Life in the fort was hard and almost all free time was used for play. Simple toys of wood and metal and games of make- believe and mischief were the most popular.

Metal hoops have been used for play since the sixth century BC. At Fort Victoria, they were probably taken from old barrels. These iron hoops could be thrown, juggled, or simply rolled along the ground. They made a great deal of noise and were probably excellent in annoying the adults.

Wooden toys, such as the ones shown here, were simple to make and provided hours of fun for all the children, rich or poor, boy or girl. Can you guess what the boy is playing with?

One child recalls that a strange yet favourite amusement was to catch a dog fish, "...and after fastening a billet (stick) of wood with about a foot of line to the tail, letting him go. It afforded us a great deal of joy to witness his futile attempts to escape".

Marbles were another fun game that kids liked to play. The children hand-made the clay marbles themselves and got the fort blacksmith to fire them. They could be played anywhere and there was usually no limit to the amount of people who could play. Some marble games were "Chase", "Hits and Spans", and "Boulders".

Besides the previous fort games, the Hudson's Bay Company children always found time to play with the neighbouring children of the Songhees village.

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