44 Home - Hiding Game - Childhood, Tradition and Change PUBLIC DATABASE (2024)

Details

At School 14

Players: 6 or more
Boys and Girls
Age: 6 -8
Props: Anchor point for base

This is the same as Base (also played at this school) except they have to stand on the Base before they are allowed to say they've spotted them (before they get back to base).

This is the same as 44C and 40 - 40.
The names appear to be based around the words that are spoken in 40 40 when they spot one of the hiders who are trying to steal home to base, which is:

Forty, Forty, I see you

If this is said very fast it might be heard as:

Forty Forty see you

by a child playing it for the first time with other children and who is then taking it back to the school with their own variation.

At School 09

Players: 4
Boys
Age: 7
Props: Hiding places and the area where the serpent is.

One player shuts his eyes and counts slowly to 44 at the home base while the otheres hide. When he has finished counting he shouts 44 home! And goes looking for the others. They have to reach home without being tipped (touched) by the person who is in, otherwise they will be 'it' for the next game.

At School 15

Players: 3
Girls
Age: 9
Props: Home which is called 'the bar'

One person is IT, they try and tip others. 'No fools around Bar' means no-one can hang around Bar. To start, IT person counts to 44 while others run and hide, then try to get back to bar without being tipped.

At School 02

Players: 10
Boyss
Age: 12
Props: Eucalypt tree - Home

When the bell went for morning tea break, a group of boys ran as fast as they could from their classroom and up and over a low bank to touch the trunk of a tall Eucalypt tree. The last person to touch the tree was 'It'.

'It' hid his face and counted up to forty-four while the other players ran off. Some hid behind trees, or in amongst the playground equipment nearby. The aim was to touch the tree without being tagged by 'It'; if you touch the tree you are safe. 'It' remained close to the tree to guard it, unless he was chasing someone.

Each of the players ran in to touch the tree, and those who avoided 'It' were safe and stayed close to the tree. Anyone who was tagged became 'It' in the next game, so there could be more than one 'It' at a time. The boys were chased over a wide area - up onto the oval, around the playground equipment and all around the general area.

When there were only one or two people left to catch, the players who were safe formed a chain by holding hands and stretching out from the tree. The player closest to the tree kept his hand touching the trunk. When one of the remaining players ran in towards the tree, he could touch the hand of the player on the end of the chain instead of the tree trunk to be safe.

When the 5-minute warning bell sounded the boys stopped playing at once and walked back to their classroom.

At School 04

Players: 4
Boys
Age: 12

This is a hide-and-seek game. The players do 'Twenty-one' to find who is 'It'. 'It' hides his face against the padded goal post and counts up to 44 while the others hide. When 'It' finds someone he must run and touch the base and say 'Forty-four home' before the other player reaches it. If the other player touches the base first, he is safe.

At School 13

Players: 10
Girls
Age: 8-10

Using a selection game the children select the person who is 'it'. 'It' stands in the home area (in this case the sand pit) and with eyes closed counts to either 24 or 44. During this counting time the rest of the players position themselves in safe places and/or hide from 'it'. After completing the counting 'it' then heads off to catch the players. If 'it' tags a player that player becomes the new 'it'. The aim is for all the players to get home without being tagged.

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