THE HANDBOOK OF OUTDOOR GAMES - Youthnetyouthnet.gr/files/various/The Handbook of Outdoor...

THE HANDBOOK OF OUTDOOR GAMES

CONTENTS

Introduction..............................2Romanian outdoor games....................3Italian outdoor games.....................8Bulgarian outdoor games...................14Hungarian outdoor games...................19Czech outdoor games.......................21Slovak outdoor games......................25Greek outdoor games.......................29Conclusion................................34Authors...................................35

1

INTRODUCTION

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Young people nowadays spend half of the hours that they are awake in computers, cell phones, TVs, and monitors for video games. The consequences of this phenomenon (called “videophilia”) are especially negative for their psychological, mental and physical health. Although we are aware and we are great supporters of modern technology and the multiple ways it serves humanity, we can’t ignore the dangersand the side effects hidden in it, especially when people overuse it. Major role to combat this phenomenon are considered to have outdoor activities.

So we decided to create an international project with an aim to outline the importance of outdoor activities and street games as means of dealing with young people’s addiction to internet and the “videophilia” phenomenon. This was achieved with a very entertaining, participatory and learning way.

Around 40 youngsters from 7 European countries (Italy, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece) took part in this Youth Exchange project, called “Come Out & Play!”, that mainly examined the issues of internet and on-line gaming addiction and explored healthy ways of living. The youth exchange was hosted in Edessa (Greece) by NGO Youthnet Hellas, at 29.07.2015 – 05.08.2015, in the frame of the Erasmus+ program for Youth.

The main idea of the project was based on the street/outdoor games that are or were played in participating countries, usually by the older generations. All participant youngsters left their computers and smart phones aside and came out to play with each other and with the locals. We presented the outdoor games that were/are played in our countries, we tested and played them with the rest, exercised, cooperated with each other and entertained ourselves. After the games, there were discussions and workshops whereby the impressions from the experience of outdoor games were described, issues of addiction to internet and computers were examined and the importance of healthy behaviours and ways of living was analyzed. All activities and workshops were realized in the frame of non-formal and informal learning.

Some of the most important achievements were that this project managed:

To encourage outdoor activities as means of promoting healthy behaviors and ways of living and as a meansof reinforcing the mental, psychological and physical health of young people.

To create intercultural learning and to discover cultural elements and identities of participants and their countries through the street games played today and in the past.

The intergenerational approach of youngsters with older people.

The development of social, personal, group skills amongst participants and to reinforce their self esteem and self confidence.

To sensitize and provide knowledge about the side-effects of modern technological means, about the dangers hidden in getting addicted to nternet and about the phenomenon of “videophilia”.

Additionally, we created also The Handbook of Outdoor Games!

This Handbook is an outcome of our effort and work during the project. It contains all the outdoor games (from participating countries) that were played throughout the project, with description and detailed guidelines on how they are played.

We hope that the Handbook is going to be a useful guide for those who are interested in playing international outdoor games or for people who wish to learn more about outdoor games played in European countries.

And now it’s time to get to know more about these games!!

ROMANIANOUTDOOR GAMES

The players are split in two opposite teams.The teams need to stand face to face making two parallel lines, leaving between them enough space to run (6-7 meters). The players in each team need to hold their hands in order to make a fence.All the players in the starting team will shout loudly, in the same time: Country, country, we want soldiers”, and the other will ask back: „Whom do you want?”After that, the demanding team needs to say the name of the person they chose.The chosen person has to run as fast as possible to the opposite team in order to break the fence. If the fence is broken, the player who broke it will choose a player from the opposite team, taking him to his team (from the place the fence was broken). If the fence is not broken, the chosen player needs to remain in the opposite team. The aim of the game is to enlarge your team as much as possible. The game stops when one of the teams loses all its players.

