Traditional games :-)

 Good morning! We would like to share with you the traditional games which we presented and played 😁 during our mobility in Poland. They are very simple, they don't require any special equipment and they are great fun! 👍😉 Check them out

MATACONILLS (“THE RABBIT KILLER”) - Spain 

One of the typical games in Spain, especially in our region, Catalonia, is "Mataconills". This game is based on a group of people, better for students who are over 10 years old, who have to try to keep the enemy from touching them with a ball. Participants move freely around the area and the teacher throws a ball into the air. The participant who catches the ball becomes a hunter and chases everyone else (rabbits) throwing the ball. If the ball hits a participant it turns him/her into a dead rabbit, so he/she must sit in the place where he/she was hit. The ball will bounce off, so whoever catches it will be the new hunter. Once the game is mastered, it can be performed with two balls.

The only material that is needed is a ball, of a soft material if it's possible so that when hitting, it doesn't hurt the participants of the game.

The rules are:

● It is not valid to touch the ball without throwing it.

● To become the hunter, the ball must be caught.

 

TILES - Greece

We have 8 or more children divided in two teams. Children of one group "build" a pyramid of 7 pieces of tiles.

They keep a distance of 10 meters and children of the other group throw the ball to "destroy" the pyramid. If yes, then in the centre of the circle (diametre of about 1 m), they leave the main tile (the biggest one) and around it the smaller ones.

The "guards" try to hit the members of the first group - who are trying to rebuild the pyramid - with the ball.

* Important:

• Sometimes, a child gets hit by the ball on purpose, so as to give the other members of his team the chance (or the time) to rebuild the pyramid. The winner is the team that achieves that!
• Guards do not prevent children from moving either near or far from the circle.
• Guards do not touch the tiles after scattering them.

 

Raz, dwa, trzy, Baba Jaga Patrzy – Poland

The group stands on one end of the playing area, at the starting line. The person who is "It" stands at the other end, at the finish line, with his back to the group. He says, "Raz dwa trzy Baba Jaga patrzy." Then he quickly turns around to face the group.

While he's facing away from the group, the people in the group run towards the finish line. Meanwhile, as soon as the one who's "It" finishes saying, "Raz dwa trzy Baba Jaga patrzy" he quickly turns around to face the group. The group must freeze. Anyone who is caught moving has to go back to the starting line.
The game continues like this until someone reaches the finish line. That person wins and is "It" in the next round.

 

„Come home all my geese” – folk game from Hungary

related to St Martin’s Day

On the 11th of November Hungarians are celebrating St. Martin’s Day and are feasting on

meals made of goose. But why? And who’s St. Martin?

 According to legend, St. Martin was born in 316 in Savaria  in the province of Pannonia, a

part of the Roman Empire. He served as a soldier as well as a missionary, and had done so

many good deeds in his life that he was appointed to be a bishop. However, according to the

legend, Martin did not desire any power, so when delegates came for him, he tried to hide in

the goose lodge. Unfortunately for him, the loud roar of the confused geese exposed the

hiding place, so against his will in 371 Martin was ordained as bishop of the French city of Tours. 

Game description:

● roles: wolf, geese, farmer

● we have 2 parallel lines apart from each other 3-4 m

One child (the wolf) just stands between the 2 lines a liitle bit further „behind a bush”

the farmer stands behind the other line, opposite the geese,

geese stand facing the farmer, behind the other line

The farmer and the geese say the chant alternately. (see below)

At the end of the chant the geese run to the farmer designated the „safe zone” while the wolf

rushes out and tries to catch them. If someone is caught, she/he is out from the game.

After 2 minutes we can change the roles and we can have another wolf.

The goal is to collect as many geese as the wolf can in 2 minutes 

Chant:

F: Come home all my geese.

G: No, we won’t.

F: Why not?

G:’Cause we’re scared.

F: Of what?

G: The wolf.

F: Where does it live?

G: In the bush.

F: What does it eat?

G: Goose meat.

F: What does it drink?

G: Goose blood.

F: Come home all my geese very very quickly.