Hobbies And Interests
Zucker und Salz
Similar to “Red Light / Green Light” in English speaking countries, Zucker und Salz ("Sugar and Salt") is a simple game of stop and go. One child stands a good distance away from the group and turns facing away from it. When the child shouts, “Zucker!” the group runs toward the leader. When he shouts, “Salz!” and turns around, the group must freeze. Anyone who moves must return to the starting line and begin again. The first person to reach the leader wins and becomes the leader for the next game.
Der Plumsack Geht Um
Der Plumsack Geht Um ("The Plumsack Goes Around") is played like "Duck, Duck, Goose." The group stands in a large circle facing in, and one person is “It.” The person playing “It” holds a small stone or a ball (traditionally, a little bag of rice), and walks round the circle while the group sings “Der Plumsack geht um, der Plumsack geht um.” The child then drops the plumsack behind one member of the circle, who must now chase the child playing “It” and try to tag him out. The child playing “It” tries to make it back around the circle to the chosen member’s original space. If “It” is successful, the chaser is now “It” and the game repeats. If “It” is tagged, she must go to the center of the circle and remain out until another “It” is tagged in a later game.
Schokoladenessen
Schokolade means “chocolate” in German, so kids will love any game that involves eating candy. To begin, the children form a circle around a hat, scarf, and gloves. Place a chocolate bar (or any sweet treat of choice) wrapped in newspaper in the center with the winter accessories. The children take turns rolling a pair of dice to try and get doubles. When a child rolls doubles, he runs to the center of the circle and quickly puts on the hat, scarf, and gloves. At this point, he can begin to unwrap the candy and start eating. If another child rolls doubles, the first winner must remove the accessories and pass them to the next winner, who will follow the same process. The game continues until the candy is eaten.
Wie weit darf ich gehen?
This simple playground game is a German version of “Mother may I?” The group begins by forming a line facing the leader and standing several yards ahead of her. The group asks “How far may I go?” and the leader responds with a number of steps (for example, she might take four big steps). The group must ask “May I?” before taking the steps and the leader must answer positively. If a child steps forward before asking “May I?” he goes back to the starting line and starts over. The first person to reach the leader becomes the caller in the next game.
Katz und Maus
Katz und Maus is literally a game of “cat and mouse.” The group forms a circle and joins hands. One child is the “Katz” and another “Maus.” The cat must tag the mouse by chasing him in and out of the circle of children. The children help by raising and lowering their arms for the cat as the child passes through the circle. When the mouse is caught, that child becomes the cat and may choose a mouse from the children in the circle.