COUNTRY,COUNTRY WE WANT SOLDIERS

RULES

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ORIGINALLYCOUNTRYPLAYERSAGEEQUIPMENT

Țară, țară, vrem ostașiROMANIA10+4+NONE

In this game we have 2 hunters and many ducks.The hunters should stay a few meters distance between each other, and the ducks in the middle, between the hunters.The purpose of the hunters is to hunt the ducks by hitting them with the ball.If the "ducks" are hit with ball they go out from the game.

The last duck left is the winner.

DUCKS AND HUNTERS

RULES

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Rațele și vânătoriiROMANIA5+4+ONE BALL

One of the players, the leader, needs to stay with his face at the wall and the others will stay behind a line, 5 meters behind the leader. During this time the rest of the players need to get as close to him as possible, without being seen. Whenever the leader turns his back to the line, the rest of the participants have to freeze. If they are seen by the leader

while moving, they will be punished by having to turn back to the initial line.

If one of the playe sr reaches and touches the leader without being seen, he wins and becomes the new leader.

1 2 3 AT THE WALL

RULES

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1, 2, 3, la pereteROMANIA5+4+NONE

The players need to make a circle. One person will be blindfolded with a scarf and spinned 10 times.The “blind” player has to find the others who are running around him. Then he has to catch someone and identify the person he caught. If he does it correctly, the person that was caught will become the new “Blind Old Lady”

Attention!!! Because the person who plays the blind old lady can hurt himself by stumbling into objects or walls around him, the others have to shout “Fire!” whenever he gets close to such danger.

THE BLIND OLD LADY

RULES

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Baba OarbaROMANIA4+4+ONE SCARF

ITALIANOUTDOOR GAMES

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Marbles tracking: in this game a start line is drawn on the ground or sand. From this line the first player throws his ball. The second, pulls in turn trying to hit the opponent ball. The marble should be pushed with thefingers. If he succeeds, the second player takes the opponent marble, if not, both marbles stay on the ground. The game continues as above described, until there are no more marbles.

THE MARBLES

RULES

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BiglieITALY2+6+ONE SMALL MARBLE FOR EACH PLAYER

Every player will have his contender on the other side, with the same number. It will be a challenge between two.The players have to run for catching first the handkerchief. The first has to come back to his position and meanwhile not to be touched by the contender. If he will succeed, he will get a point, but if his contender touch him, the point goes for other team.

HANDKERCHIEF

RULES

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Gioco del fazzolettoITALY3+6+HANDKERCHIEF

One of the players draws the bell on the ground, usually made up of 10 boxes. The boxes are in a single file, but it is possible to found boxes side by side.The last box of the track is the basis in which the player must turn over to complete the course redoing reverse. Players individually, throw the stone on the boxes. The stone must land inside the compartment without touch any line or go out. The player then hopping on one foot box in the box all the way, but never get in the box that has the stone thrown. Is possible setting down at the same time both feet on the ground only where there are the blocks of two boxes side by side.Reached the base, the player can stop and then turning around, making a half turn, and repeat the journey back, collect the stone, without losing balance and will return to the starting point. If a player stepped a line or do not jump in the correct box or lose balance, the turn passes to the next player.

That player will resume the game from where him left off.After successfully completing the path of return, the player throws his stone in box number two and so on. The winner is the first visit with his mark all boxes, completing every time the path.

THE BELL

RULES

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CampanaITALY2+6+1 CHALK AND 1 STONE

The players launch the spinning top using a small cable. The winner is the player that has the spinning top that stops to move the last.

SPINNING TOP

RULES

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StrummoloITALY210+SPINNING TOP

There is one person who is called witch. The oher paicipants are standing in front of the witch. The witch commands a colour that everyone has to find. The participant is eliminated if the witch touches him before he can find and touch the colour commanded. Suggestion: if the witch commands colour yellow, all the participants have to touch something yellow.

Watch out! It is impossible to touch a yellow item that you have on yourself.

