Scuola Secondaria di I Grado

1. Scuola Secondaria di I Grado “Don Giovanni Minzoni “ San Pietro Vernotico (BR) ITALY Progetto Comenius: ”Culture Box” 2010/2011

2. GAMES AND TOYS OF A PAST AND FORGOTTEN TIME

3. Introduction In the past time the games weren’t so many as they are today and they weren’t structured or virtual which make the children enjoying in the close space of his own room. In the past time children enjoyed themselves in playing with very simple toys which were made thanks to the help of their parents or grandparents. They employed material that they found at the moment : wood, ropes, cans, little stones, bones, rags and thanks to their fancy their hands made little horses, catapults, monoskate, spinning tops and cloth dolls. There were male and female games

4. The games were played in the open air and they were based on the skill, the ability, the speed and the coordination and they had an high social value. These games favored socialization, they developed fancy but above all they trained to the respect of rulers. Playing in the streets was the same as attending school life. These children played freelyalong the streets, on the threshold, on the foot-path and there wasn’t any danger for them because neighbours watched over them, neighbours really together with family helped the children to grow up.

5. Cuntrice Before explaining this game it is necessary to know that the bone called anklebone derives its name from the Greek dies. This bone is very similar to a die with its four different faces of which two are more vertical and the other two ones are more horizontal, every face has got its own names according to the side you watch at it. If you observe the ankle bone from the horizontal side you can see a concave side called “nesse “and a convex side called “chita”. If you see the anklebone (cuntrice) in the vertical side you can see two other sides. The side which has got the shape of an “s” is called “inta “ and the other smooth side which is called “perduta” Players: two or more players Throw in the air the “cuntrice” and according to the combination of the sides, different scores derive which could be favourable or not favourable to the player. (Astragalo)

6. Li thuddri It’s a game preferred by girls above all. PLAYERS: TWO OR MORE You need five round little stones. Throw them in the air, with the same hand catch one or more stones you left on the ground and you must stop the stones on the back of your hand. The number of stones which remain on the back of your hand back are scores, if you get wrong the turn pass to another player.

7. There are different way to play this game : “manu china “ “cacalu, lassa e pigghia monca portone forcella anello taranta.

8. THE ROPE This game can be played alone or with three players. Two of them take the rope and the other player jumps following the direction of the rope. You can jump with the feet united and while you are jumping you can sing a rhyme. If you touch the rope you are wrong and another player begins the game.

9. ROUND DANCE Players : three or more. In this game the players turn round grasping their hands and singing the following rhyme: “Round dance round dance How nice is the world One hundred fifty The chicken sings She sings alone She doesn’t want to go to school White and black chicken I say to you good evening I say to you good evening and good night The wolf is behind the doors The doors fall down and the wolf isn’t anymore It has gone to the mountain to pick up the chestnut The chestnut is only for me Good evening to the whole company” This game ends when you finish singing, if you want you can begin it again.

10. The Bell Players:from 2 to 10 people Sex:both males and fameles Materials:a piece of chalk (to draw “the bell”) a stone or an orange peel Place:in the street Description: The players count out and play game, in turn. They have to throw the stone at the square n.1 and hop on one foot on the others but not on it. Then, they have to trow the stone at square n.2 and hop on one foot on the others but not on it and so on. The players are not allowed: To touch the ground with the other foot To touch the division line (of “the bell”) To miss the right square. Anyone who makes a mistake a turn. During a turn. During the game, the players sometimes say a rhyme.

11. Libazzichi The bazzichi is a game for boys and you can play it in teams. You need two sharpened sticks; one is ten cm. long and the other is 25 cm. long and cutted in the esternal part. Before hitting the bazzicu the players say a rhyme: “Bazzica unu, bazzica doi e trete mai”. The win is the one who thorws thw bazzicu as far is possible. The team who wins say this rhyme to the losing one.

12. ... THE MONOSKATE The monoskate allows children to go around in the village more speedly. To build the monoskate you need to long wooden strokes and a little stroke which will be the handle-bar. The two bigger strokes must be tied up with nails at right angle and the handle-bar should be put at the top of the vertical stroke. The monoskate is ready and you can enjoy yourself in running freely along the streets.

