My daughter has a classroom assignment in which she is suppose to find traditional Czech children's games or crafts. She needs to find one that she could teach a classroom of elementary children (about 20 kids). It should be simple enough to present to a large group and something for kids under the age of 10. The only thing we have come across is a game similar to duck duck goose. Any help would be greatly appreciated. My daughter is a high school student in an international school. This has been a great way for her to take pride in her own hertiage. Thank you all in advance.
What's duck, duck, goose game?? Do you know the game, when you draw man on the floor and then you jump in it?
"Duck, duck, goose" is a children's game where all the kids sit in a circle, except one, who walks around the circle touching each child in turn on the head and saying either "duck" or "goose." The first child who is called "goose" must then stand up and chase the other around the circle and tag him/her before he/she can complete the circle and sit in the original seat of the "goose." It's very popular in schools in the U.S. (or was in my day).
What is the game that you draw around someone and then jump in and out? What is it called and how do you play it?
The Duck, duck, goose as you wrote me in PM is called Pešek. About the othere game, it's called Panák, Skákat panáka. You draw picture of man on floor () with these numbers and then you jump inside. It's a lot of variations of this game. So sometimes just time from one side to another and then back. Or in some variation you throw small stone inside and then... (I don't know, someone must help me)
Yeah, that's it. We use only the one diagram, which I draw in post above, I haven't seen different in diagram in my whole life (in Czech rep.). By the way, how hopscotch is pronounced?? Isn't it pronounced like hop skoč??? Yesterday I saw movie Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and the phrase for going back to the "dead land" was hop skoč. At least it was pronounced like hop skoč. I thought that it's some czech influence, that they used czech words and they maybe meant hopscotch. Anyway, "hop" and "skoč" means almost the same in czech, both means "to jump", so maybe you created english expression from these czech words.
Interesting, gementricxs. I never thought of it that way. Well, a brief search on the web indicates that the word origin is not Czech. See the Oxford English Dictionary entry.
Thank you all for your help and explanations. This will help greatly in my daughter's assignment. If you think of any other childhood games, please post them. I'm trying to teach my children about the Czech culture. Since my grandparents passed away I've been going through their memorabilia and learning as much as I can. Thank you! Thank you! for helping us connect with our heritage.
I found a book that might be interesting to you. It's called "Children's Traditional Games, ISBN# 0-89774-967-7. The publisher's site indicates that there are 67 Czech games listed in there. It's not cheap, though (list price $44), but Amazon had some used ones for $16.
Thank you for the book idea. I went by a discount book place and found a copy of it (for a lot less). It does have some wonderful ideas. I think I have had more fun learning about the different games than my daughter. As we read through we will post some of the games.
Ohh, it's not free, you have to subscribe and pay some money for using this dictionary. So, Can you copy the entry?
Another good game is Na schovávanou it's Hide and Seek, I think. I don't know the American version, but I think it will be similar to the Czech one. Or variation for two players is that one player hide some thing and the other must find it. The one, who hide it says samá voda when he is far from the certain place or přihořívá when he is near and hoří when he almost found it. Another game is Na honěnou or Máš babu. Small children can play it outside, someone has babu and he need to catch other contestant, when he touch him, the other has babu. And it goes round and round. It's game for small children. Another game is Škatulata, hejbejte se. I forgot how to play this game.
Oops! I didn't see the little tiny gray lettering at the bottom that let me know my university is a subscriber. I have been using this site for years and had always thought it was free. Anyway, the relevant etymology is given as f. HOP v. + SCOTCH n. an incised line or scratch: a formation like catchpenny, heal-all, etc.
Škatulata, hejbejte se: 1. have N people and N-1 seats in a circle with the front side showing out of the circle's center 2. play a music and people to walk around the seats 3. stop music and all people have to sit on some seat; because there are N-1 seats, one will stay - he loses and leaves the game 4. people to get up, remove one seat and continue to the point 2 The winner is the last one, of course
In the U.S. we do the same game, saying "you're cold" (samá voda), "getting warmer" (přihořívá), and "you're hot" (hoří). "Na honěnou" and "Máš babu" are like our "Tag." "Škatulata, hejbejte se" is just like "Musical Chairs."
Do you know the game Čára ?? You found some line on the floor or you draw some new line with chalk. And then you throw coins and the one, who is closer to the line is winner. Actually it's very similar to the Petanque.
We had not heard of the game Cara. It sounds like something many adults would like as well as children. Thank you. You've come up with some great ideas.