COLORS GAME

RULES

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Colori GiocoITALY26+NONE

BULGARIANOUTDOOR GAMES

A participant in the game is chosen to be the "Crocodile". Playing field is chosen depending on the size of the group playing the game. The crocodile takes place in the center of the playing field, while everyone else lines up on either side of the playing field. The "Crocodile" faces the same direction as everyone else, therefore turning his back towards the other players. The "Crocodile" must name a random color, and if someone of the players has a type of clothing or item of that color on them, they may pass to the opposite side of the playing field. The remaining players, who lack attire or posession of such color, must evade the crocodile in an attempt to pass to the opposite side, without leaving the bounds of the playing field, that were agreed on before starting the game.

Whoever the "Crocodile" tackles has to leave the playing field and wait for everyone to be captured. If the "Crocodile" doesn't capture anyone in three rounds,he then "dies of hunger".

CROCODILE

RULES

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Крокодил BULGARIA5+5+NONE

Players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit. Each team selects a "consul" and occupies a half of the playfield. Consuls stand behind the final line of the opponent team. The aim of each team is to hit with a ball and take out all the opponent players. The one that is hit or fails to catch the ball goes behind the final line of his "consul". 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 straddle 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.

DODGEBALL

RULES


Народна топка BULGARIA4+7+1 BALL

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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.

BROKEN PHONE

RULES


Развален телефонBULGARIA7+5+NONE

17

This 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.

TAG

RULES

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ГоненицаBULGARIA2+7+NONE

HUNGARIANOUTDOOR GAMES

Two teams are given. The blue team is the defender, the red team is the fighter. 4 digits number are on everybody's forehead. You can kill anopponent player if you say loudly the number on his forehead. If it is correct, the killed player has to leave the ground. But you mustn't shout every number on Earth. It is evident. For example: you have seen the last three digits(x123) of the opponent players, you can’t list 1123,2123,3123,4123,5123. So you mustn't hide your and others numbers with your hands!

The winner is that team, who killed every player of the opponent teamYou can play with flag, and in this version the defender and the fighter teams have meaning, because: The defender team (blue) hide the flag in a given area. Then, they have to protect the flag. The red team has to steal the flag and take it back to the start within time.The flag must be placed in the well-reachable place.

THE WAR OF NUMBERS

RULES


SzámháborúHUNGARY10+5+CARDS WITH NUMBERS

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CZECHOUTDOOR GAMES

People stand in one line, hold their hands, one person is a fisherman, who stands about 30 metres away and screams:

Fish, fish, fishermen go!

In this moment fisherman starts to run and tries to catch fish, who stop holding their hands and start to run against fisherman. People, who are caught by fisherman, are the part of fishing net. The game is repeated until the last fish stands alone – it is start of a new game, where the last fish is a new fisherman.

FISH FISH FISHERMAN GO

RULES

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Rybičky, rybičky, rybáři jedou!CZECH REPUBLIC10+5+NONE

One of the players will be Father Frost. The players can alternate in the role of Father Frost during the game (according to their physical condition). Father Frost tries to catch the others. In case someone is caught, he stands where he was with his legs apart and stops moving (he is frozen). The rest of the players can save the frozen one by slipping under his legs, then the frozen player can play again. But the Father Frost is meanwhile still catching other players, so he can catch also the player who is just saving a frozen player.

The aim of this game: To teach players cooperation, sacrifice themselves, preparedness.

FATHER FROST

RULES


MrazíkCZECH REPUBLIC10+7+NONE

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Players stand in a circle and in the middle of the circle there is one player holding the ball, he/she calls the name of a player from the circle and throws the ball up in the air and than everyone flees. If catcher grabs the ball, he calls the name of another player and the game continues. If you do not catch the ball, you have to say STOP after touching the ball – all players stop. Then the catcher has a chance to save him/herself : hit another player with the ball. If the catcher hits somebody, then he/she continues in a game and the hit person is out of the game. If not, the catcher is out of the game.

