The European express
Games from France, Estonia, Turkey, Greece and Romania
ESTONIAN GAMES Cock a snook (PIKKNINA) The children are in two groups. The best would be boys and girls. One group stays inside the room. The other group is outside. Each child inside, gets the name of one of the child outside. Then one of the kids from outside group comes into the room and tries to guess who has got their name making a bow in front of the one who they think has got their name. If the guess is right, they both stay in room. If it`s not right, the child inside shows a long nose by putting their hands in front of their nose. And the child goes back out. The game is over when all the children of the group outside find out who has got their name. It`s fun to play.
Goose and swans come home! (HANED- LUIGED TULGE KOJU!) Players: Goose, swans, a farmer and a wolf Step 1 Choose a farmer and a wolf. The other players are goose and swans. Step 2 Mark two lines to the playground. One of the lines is behind the farmer and the other line is opposite the farmer. There must be at least 10 meters between the lines. The wolf is standing between the lines. Step 3 The goose and swans are standing behind the line opposite the farmer. The farmer is calling: " Goose and swans, please come home!" Step 4 Goose and swans are calling: We can`t come, the wolf is on our way!" Step 5 The farmer is calling: "Please come!" Step 6 Goose and swans are trying to reach the line where the farmer is standing. Wolf is trying to catch them. The caught goose or a swan becomes a new wolf and the game starts from the beginning.
Uka – Uka I’ m free! (UKA- UKA MINA PRII!) Step 1- choose a playground and agree the borders. The players can`t cross the borders. Step 2- choose who Uka is. Uka player must close his/her eyes and count to 100. The others have to hide. After counting, Uka starts to look for his/her friends. There must be some kind on checkpoint (tree, wall or something similar) what the players have to reach before the Uka. If the player reaches to the checkpoint before Uka, he/she touches the wall/ tree etc. and says: "Uka, Uka I am free" then he/she is a winner. If the Uka finds a player and reaches to the checkpoint and says: "Uka, Uka player (Tom) is caught!" then the player is out.
FRENCH GAMES Cops and robbers Form two equal teams. One team will be the cops, and the other will be the robbers. Each team goes its own area (A jail area for the cops). The cops must run to try to capture the robbers by tagging them two times in a row. The caught robbers have to form a chain. Robber who has not yet been captured can attempt to free robbers who are in chain by tagging them. After being tagged the freed robber has 10 seconds to escape before the cops can attempt to re-capture them. Cops cannot capture robbers if they are in their own area/camp. And a robber cannot stay too long in their own camp. Cops win if they capture all the robbers. Switch teams after all the robbers are in jail. Rules variations: time the game. After 5 minutes, count the number of caught robbers and then switch teams. The team who capture the more robbers wins.
Dodgeball Equipment: a ball, a court (playground for instance), bibs
Objectives: -To put the players of the opposing team in jail. -To remain free Organization: Two teams of five and six players in each team. Rules To catch an opponent and send him to jail: throw the ball to hit one of the opponents. When you throw the ball, if its bounces and then touches one of the opponent, it doesn’t work. Same if the opponent catch the ball: it doesn't work. When a player gets hit he goes to jail, which is located at the bottom of the other team’s ground. He goes over there with the ball and tries to get free straightaway. To get free from jail: a prisoner has to catch the ball that went out of the court, and try to hit one of the opponents. If he succeeds he’ll be free and the opponent will be sent to the other jail. When a ball is out of the court, only the players who are in jail can pick it up. Help: you can pass the ball to other players who are in jail.
Fish fisher At last 6 fishers to play Objective: the fishers must catch all of the fishes.
The fishers gather and pick a number between 5 and 30, without the fishes hearing them. Then they round dance and put arms up to lead the fishes go in the net (the round). Meanwhile, the fishers count until they’ve reached the number they picked. When they get to the chosen number, they put their arms down. If a fish is locked up in the middle of the round they become a fisher. The last remaining fish wins.
ROMANIAN GAMES King, send us soldiers!
