FEW things conjure up innocent memories of childhood fun as quickly as the egg and spoon or three-legged race.
The traditional games have been part and parcel of school sports days in the Capital for decades.
Youngsters revelled in the fun of them in the 1950s and 1960s as our photographs of George Watson's Ladies College and James Gillespie's show.
Alt
hough school sports curriculums today include everything from modern dance to cheerleading, the old favourites still have their place at primary school sports days across the city.
Castleview Primary School held its sports day earlier this month and it featured many traditional races and games, as well as more modern games like "beat the goalie" and basketball.
Headteacher Lindsey Robertson, 51, said: "We had all the traditional races, and our cook boiled eggs for the egg and spoon race. We had a parent and staff sack race too.
"The children also did the wheelbarrow race, which was great fun."
Mrs Robertson, a former Leith Academy pupil, added: "I think there needs to be a balance of traditional and modern games but most importantly, it's really important that sports day is a family event for parents and kids to be all together.
"I don't think sports day has changed much over the years, there are lots of traditional aspects that are still carried on, but there is certainly more emphasis on team games now."
Barbara Thomson, 49, headteacher at Carrick Knowe Primary School on Lampacre Road, shared a similar view.
She said: "I wouldn't say sports day has changed very much but I do think it's more team-based now. Sports day was very much an individual thing from what I can remember, whereas at this school for example, if you are in the upper or middle school, you are playing for your particular school 'house'."
Meanwhile Maureen Allan, 49, headteacher at Flora Stevenson Primary – which will also include a mixture of traditional and modern games at its sports day on Wednesday – said she can remember doing the three-legged race and the skipping race – her all-time favourite – when she was at school in the sixties.
Mrs Allan, who was a pupil at St John's Primary in Portobello, said: "I think it's important to still have some traditional sports.
"When parents and grandparents come along, it's something that they can discuss together with the children."
Our pictures show pupils enjoying their sports days by taking part in a range of events, including boys in the open hurdles at Leith Academy in June 1960, Glenvarloch Primary pupils battling it out in the high jump the year before, and the under-eight's quoits event for Craiglockhart pupils at Meggetland in June 1966.
