May 2013
Utolsó pár előre fuss (Pair behind run ahead)
Players stand in pairs hand in hand in a column. They elect a „pussy”. He will catch the others. He stands ahead and has no pair. He calls the last pair who stands behind. „ Utolsó pár előre fuss ”( Pair behind run ahead ) Then they run ahead on the sides of the column. They have to take each other by hand again in front of the caller. But the caller can catch any of them before they take each other by hand again. The caller can’t see back meanwhile the last pair is running ahead. He can catch them only after they get in front of him. The one he caught will be the caller, the new “pussy ” and the caller who caught him will stand with the other player in the front of the column. If the caller couldn’t catch anybody he will be the caller again. The new caller calls the next pair and those run ahead. Children play this game until they get bored.
Halászás ( Fishing-chain tag )
Before playing the game we mark out the lines until children can run. We elect a fisherman. The others will be fish. To a whistle the others begin to run ahead, because that child who is caught by the fisherman will be fisherman too. When the fisherman caught the first child they run together hand in hand. The next child they caught has to join to them as well. Catching new fish is not easy at the beginning because as many fishermen there are they want to run as many directions. Catching somebody is only valid if fishermen don’t let each other hands. Later it’s easier to catch fish when the fishing net is longer.
Adj király katonát! (King give me soldier ) This play can be played by 20-30 children. First the players are divided into two equal groups. Then we elect two kings. They will be the leaders of their groups. They will choose the members of their groups. They choose by turns. The kings arrange their groups face to face into two parallel lines about 15-20 steps far from each other. The members of the group take each other hands very strongly. The best is to take each other wrists. The king checks if the chain of his group is strong enough. After this one of the king’s call out the other king:” Adj király katonát!” (King give me soldier. ) The other king replies:” Nem adok.” (I don’t give. ) The first caller king answers: „Szakíts ha tudsz.” (Tear if you can.) The king names from his group the strongest boy or girl who runs as fast as he or she can and tries to tear the chain of the other group. He or she has to know where is the other group’s chain is the weakest. If his / her choice was good and the chain was torn there, the two players of the other group where the chain was torn have to go with him or her as prisoners behind his, her group. For them the play is over. If the attack was successful his, her group can attack again. If it was unsuccessful the other group can attack. So the group who gets prisoners can always continue the game. The winner is the group who gets the most prisoners during a certain time or catches all the members of the other group, their king as well.
Here comes the bee The children elect two leaders. These two are named with something sweet or great or good (I'm in the ring, says one with diamond stones, I'm a nice ice cream, chocolate syrup and plenty else says). Then stand by one another ( opposite) and the other children make a tail and two children hit their hands as arch spend less than others singing: "I spend goes to the bee and the melissopoula paidopoula, paidopoula." They stop at a kid that time passes beneath the arch and telling secrets in his ear what they have put it to choose. That's the one usually says without saying, what is what. When the child asked "ice cream" (say) goes behind him who has been called "ice" and keeps him from the waist. The same is repeated for all children to choose. There are two chains at the end. Heads grabbed by the arms and pulled back from the children. Whichever team grab another win.
Ζiziros game This is a traditional game played on Easter and the days after. One person has to cover his eyes while one of the rest behind him hits him on the back, sometimes softly, sometimes hard! The person has to guess who hit him and if he is correct the person who hitted him takes his place. Immediately after the hit all the persons make a "zzzz" sound like a cicada (Ziziros) and wave a finger in circles, so as to confuse the unlucky one.
MAKRIA GAIDOURA The players are divided into two groups. The leader of the first group standing with his back to the wall, holds the shoulders of one player team, which is tucked in the face to the leader. The other team mates sit hunched one behind the other, behind the first player, and held firmly by the waist. The leader of the other team starts running quickly and jumps across the group, trying to sit as close as possible to the head, so that there is enough space for all the players of his team. The other players do the same. If you fit all and no one touches his foot down, as it is sitting in the back of the other team, you win. The game is repeated with another group to do the "gaidoura".
Los Bolos (Spanish Bowling) Material: 9 wooden pins, a smaller pin called “emboque� and a wooden ball. Playing Field : A square patch of dirt. How to play : The game consists of throwing the ball and knocking-over the most pins as possible.
El Castro (Hop-Scotch)
Material: A piece of chalk and a small stone. Playing Field: Playground How to play : You draw the “castro� (square pattern) on the ground and throw the small stone in the square marked 1. After, you throw the stone in square 2, and continue through the pattern. You have to hop or jump through all the squares in order, skipping the square with the stone.
Tira-Soga (Tug-of-War)
Material: A rope Playing Field : An open space with a line drawn on the ground to divide the two teams. How to play: 2 teams with equal number of players are on each side of the rope and pull in opposite directions. The team that pulls the other team across the line, wins.
