marble bags with them everywhere they went. The first marbles were made of clay. Later, marbles were made of glass. These were more popular because they were more beautiful and more perfectly round, which made them easier to play with. The most sought-after marbles were made of a mineral called agate and known as aggies. A shooter marble is slightly larger and is used to knock the other players’ marbles out of the circle. Most of the time marbles were played “for keeps”- if a player captured a marble in a game, he took it home with him.
To play a game of marbles, draw a large circle in the dirt. Draw a smaller circle inside the larger one, and place the marbles inside it.
One at a time. players crouch outside the large circle and aim their shooters at the marbles, trying to knock one out of the small ring. He keeps any marble he knocks out. A player’s turn goes on until he fails to hit a marble or sends his shooter out of the larger circle. The player with the most marbles at the end of the game wins. |
