Hobbies And Interests
Farmer and Crow
This game is played as a relay with two or more teams. You'll need eight small bean bags. Have kids on each team count off by alternately identifying themselves as "farmer" and "crow." A farmer should be first and a crow should be last in each line. Hand all the bean bags to the first farmer on the team. He will start the game by moving forward and planting his corn (the bean bags), dropping them on the ground between the start and finish points. Once his corn is planted, he runs back and tags the crow, who gets to the other side by hopping over all of the corn. The crow the runs back, retrieving all the corn en route, and hands the corn to the next farmer in line. The team to get all its corn back to the finish line first wins.
Hopping Chickens
This traditional Chinese elementary school game is played with chopsticks. Each child has 10 sticks that he lays on the ground about 10 inches apart to form a ladder. The object is to hop on one foot and pick up all the sticks. A player who touches a stick with a foot or puts both feet on the ground loses a turn and the next "hopping chicken" gets a chance. To begin, one player starts at home and hops over all of the sticks. After hopping over the last stick, the player bends down, picks it up and hops back over the remaining nine sticks towards home. There, that stick is dropped off and the player begins again, hopping back up the ladder to retrieve another stick. Play continues until all sticks have been retrieved. The person who retrieves the most sticks is the winner.
Lion and Hyena
Elementary kids love this variation of a tried and true animal game called "Duck Duck Goose." Make a homemade tail by tying a knot in a long piece of material. Choose a lion, who tucks the tail into his waistband while the other children sit on the floor in a circle. The lion walks around the outside of the circle, touching each player on top of the head while saying, "Lion!" When the lion is ready, he taps a head and shouts, "Hyena!" The hyena must then chase the lion and take his tail before he makes it around the circle and into the hyena's spot.
Pass the Chicken
The object of this knowledge-testing elementary school game is to NOT be left holding the rubber chicken, the activity's single prop. Students sit in a circle and someone starts out holding the chicken. A teacher or parent gives the chicken holder a category task ("name five colors" or "name five sea animals" or "name five American presidents") and then says immediately "Pass the chicken." The chicken holder passes the bird to his right and each kid in the circle does the same as fast as he can. The original chicken holder must correctly name the five things before the chicken makes its way back. If the student gets it right, whoever is holding the chicken is the next person to be "it."