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This is a game played mainly by boys in the open air and evokes the atmosphere of medieval tournaments. It can be played by as many as 30-40 players. As a first step two kings are elected with different methods (voting, counting out, or coming to an agreement). Then the kings choose their players who become their soldiers. The two ‘armies’ must have an equal number of ‘fighters’. The two teams line up facing each other at a distance which enables the players to run about safely. The members of the team form a chain by linking their hands. A dialogue follows between the two teams. The army that attacks first calls out: 1st army: ‘King, send us soldiers.’ 2nd army: ‘We won’t.’ 1st army: ‘If you don’t, we’ll take one.’ 2nd army: ‘Try if you can’ 1st army: ‘Who should try?’ The 2nd army calls the name of a player from the opposing team; the person called must run to the other line and break the enemy’s chain. If the player successfully breaks the chain, they may select either of the two ‘links’ broken by the successful run, and take them to join the attacking army. If the chain isn’t broken, the unsuccessful player stays behind as the prisoner of the enemy. The dialogue is repeated and now it’s the turn of the second army to attack in a similar way. The game is played until one of the teams loses all its soldiers and the other one wins. The players should be very careful so that no one gets hurt.
Hunters and wild ducks A large circle is drawn on the ground. Every second player steps into the circle, they are going to be the wild ducks. The players outside the circle will become hunters. The number of the hunters is divided by five to establish the number of balls to play with. For example if there are 9 hunters, they have 2 balls, but 11 hunters can play with 3 balls. The hunt begins when the referee blows a whistle. The hunters surround the circle and try to touch the wild ducks by throwing a ball at them. If a duck has been touched, they must leave the circle and stop playing. The ducks mustn’t catch the ball; if they do so, they drop out of the game. When all the ducks have been ‘hunted down’, the two teams change places and roles. The game can be played against the clock: a) Which team can hunt down more ducks in a certain period of time (3 minutes)? b) Which team can hunt down all the ducks in the shorter time? Additional rules: The hunters mustn’t step into the circle. If a ball remains inside the circle, the ducks must send it out to the hunters. While a duck is busy sending the ball back to the hunters, it can’t be hunted down. Hunters, be careful! Don’t shoot the balls with force and don’t aim at the ducks’ faces. Don’t forget it will soon be your turn to be hunted for.
Squirrels get out of your dens! 2-3 players hold hands and form a circle/an enclosure which is called the den. There is another player – the squirrel – in the den. There is at least 1 (or there might be several) squirrel(s) without a den. Those who haven’t got a den chant: ‘Squirrel, squirrel, brisk squirrel, It’s raining; the wind’s blowing. Winter’s coming, you’ll be freezing, Hurry up, look for a den! Squirrels get out of your dens!’ When the chant is over, all the squirrels come out of their dens and try to find a new one. But the den less players also tries to get themselves a house. When all the dens are taken, the new hunt for dens begins with the same chant. Note: a) The squirrels and the players who form the enclosure must change roles at regular intervals so that everyone can be active and passive in turns. b) If there are fewer players, some circles drawn on the ground can be used as dens.
TURKISH GAMES (Grabbing the Handkerchief) Mendil Kapmaca Steps: 1) The students form two groups and make a horizontal line opposite of each other. 2) There is a referee in the middle. 3) The aim is to grab the handkerchief and run to your team and pass the line of students before the other team member catches you. 4) The referee starts to count back from 6, since one of the students has to grab it in 6 seconds. 5) The player who grabs the handkerchief has to be fast and careful at the same time in order not to be caught by the other player. 6) If the student with the handkerchief succeeds to run fast without being caught by the other student and passes the line of her team, her team gets the point. 7) If the player trying to catch the one with the handkerchief catches/touches the other player before she gets back to the row of her friends, that team gets the point. This is a nice game, enjoy!
