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I remember the many wonders of playing outside before the computer and handheld games were around. Recently I wanted to teach my grandson how to play marbles. This was going to be a treat because all of us were going to play, from older adults to very young children. The things that are needed are few and very inexpensive. And is a great way to get out of the house and having the family enjoy the game. Maybe teach the neighborhood kids on how to play and give them something to do to get them out of the house.

First there are a few things you need to know about a few names of marbles. The Shooter is the one marble that is larger than all the others and each player will have their own. How it is used depends on each individual. Some place it in the pointer finger while it is bent in a "U" shape, while the thumb is placed behind the marble.

This will give the marble power to hit the other players' marble toward the outer ring or outside the ring, in which the player retrieves it and claims it as their own. I will explain the rules later. Then there is the Cats Eye it is clear with many different colors along the center which gives the appearance of a cat's eye. And another marble is called a Steely because it is made of steel. These are marbles the Shooter will try to knock out of the ring.

The Ring is a circle that measures anywhere from 1 foot to 3 feet from the center to the edge. Also it is better to draw the circle in a flat dry area.

The Rules are very simple. First everyone needs to toss there marbles into the ring as to scatter them about. Then you pick someone to go first. It can be the oldest or youngest goes first. Then depending on how you want to pick, you can go right to left, left to right or by age. The shooter will take aim by place their marble behind an opponent's marble then hitting the shooter into the opponent's marble trying to shoot it towards the ring.

If a shooter knocks a marble out of the ring then they continue until they are unable to knock any more marbles out. If unable to continue the shooter leaves his shooter where it stopped. Then it will go to the next shooter.

Learn more about this author, Mary Tompkins.
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