CRY OUT MY NAME

RULES

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VyvolávanáCZECH REPUBLIC10+5+1 BALL

SLOVAKOUTDOOR GAMES

Players sit on the ground or on the chairs in a big circle. Each player puts his right hand on the left thigh and his left hand on the right thigh of his neighbours. One player starts to clap his neighbour on the thigh and the players continue in the circle until someone claps twice, then the direction has to be changed. Player who makes a mistake is eliminated from the game.

CLAP

RULES

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TleskSLOVAKIA5+5+NONE

One leader is chosen from the group in the beginning of a game. This person has to tell numbers from 2 to 10 and other players have to form smaller groups. Groups must have as many members as leader decided. People who are left or can't form the correct groups are eliminated.

Last 2 players win the game.

NUMBERS GAME

RULES

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CislaSLOVAKIA 15+5+NONE

Players are divided into groups. The main objective is to run across the field through the finish line, one player from each group at a time. The length of a course is set in advance. In the beginning of a race players put sticks on the ground vertically, put their foreheads on the top of the stick and spin at least 5 times around the stick. After the spins they have to run to the finish line.

Player who gets there first wins. Players can compete either as a group or individually.

DIZZY RACE

RULES

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Opite pretekySLOVAKIA3+10+3 STICKS (MIN. 80CM)

GREEKOUTDOOR GAMES

Two players stand opposite to each other within 5-6 meters distance and are called “mothers”. The other players are between them right in the middle.The game is played with 3 or more people and a ball is needed. Two players throw the ball from the one side to another while they are trying to "hit" someone from the team inside. If someone catches the ball without the ballfalling down, then he/she wins an "apple", this is called a "life". So the team inside tries not to be "hit" by the ball. If someone is hit, he/she is out of the game.

The game continues until all the players from the inside team go out.The first two who were excluded from the game become "mothers" and a new game begins again!!

APPLES

RULES

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ΜΗΛΑGREECE 3+NO LIMIT1 BALL

It is a traditional outdoor game which is played with 10 and more players. The children who play the game decide who will hold the hankie at first – the person chosen is called from the others as ‘mother’. Then, the players sit down close to each other on the ground in a way to create a circle, except for the ‘mother’. The last one holding the hankie runs around the circle and sings a quatrain. Abruptly, he/she throws the hankie to another player’s legs and this player has to catch the “mother”.

The “mother”, in order not to lose, has to make a round of the circle and enter the position of the other person. If the “mother” manages to get into the position, the “mother” wins and the game continues with the person that was chasing who becomes the “mother” now.The quatrain: “The hankie has flown and a girl is looking for it, it’s going far away, a twirl in the wind.”

THE HANKIE

RULES

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ΜΑΝΤΗΛΑΚΙGREECE5+NO LIMIT1 HANKIE

Tzami is a game for both girls and boys. Children carve a circle on the ground and in the center of it plant a stone slab right to be the base of the tower. On it they plant 12-15 small tiles in a different shapes and sizes, the one over the other, until they get balanced. In a distance of 5-6 meters children carve a straight line from the one side of thecircle to the other and they are separated in two teams. The children of the first team who are set the one behind the other, step the line and target with a small ball the tiles in order to knock them down. If they fail it is the turn of the second team to try. Once a child knocks the tile down they scatter them into the circle in order to be difficult for the other team who has to plant them again to win the game. While the members of the second team struggle to put the tiles the one over the other, as they were in the beginning of the game, the children of the first team hit with a small ball the opponents to throw them out of the game.

Once they make it happen they shout "jami".