13. UNLOAD THE”BOTTU” OR THE “MEURTU” PLAYERS: two teams of five or more players each one. One player stands up to the wall, the other players are fold up, the game consists in going on the back of the following player in order to reach the player who stands up, without making the other players to fall down. The winner team is that one which reach the wall without making their friends to fall down; otherwise they fall down on the ground and they happily beat each other. While the players are overcoming their friends back they sing the following rhyme: “Unload the “bottu”, unload the fountain, set fire to the “zzafferana” “zza” “ zza”.

14. THE DEADS AND THE BUTTONS PLAYERS:TWO OR MORE PLAYERS Put in balance on a vertical stone some buttons, if you succeed in falling down the buttons with a stone you gain your turn. The winner is who has taken more buttons.

15. Piru piraru cu sette pire << Piru piraru cu sette pire, piru unu, piru ddoi, piru ttrete, piru quattru, piru cinque, piru sei, piru sette, anche felice e composto, pigghia lu pete e mintilu a postu>>. The players sit down on the pavement and stretch their legs out. One of the player stading up, counts and says a rhyme: “Piru piraru cu sette pire, piru unu, piru ddoi, piru ttrete, piru quattru, piru cinque, piru sei, piru sette ancu felice e bonconcostu pigghia lu pete e mittilu a postu”. When he says the last ward of the rhyme and touch oe of the players foot. The winner is who remains with his/her feet in the starting position.

16. THE MOTHER OF THE FLOWERS PLAYERS: One player who is the mother of the flowers and other players who represent a flower. The game consist in promptly answering to the request of the mother of flowers otherwise you pay a pledge such as running or jumping with united feet in a certain period of time. The pledge shows how much skilful you are. The mother of flowers begins the game with this rhyme: “I went down my garden to plant mint and parsley and I forgot my cloak could the lily get it? “ But the player who represents the lily must immediately answers: the lily doesn’t get into, but the mother of the flowers gets into, if he doesn’t answer he pays a pledge. The game ends when all the pledges have been paid. The amount of pledges are decided at the beginning of the game.

17. Patch Toys TOOLS: a piece of clot, scissors. In the cold winter evening, grandmothers met children near the fireplace and they prepared patch toys such as dolls, little cats, nuns or mice which were the main characters of fantastic tales. The stories born from grandmas’ fancy, at the end of the evening the toys disappeared in grandmas’ pocket leaving a magical atmosphere

18. Doll Mouse Cat

19. THE LITTLE HORSE AND THE SWORDS

20. THE SPINNING TOP TOOLS: an ovoidal piece of olive-wood or box tree, string, nails. It is a very ancient game in the homer iliad there is a very nice similitude between the “paleo” that’s the spinning top and the stone which is thrown by ajas to hector. Make a wedge in the ovoidal piece of wood, in the lower part put a nail, roll the spinning top with a string, throw it on the ground, having a part of the string in your hand so that the friction provoked make it rolling. .

21. SPRING GUN TOOLS: a piece of wood , spring,bike tyres. It was a toy every boy should have if he wanted to take part in a war between rival bands. It was a piece of wood shaped as a gun, upon it there were fixed some tyres taken from the bikes tyres together with springs. The gun could be of two or more strokes and the projectiles of two or three bikes tires. If you open the spring where the projectiles is fixed, the stroke will hit the adversary.

22. THE CATAPULT TOOLS: a piece of olive-wood, bike tyres springs, string. This toy was necessary for chasing lizards, locusts and birds. You need a forked piece of olive tree. be careful in putting together the parts, it is important to coincide the forked implement and the dust-cartand. Fix it at the extremities with a string. put on the catapult the stone or the lead little ball, pull it back and leave it freely, towards the objective you prefer.

23. Li sciuechi te nna fiata: ddo salti e nna girata, nna mazza e nna rota bastavanu cu se scioca… I giochi di una volta: due salti e una girata, una mazza e una ruota bastavano per giocare… The End