With many parents homeschooling for the last few months, we look at some of the nostalgic memories from primary school in Scotland so that you can relive those childhood memories from school in the 90s.
It’s crazy to think that it has been 30 years since the 90s - and to ‘celebrate’ we look at 16 childhood memories from primary school in Scotland.
1 - The TV being wheeled in
Fewer things could provoke such levels of excitement in a classroom than the wheels of the shared TV being carted into class. It didn’t matter if you were watching a series about paint drying, to have the one TV in the school in your classroom was as good as it got.
2 - Tamagotchis
A shout out to all the crazes from the 90s (see number 3) but fewer things gripped the nation the way that Tamagotchis did. The handheld digital pet was one of the biggest fads of the decade - and while banned from most schools, most of us will recall the level of grieving after our beloved Tamagotchi pet passed away due to ‘old age’ or ‘poor care’
3 - Pokemon cards
"I wanna be the very best..."There were always a bunch of people who could genuinely name them all. Pokemon cards fast became one of the top currencies of the playground. Battles and trading became the go-to activity of the playground with shinies and ‘rare cards’ the most sought after.
4 - Yoyo
They say all trends come back around, but the yoyo was one item that remained on the ‘banned item list’ for much of the 90s with lunchtimes spent trying to show off the latest tricks without having your beloved possession confiscated.
5 - Heads down, thumbs up
If playing Bingo in class was good, then playing this was the next level. A few pupils were selected to put the thumbs down of a pupil and then they had to guess who pressed down their thumb. Simple, yet brilliant comes to mind.
6 - Nets on the goal
A slightly niche one here, but if your school had a football pitch, it was most likely shared and used by a junior football club or by the council for school games. Fewer things would be as exciting as getting to score and seeing the net ripple. Plus, you never had to fetch the ball!
7 - Swapsies/stickers
Swapsies of any sort of card or sticker ruled the playground - but few things could be more exciting than getting that elusive shiny or a final sticker to complete your set. A hat tip to popular trading items such as Pokemon cards and football stickers. Say it with me now folks… “Got, got, need”
8 - Bulldog
Brutal, dangerous, and for 90s kids, a whole lot of fun. Simple but brilliant, the aim of the game is to run from one end of the field of play to the other, without being caught by the bulldogs. As soon as one person is caught, they join the rest of the players in attempting to stop players crossing.
9 - The subsequent ban of Bulldog
Due to concerns over health and safety, the game was most likely banned at your school. Add it to the long list of banned games that came and went throughout the primary school years.
10 - Benches for goals
Remember PE when it was raining? Let's be honest, in Scotland that was more often than not. With schools forced to play in the gym hall enter the class ‘bench for goals’
11 - Bendy rulers
Who wants to draw in straight lines anyway? A beautiful thing from the 90s was the eruption in popularity of bendy rulers. For what felt like a few years it felt that no trip for new stationery could be complete without a bendy ruler purchase.
12 - Gel Pens/Glitter pens
The intoxicating smell of a ‘strawberry flavoured’ pen summed up school for many in the 90s. Gel pens were all the rage. They soon became the must-have pen supply and were promptly whisked out at any opportunity. Even if it was just to dot the ‘i’ with a love heart.
13 - Novelty pencil case
You lived in the hope that your teacher would ask you to put your can of Pepsi away, duped by your novelty pencil case. But yes, for a while we all served as walking adverts for Coke, Pepsi and other sugar-laden drinks with our novelty pencil cases.
Who remembers having one of these bad boys? Pepsi pencil case 😎#90skid pic.twitter.com/bhyrfXZU3Q
— Billy Webb (@BillyRWebb) February 10, 2017
14 - Older kids getting to sit on benches at assembly
Remember assemblies? Remember the pins and needles that would ensue from sitting for hours cross-legged on the floor? The chances are if you remember p6/7 then probably not. For some reason, the older kids always got to sit on the benches while the rest suffered below them. Not that a bench was the height of comfort… but we’re still bitter.
15 - Pencil toppers
What’s that I hear you say? The only thing that could make writing in pencil more fun would be to make it obnoxiously heavy? Then look no further than using a pencil topper. While the football tops collection from Sugar Puffs were quite popular, for a short time they were all the range. Some schools may have banned them in time, but undoubtedly this only added to their popularity.
16 - Coordinating pencil-sharpening bin visits
When it came to remembering a PE kit or a lunchtime snack, most kids would forget something. But when it came to arranging a coordinated visit to the bin to sharpen your pencil, it suddenly became a well-timed military-like operation. You and your best pal would get a minute to chat while both sharpening pencils at the bin. The 90s equivalent of the water cooler?
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