JAMI

RULES

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TZAMIGREECE9+NO LIMITSOME ROCKS AND 1 BALL

The timeless, traditional group game Pythia was named after the so called fortune teller-priestess Pythia who was a mythological figure of ancient Greece. This game can be played by a great number of people without any precondition of knowing each other. First, the players form a circle with a specific direction and pick a person that will play exclusively the role of the Mother throughout every round. The role of Pythia will be alternate from the previous player to the next player during the game. And the game starts. Pythia is forced to keep his/her eyes closed while The Mother chooses two different players to be: the Mister and the Lady (or the opposite). When the Mother decides, Pythia opens the eyes and announces a task of her/his preference that will be conducted between the Mister and the Lady. For example: ‘The Mister would hug the Lady’ or ‘The Lady would hug the Mister’. The next rounds will be evolved according to the same motive.

PYTHIA

RULES

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ΠΥΘΙΑGREECETHE MORE THE BETTERNO LIMITNONE

CONCLUSIONReaching the last page of this Handbook, means you browsed it, probably read some of the games and got fresh ideas. This is the collection not only of the games we played, but also of the moments we shared and a reflection of the energy that was generated during the Youth Exchange, held in Edessa in the summer of 2015.

Starting from a conversation between friends back in 2014, we gave life to this idea and managed to address two significant challenges in front of the European education systems at the moment: the need for intercultural dialogue and learning and the need for more physical exercise and healthy habits, especially among youth. Both needs were approached through practicing of outdoor activities.

During the days of the project the GAME was our main point of reference, the meeting point of 40+ participants, a contact point for the local people passing by (curious to know what was going on in their town) and a basis of deeper exploration of the root causes of the videophilia phenomenon. We selected these games among all that we brought with us because these were the games we shared and practiced together. Each day the national teams were presenting their favourite games, and each day we could all reflect on the differences and similarities with those we have played back home. It did not take long to realize that many of the games are similar across Europe, and even share a common name, as the “Blind Old Lady” and the “Hankie”, for example. So, while entertaining ourselves, we could also improve our presentation and leadership skills, team work and communication.

During the workshops on videophilia, we again could reflect on various reasons causing our behaviour through interaction and game. Understanding complex phenomena as the fear of failure, selective reading, privacy issues etc., seemed a simple process because we coulduse creativity and play in order to present our ideas. As one can see from the pictures, the spirit was really productive and we had more than great time together. That is why we created this handbook, in order to pass the word over and hoping to inspire further action.

Going back home we took all these games in our hearts and in our minds. We made a pact to play them again and again, with younger and older people in our own environment and surroundings, because each small step brings us to a better world, of ours and for the others. We learned these games from our parents and grandparents, passed them further to our new friends that we met in Edessa and hopefully to you! Then it will be your job to pass them even further to the youngsters in your environment.

This is how the intercultural and intergenerational dialogue works and this is how we can all learn from each other. Now, go back to the previous pages and get inspired!

Don’t hesitate. Just Come Out and Play!!!

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ΑUTHORSROMANIA

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Adelina PavelescuChristian Ionu Lupu Crina Maria Mitrenca Anca BoldeaOana Andra Cristea

ITALYGustavo Di SantoMafalda CarnevaleFrancesco PerrottaAlessandra CondinoEmanuele Carnevale

BULGARIAGero KartalovIvalyo KovachevAngelina NihtyanovaKostadinka StrahinovaLilyana Sapunova

HUNGARYImola KovácsMárk VörösmartyDarisuren SurenbaatarTibor ZomboriAndrás Bruncsák

CZECH REPUBLICKlara PálkováVendula PauswangováBarbora RychláMonika ObšelováLenka Strachoňová

SLOVAKIADominika PiskováPeter DomaničLinda KolcunováDenisa HasaralejkováMarián Jendruch

GREECEMyrto SiapardaniGiorgos SavvidisDimosthenis AsvestopoulosKonstantina AntoneliAlexandra KiourtsiMaria GkanatsiouBeatrice DemertzidouBoyka BonevaKostas SimitopoulosEirini ToufexiMaria SontraChristos Papas-KremmydasVasilis GiorgisGiorgos NikolentzosChristos Sarigkiolis

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the National Agency and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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