Without smartphones and computers, ever wondered how kids who lived in kampongs entertained themselves in the past? With just the simple coconut shell, beans, seeds, other plant materials, and lots of imagination, they could amuse themselves for hours on end. Take a trip down memory lane with me as I reminisce about the simple joys of the good old days.

Forage for your own snacks

The berry of a ripe Cape Gooseberry takes on an orange hue and is encased in a dried-up covering.

The Cape Gooseberry (Physalis minima) produces interesting looking fruits that are wrapped in a paper-like husk. It almost looks like the fruits are wearing little capes! Its ripe fruits are sweet to taste.  As kids, we used to have friendly contests to see who can find the first ripe fruit! To remove the papery husk, gently squeeze the berry and the fruit will burst through its covering like a balloon.

This plant grows as an evergreen tree with a dense, tiered canopy and slightly drooping branches.

Another plant of interest is the Singapore Cherry (Muntingia calabura). Its fruits are small but sweet and juicy. Due to its delicious taste, these fruits are popular with birds so it is not an easy task to find ripe fruit for picking but as competitive children, we never shied away from a challenge to find and gather the most number of ripe red fruits of the Singapore Cherry. Race with Coconut Shells Do you remembering racing your friends on coconut shoes? Make yourself a pair of coconut shoes by simply stringing thin ropes through two halves of a coconut kernel. The length of the strings can be adjusted to suit the player’s height.

Coconut kernel shells can be purchased from the supermarket. They are often used as containers for jelly desserts. Clean and dry the shell after eating your dessert and drill two holes through them to loop your piece of string (right).

To begin this sporting event, use a stick or chalk and draw a set of lines on the ground to mark the start and end points.  Carefully step onto the coconut  shell-shoes, grip the strings with your toes, and pull the strings tightly with your hands. Now you are all set for your coconut shell race! All players will run at full speed towards the finish line. On your mark, get set, go!

Fun with Rubber Fruit Shells and Seeds
People who grew up in estates near rubber trees would know of this amusing game of spinning rubber fruit . This simple spinning toy is created by fitting dried rubber fruit shells together. Hold the toy loosely between your index finger and your thumb on a flat surface, blow into it and watch it spin!

Construct your own spinning toy by halving one half of a dried rubber fruit (top left). Next, turn one piece upside down and flip it over before fitting them together (top right). You may need some glue to secure the pieces together. Some rubber seeds are shown at the bottom.

Construct your own spinning toy by halving one half of a dried rubber fruit (top left). Next, turn one piece upside down and flip it over before fitting them together (top right). You may need some glue to secure the pieces together. Some rubber seeds are shown at the bottom. Some pranksters might even remember rubbing a rubber seed vigorously against the concrete ground until it gets really hot and then pressing the hot seed onto a friend’s bare skin…Ouch!

The Five Stones Game
“Five stones” is a game played by two or more players using five small triangular cloth bags. The goal is to throw one “stone” into the air and scoop the remaining “stones” before the first reaches the ground.

This very sentimental set of five stones was hand-sewn by my late grandmother who filled them with green (mung) beans.

These “stones” are traditionally made by sewing together scrap pieces of cloth and filling them with rice grains, green bean seeds, or fine sand collected from the playground. Making five stones is a fun process! You can even mix-and-match your fabrics to create your very own bespoke set of “five stones”!

Text and photos by Dr Wilson Wong