THE GAMES OF MY GRANDPARENTS’ CHILDHOOD COMENIUS PROJECT

BULGARIA

LITHUANIA

26 – 30.04.2011

Hide-and-seek is a variant of the game tag, in which a number of

players conceal themselves in the environment, to be found by one or

more seekers. Numerous variants of the game can be found around

the world. In some variations players may move to other hiding spots

while the seeker, generally known as "it", is not looking, and those

who can remain hidden the longest are considered to be the best

players.

In Bulgaria indefinite number of children can play the game. One

has to be chosen for “seeker” and the others are “hiders”. The seeker

closes his eyes and counts slowly aloud to a certain number while the

other players are hiding. Hiders should make a dash for Home Base,

which is previously marked. Touching the base area makes a hider

safe, and the aim of the game is to touch base without being tagged.

The seeker continues to search for hiders and if he/she finds none

then he is the seeker again in the next game. However, if he finds and

tags someone before they are able to touch base, he calls out in a loud

„That‟s Michael! But if the seeker confuses the name of the player the

game starts from the beginning. The mistake is being notified by the

players as they shout “Flat pot!” The last player announced by the

seeker replaces him in the next game. In order to make it impossible

for hiders to touch the base immediately after the seeker opens his eyes

he usually says in the end of the counting: “Whoever is in front of me,

whoever is behind me, whoever is by my sides is going to seek three

times.”

Tag is a playground game played worldwide that involves two or more

players chasing other players in an attempt to tag or touch them,

usually with their hands. Most forms of the game have no teams,

scores, or special equipment.

In our country tag can begin really spontaneously and that is the

most common way. Another way is to choose one of the players saying

a rhyme and then he/she starts chasing the others. If he reaches

someone he has to touch him saying the words “You chase!”. And

that is how the game goes on.

Broken phone is a game that Bulgarian children play. Children are placed

side by side in a row and the first one whispers in his neighbour‟s ear

any word, phrase or sentence. The action repeats until the last child

hears the word and says it aloud. Very often the last child says

something that has nothing to do with the original word and this is the

fun of the game. If the final word is not correct, the child goes last in

the telephone row.

Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on

the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit. It is played by 4, 6, 10 and

more participants who divide into two teams. Each team selects a "consul" and

occupies a half of the playfield. Consuls stand behind the final line of the

opponent team. A lot determines which team begins the game. The aim of each

team is to hit with a ball and take out all the opponent players. The one that is hit

and fails to catch the ball goes behind the final line of his "consul". The same

rule applies if people try to catch the ball but drop it. Head shots will not be

counted. It only eliminates the thrower immediately. If the ball remains in the

playfield of his team, they have the right to continue the game.

Before dodging the participants have to pass the ball to the consul 1 or 3

times and then while the ball rolls on the ground slightly all the teammates don‟t

have to touch it. Everyone who touches the ball is eliminated and the other team

takes a score. At last when all the teammates have been hit and taken out of the

field the two consuls go in and other players are chosen to be consuls. The game

ends only when one of them has been hit.

There are some magics that consuls can do. If he says “centrifuge” the players

begin to whirl and he throws the ball. When he says “tomato” everybody sticks

his bottom up and the consul hits. When he announces “earth-ball” all the

players have to straddles and the ball should pass under their feet without

touching them. If the ball is a “fire ball” everybody have to jump over it and if

anybody fails to do will be out.

Blind man's buff is played in a spacious area, such as outdoors or in

a large room, in which one player, designated as "It", is blindfolded and gropes

around attempting to touch the other players without being able to see them,

while the other players scatter and try to avoid the person who is "it", hiding in

plain sight and sometimes teasing them to make them change direction.

Blind man's buff is ideally played in an area free of dangerous obstructions so

that the “blind man” will not suffer injury from tripping over or hitting

something. In one of the versions “the blind man” has to guess who is the player

that he has caught. He runs his fingers over the player‟s body in order to

recognize him by his clothes or physic features. If he manages to do it his fellow

starts seeking in the new game.

Jumping rope Skipping rope (British English) or jump rope (American English)

is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by children and many

young adults, where one or more participants jump over a rope swung so that it

passes under their feet and over their heads. This may consist of one participant

turning and jumping the rope, or a minimum of three participants taking turns,

two of whom turn the rope while one or more jumps. This is called long rope.

Sometimes the latter is played with two turning ropes; this form of the activity is

called Double Dutch and is significantly more difficult. Jump-rope rhymes are

often chanted beginning when the skipper jumps in and ending when the skipper

is tripped up.

Jumping rope is an activity not only suited for competition or recreation but

also it‟s an exercise similar to jogging or bicycle riding. Ten minutes of jumping

rope is roughly the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile. Jumping rope

for 15–20 minutes is enough to burn off the calories from a candy bar.

Wishbone is the name of an old game. It is usually played by two people. The

one shouldn‟t take any kind of objects that the opponent wants to give him.

To start the game a branched chicken or turkey bone ("furcula", referred to as

a jaw bone or the wishbone) need to be broken by two players. Their goal is to

pass an object under some pretext that the other will take. The player who has

got the smaller part is the only one that should not take anything.

When one opponent passes an object to the other, the recipient must say

“I know!”, in this way you show the other that you do not forget about the game.

If you do not say it, your friend says "One, two, three ... Wishbone " and that‟s

how he wins the game and you have to carry out his wish.