İstop Rules: 1) This game has a prerequisite: All the players should know each other's names. 2) One person throws the ball up saying the name of another person. 3) The person whose name is called holds the ball saying 'istop'! 4) If the player can't grasp the ball at once, she/he should run after the ball and should say 'istop' when she reaches to the ball. 5) The player who has the ball tells a colour and the others try to find that colour from their clothes, from other people's clothes or from the surrounding. They can move freely. 6) The person with the ball can only shoot the players who can't find and touch that certain colour. 7) In the video, the first person who couldn't catch the ball chose the colour 'yellow' and only one person could find it, therefore she could shoot everyone except for her. 8) The second person who couldn't get the ball chose the colour 'brown' and many players could find the colour, therefore she didn't have many options (people to shoot). 9) If a person is 'shot' three times, he/she is out of the game.
Burning Ball-literally - Dodgeball-universally Yakartop Rules: 1) The players are divided into two groups in equal numbers. 2) One group takes place in the middle. The other group is divided into two again and stands in both sides of the middle group. 3) The aim is to shoot the players in the middle with the ball. 4) If the ball touches to one person in the middle, then this person in "burned" and gets out of the game. 5) If a player is 'skilled enough' and holds the ball without being shot, then this player has a 'can' (in Turkish-literally means 'life'); kind of bonus which gives the player to stay in the game even if she/he is shot. 6) In the video Tuana grabbed the ball three times, that means she has three bonuses and the other group will have shoot her four times to get her out of the game. 7) When all the players in the middle are 'shot', then its the other team's turn to be in the middle, they switch places. Enjoy!
GREEK GAMES Foot volley Equipment: a ball Two teams of at least 2 players each and a line between them. Rules 1) 2) 3) 4)
Hands are not allowed. The service is done with the head in turns by the two teams. When the ball touches the opponents’ ground twice, it is a point for you. If you touch the ball and then it touches your ground or it goes out of the boundaries of the field, it is a point for the opponents. 5) If you touch the ball more than once, it is a point for the opponents. 6) If your service goes out, it is a point for the opponents. 7) The aim is to reach the score of 10 points with a minimum precedence of 2 points.
The apples Equipment: a ball Players: from 4 to ……… There are 2 teams. The team which is outside [team A] is split in two. Half of them stand on a line on one edge of the game field, the other half on the other edge. The size of the field depends on the number of players. The more the players, the bigger the field. 8 meters of length is usually the case. In the middle is the second team [team B]. Aim of the game: Team A should “burn” all players of team B by hitting them with the ball. The sooner the better because they get tired by throwing the ball against team B. The first three throwings of the ball are high and can’t “burn” the players in the middle. If a team B player catches the ball, they earn an apple. Team A throws the ball from one edge to the other trying to hit the team B players. If a team B player touches the ball, the player is “burnt”, loses his/her “life” and goes out. If he/she catches the ball, they earn an apple. If they want, they can give the apple to a player who is burnt and out, so that he/she can play again. If only one team B player is left, team A throws the ball high so that this team B player can catch an apple. If he catches the apple, another player can come in the game or they have to hit him/her to “burn” his apple first. If not, team A throw the ball twelve times. If the player is hit, team A is the winner and the teams switch roles. Otherwise, all the players of team B come in the game again and they are the winners.
Hide – seek and chase There are two teams and a particular area named “the game field” by the children. These days the most favorite way to form teams and decide which team will hide is feet stamping between two players. The first to stamp on the other’s feet has the right to select first and then in turns they choose the members of each team. One team, let’s call it Team A, is guarding the column and the other, team B, is hiding even outside the particular area. The purpose of team A to find the hidden team B players, chase and catch them so that team B players cannot approach and touch the column. RULES Only one team A player can stay in the particular area (the front school yard in our video) around the column in order to guard it at the beginning of the game. In this particular area only one team A player can chase only one team B player. Outside this area chasers/hunters can be more. In the particular area the number of team A players should be equal to the number of team B players. 10 seconds is the maximum time for players of both teams to stay in the particular area around the column. The game is finished when everyone is caught. In this case team A is winning. If the last team B player manages to touch the column, the whole team B is saved and they are the winners.