Oral History

Of Children’s Toys, Games and Leisure Time

Some ideas and photos were taken from Toys and Games: An Oral History, in the East Midlands Oral History Archive. http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/schools/toys/index.html

Play changes with each generation

• What toys and games did you like when you were a child?

• How did you spend your leisure time?

• Did you have different toys, games and leisure activities than your parents?

Oral History (1)

• Oral History is based on interviewing people to learn about historical change.

• Think of a topic and what you would like to learn from it.

• Do some background reading on the topic to learn what other people have written.

Oral History (2)

• Decide who to interview

• What generation, location or gender (etc.) are you targeting?

• Get permission from the person to publish their private information in a research report.

Oral History (3)

• Decide how to interview:– Face to face

– Telephone

– Take notes

– Record voice

– Record video

Oral History (4)

• Decide how to preserve your interview– Written summary

– Transcribe a recording or video

Oral History (5)

• Decide how to publish or share your research– Internet

– Paper

– Verbal presentation

Graphic from: Wise, Debra & Forrest, Sandra. 2003. Great Big Book of Children's Games: Over 450 Indoor and Outdoor Games for Kids. Boston: McGraw-Hill Professional, ISBN 0071422463, 9780071422468.

Today’s Class

• Topic: Children’s games, toys and leisure activities: How have they changed?

• Learn about your classmates’ childhood and how it was the same or different from children today.

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Think & prepare

• How was your experience different from that of kids today?

• How was your grandparents experience different?

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Gender, location, etc.

• Were there games or activities that were different for boys and girls?

• Were there games or activities that were different between the country and city.

• Were there games or activities that were special to the area you or the interviewee lived?

Let’s do Oral History!