A surprise on TV

[Workingman]

I mentioned on the Entertainment board about a programme called The Repair Shop.

Today they repaired a toy I once had - a gyroscopic spaceship - a proper flying saucer. It had a crank and once you got it going to turn whatever was inside it made a hum, and then the fun started. The casing never moved, it was not spinning, it was the gyro inside doing all the work.

Gyroscopic forces are strange and almost magical.

So, if you were holding the spaceship out in front of you in both hands and tried to lift the left or right side you could not do it, instead the front or the back would lift depending upon the direction of spin of the gyro inside.

It had a spike with a ball at the centre of one side and if you set it at an angle hanging over the edge of a table it would 'walk' along the edge without falling off.

Unfortunately they did not have its tower. If it was set at an angle in the socket on the tower it would stay there, apparently defying gravity, but if you gave it a push it would 'fly' round the tower still defying gravity and at the same angle.

It worked on the end of your finger, a tree branch, a washing line, in fact just about anywhere you could get the ball to sit.

Mad, but super fun.

[TheOstrich]

Gyroscopic forces are strange and almost magical.

Yes, they are ...... I never had a toy like that but it sounds brilliant! (Better than a wretched YoYo which I never ever mastered )

[Workingman]

YoYo, no, hula-hoop, no, skipping, definitely not.

We lads used to watch the girls in the playground with double ropes, then one would jump in with her own rope, then another would join in. So, we had two girls sharing their own ropes together and both inside two long double ropes. It was impossible, but they did it.

Then the bell rang and we all went off to double maths or Eng Lit.

[cromwell]

YoYo, no, hula-hoop, no, skipping, definitely not.

We lads used to watch the girls in the playground with double ropes, then one would jump in with her own rope, then another would join in. So, we had two girls sharing their own ropes together and both inside two long double ropes. It was impossible, but they did it.

I remember that WM. Double dutch, was it called? They used to skip and chant at the same time, unbelievable how they did it. Also they used to throw balls up against the wall clap, and catch them behind their legs and stuff like that.

Nowadays at the same primary school they have "playground supervisors".

[cruiser2]

WM, I had one of those gyro toy. Can't remember a tower but like you said it would travel along the edge of a table.

Didn't see girls skiiping at primary or secondary school.

[Workingman]

Another thing the girls did was a game with little spikey things and a sponge ball.

The spikes were thrown gently to form a random pattern then the ball was bounced and the girl clapped then picked up a spikey thing before catching the ball. One clap got one spikey thing, two claps got two and so on. Once the ball hit the ground before it could be caught you were out.

I was pretty good at cricket and I think my record was four or five, but some of the girls used to double up on the spikers - great hand, eye coordination and spatial awareness.

The boys - footie with a tennis ball or just standing around moaning.

[Kaz]

Frank, that was called Jacks! I loved it, and was pretty good at it! That and French Skipping - done with two lines of elastic bands joined together, with elaborate moves and jumps around it.