Tell me, oracle! At least three kids should take part in this game. Everybody sit

down on a bench. One of them has to be chosen and plays the oracle‟s role. If

you are the oracle you should sit in front of the kids and close your eyes with

your head down. Then another child starts asking you pointing at one of them

“Tell me, oracle! What should it be?” The oracle calls all the children by names

of things, plants, animals or anything he can think of. In the end the oracle

stands up, opens his eyes and chooses one of the names that he called the

players. The kid that received the same name becomes the new oracle.

White butterflies is a game that is widespread all over Bulgaria. The

participants are mainly girls. They arrange in a circle. Two girls hold their

hands under the elbows and dance spinning around in the middle of the circle.

Everybody sings:

White butterflies,

Where did you fly?

Near is your way,

Select your pals ...

The first is mine

The second is yours…

While singing the last words each of the dancing girls runs to the others and

selects one that encircles them. The new couple enters the circle and begins

dancing under the accompaniment of the song.

Burn, burn handkerchief In this game the children squat in a circle. Only one

kid holds a handkerchief and runs around the circle singing “Burn, burn

handkerchief, the dog is pulling it!”. His task is to drop the hanky behind one‟s

back. The one that gets the hanky stands up and starts chasing the other one and

tries to take his place in the circle. This game is really funny and you should try

to play it.

Rubber band jumping was popular in my primary school. This game can help

you to practice your jumping skills, develops coordination, and also meets lots of

friends.

Rubber-band jumping is a low cost game. You only need some rubber bands.

We loop rubber bands together tightly until we have a larger one (You can select

the length you like). When you get three players together, you can start your

game. Children say rhymes or sing songs to the rhythm of the game.

Here's how we play this special game.

Two kids stand opposite each other and extend the rubber band. One player

jumps and stands on one side of the rubber band, carrying the two sides together.

Then she jumps again and made the two sides separate. Then she jumps again

into the middle of the rubber-band and after that she jumps outside of it.

There are certain grades of the height of the rubber band. The first grade is the

level of the ankles of two players, the second - the hamstrings, the third - the

level of the knee, the fourth - at the butt, the fifth - the waist, the sixth - at the

arms, the seventh - the neck, eighth - behind the ears, ninth - elastic is held over

the forehead, tenth - the rubber band is high with hands stretched up.

Hopscotch is a children's game which can be played with several players or

alone. Hopscotch is a popular playground game.

To play hopscotch, a court is first laid out on the ground. Depending on the

available surface, the court is either scratched out in dirt, or drawn with chalk

on pavement. Designs vary, but the course is usually composed of a series of

linear squares interspersed with blocks of two lateral squares. Traditionally the

course ends with a "safe" or "home" base in which the player may turn before

completing the reverse trip. The home base may be a square, a rectangle, or a

semicircle. The squares are then numbered in the sequence in which they are to

be hopped.

The first player tosses the marker (typically a stone, coin or bean bag) into the

first square. The marker must land completely within the designated square and

without touching a line or bouncing out. The player then hops through the

course, skipping the square with the marker in it. Single squares must be hopped

on one foot. For the first single square, either foot may be used. Side by side

squares are straddled, with the left foot landing in the left square, and the right

foot landing in the right square. Optional squares marked "Safe", "Home", or

"Rest" are neutral squares, and may be hopped through in any manner without

penalty. After hopping into the "Safe", "Home", or "Rest" the player must then

turn around and return through the course (square 9, then squares 7 & 8, next

square 6 and so forth) on one or two legs depending on the square until he or

she reaches the square with their marker. They then must retrieve their marker

and continue the course as stated without touching a line or stepping into a

square with another player's marker.

Upon successfully completing the sequence, the player continues the turn by

tossing the marker into square number two, and repeating the pattern.

If while hopping through the court in either direction the player steps on a line,

misses a square, or loses balance, the turn ends. Players begin their turns where

they last left off. The first player to complete one course for every numbered

square on the court wins the game.

Draughts is a form of draughts board game and it is played by two players with

pools, each of them has got nine pieces of a colour. Players have to put them on

the board of special places marked with a circle.

For a game of Draughts also known as Koram a playing field and nine pieces

(white and black) are used.

The pieces are off the board at the beginning of the game. Players take turns

placing a piece on the board until they put them. The goal of the game is to

arrange three pieces vertically or horizontally which is called “Lady”. If you

manage to do this you have the right to take away one of your opponent‟s pieces.

The player can move the pool on a free neighboring position and try to make

“Lady”. In one of the variants if a player is left only with three pieces - they can

“jump” to any vacant position in order to prevent his opponent of making

"Lady."

The winner is the player who first manages to take seven of his opponent‟s

draughts.

Giants and dwarves

This game is open to all children. They arrange in a circle, for example. A leader

needs to be chosen. The leader stands inside the circle and gives his commands.

When he says “Dwarves!” children have to squat and bent their heads down.

When he says “Giants!” children have to stand up and raise their hands up.

You can make it more complicate as the task given by the oral

command of the leader and its demonstration differ (e.g. the leader says "giants"

and squats at the same time).

Balls

The players draw a circle on the ground. In turns they throw their balls trying to

push the opponents‟ balls out of the circle. According one of the versions

children excavate a small hole inside the ring and try to bring their ball in it.

Meanwhile they should eliminate competitors‟ balls pushing them outside the

ring. Having the desire to win players often use different tactics like throwing the

ball to a secure or remote area. Agility is an important skill in the game and also

the beautiful colours of the balls express the aesthetic pleasure of playing the

game.