Mókusok ki a házból ( Squirrel without house ) You can play it either in the gymnasium or in the playground. You need hoops but one less than the number of the players. We put the hoops uniformly strewed about on the ground. To a whistle everybody has to take, to step in a hoop. The player who doesn’t get a hoop will be the „ squirrel without a house”. To the cry of him or her „Mókusok ki a házból! Egy, kettő, három ”( Squirrels run out of your house ! One, two, three.). Every child has to run out of their houses and has to stand in another hoop. Who doesn’t get a hoop, that will be the new „ squirrel without a house ”. Rules: -
Players can leave the house only after call. Players always have to look for a new house. The new house is that player’s who arrives and steps in the hoop first. In one house there can be only one player. You mustn’t push each other from the hoop.
Karikadobรกlรกs ( Throwing hoops ) We place a cross made of wood on the ground of which has vertical poles on its ends. We draw a line at about 2 meters from it. Players will throw the hoops from behind it. The first player gets five hoops made of twigs. He or she tries to throw the hoops one by one on the poles of the cross. Who throws the most hoops on the poles is the winner.
CsĂşzli ( Catapult ) It is a toy of boys but girls like to play with it, too. It is easy to prepare. Children can make it themselves at home from the things can be found around the house. You only need a branch of tree shaped of Y, a piece of rubber string and a piece of leather. For example at Easter it was a common game shooting on a cock when they had to hit the stomach of the cock that was painted on the target.
Avgodromies Egg Races
To play “egg races� you need a spoon and a well boiled egg. Each player put the spoon with an egg in his mouth. The players stand in a row waiting the signal for the race. According to the rules of the game, players put their hands behind their back. The player who finishes first without dropping the egg is the winner.
Sakkoulodromies Sack races In “sack races� is allowed to play persons of all ages. People that want to play this game enter in a sack and stand on a line. When they listen to the signal they all start jumping until they reach the finish. The winner of the game is the one who reach first the finish. We play this game on Tsiknopempti in school yards or in churches yards a day after Easter, or even in the fields when families go for picnic during spring season. It’s a famous traditional game in Cyprus and everybody have a lot of fun.
Shadow Puppet Theatre Shadow puppet theater seems to have come to Greece and Cyprus probably from Asia, during the Ottoman rule. Although it is four centuries old, shadow puppet theater is still very likeable and still performed, often during traditional celebrations. It is performed using two dimensional, wood or paper puppets. The torso, waist, feet and sometimes the limbs of the puppets, are separate pieces that are joined together with pins. They are moved with a stick that is attached to their back. The scene is occupied by the palace to the right and Karagiozis’ cottage to the left.
The puppeteer moves the puppets against a white cloth, called mperntes. The audience is watching from the other side of the cloth and can only see the shadows created by the puppets. The puppeteer creates the voices for the dialogue, narrates the story, and possibly even sings while manipulating puppets. The story is based on the adventures of Karagiozis, who is the main character in the Greek Puppet Theatre. Karagiozis is a poor hunchbacked Greek, his right hand is always depicted long, his clothes are ragged and patched, and his feet are always bare.
CREATING OUR OWN SHADOW THEATER The 1st graders studied the Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre, created their own puppets and improvised simple dialogues, that they later performed to their classmates, on an offhand mperntes, made of paper and cardboard, that was placed in the classroom.
SPECIAL UNIT Traditional Dolls In Cyprus, many years ago, the dolls were made from available materials such as spare scraps of cloth material. There are stories from grandmothers telling us that little girls and their mothers had to make their own dolls. So, in our lessons called “Old times – New times”, students have seen pictures/photos of rag dolls and have learnt how to compare them with modern dolls. Students made their own rag dolls and played with them. Mainly, they have learnt how valuable money is in our times which allow us to buy dolls, among other things, so we have to deal with our money in a responsible way to enjoy life.
Canicas (Marbles) Material: Mud and paint How to play: Make the marbles using the mud and paint. Draw a finish line or make a hole in the ground. The objective is to throw one marble at the others, knocking them until they reach the hole or finish line.
Cariocas
Cariocas Material: Rice, balloons, string, colored strips of plastic (cut from trash bags) How to play: Once you have filled the balloons with rice and tied the string and strips of plastic to the end of the balloon, you spin it around above your head and throw it.
Los Zancos (Stilts)
Los Zancos (Stilts) Material: Two pots, two long pieces of rope, two ropes and stickers or electrical tape. How to play: Once you have decorated the pots with stickers, you make two holes in the pots and thread each piece of rope through the holes in the pots. Now, they are ready to play.