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Summer vacation once seemed to stretch on for years, leaving children plenty of time to invent their own entertainment—and occasionally acquire a lasting scar.

One favorite was mumblety-peg, a game in which players tossed a pocket knife from different angles and tried to make it stick in the ground. Our version raised the stakes: Each player aimed to land the knife as close as possible to an opponent without hitting anyone.

The risk was more than theoretical. A longtime friend still has a scar on her shin from playing with her brother. Rumor had it that an ice pick was involved.

Whether our mothers knew about the game remains unclear. Most were home full-time, but they were no helicopter parents. Vacuuming, dusting, laundry and cooking kept them too busy to monitor every childhood adventure.

My next-door neighbor Bonnie and I sometimes played dress-up. Her family had a more elaborate lifestyle than mine, giving us access to gowns and other fancy outfits. Dressed to the nines in my driveway, we imagined ourselves as glamorous celebrities and royalty.

Bonnie was athletic and preferred stunts and wrestling—“rassling” in our Hoosier accents. We practiced backbends in her front yard, and she mastered wrestling holds that seemed worthy of the WWF.

Another neighbor, Susie, joined me for bicycle picnics. We packed peanut butter sandwiches, chips and a jug of Kool-Aid, pedaled up St. Clair Hill and climbed Indian Mound. From there, we ate lunch while surveying the view.

By August, when the summer heat peaked, Bonnie and I often spread a blanket beneath a shade tree and played with dolls. We dressed them for elegant evenings, beach trips and even ice-skating outings. When we moved indoors, we played Hearts or Old Maid.

Jacks and Pick-Up Stix held less appeal. Both demanded extraordinary patience and delicate skill, and I possessed neither.

Still, an entire summer could pass without us running out of things to do. The games did not flash, roar or devour batteries. For Old School children, simple pleasures were enough.