Tikumu’s letter

Press, 20 February 1979, Page 16

Tikumu’s letter

Dear Children, Do you know any games from foreign lands? Here are two from the East — Japan and Vietnam. I think you will find them fun.

The Japanese game has an exciting name. It’s called “The Devil and the Frog.” Play it outside or on a bare floor indoors. This is what you do. Take a stick and draw on the ground the outline of a big lake. If you are playing indoors, and have permission, mark a bare floor with chalk. As you make your lake, give it a very irregular shoreline. It should have many deep inlets and some peninsulas.

One of the players is chosen to be the Devil. He or she must stay on the shore which is outside the line. The line marks the edge of the lake.

The rest of the children are frogs and jump into the lake. The Devil cannot jump into the lake and the frogs cannot jump out of it. The Devil will try to run round the edge, across the narrow strips of land, and on the peninsulas, so that he can touch a frog from the shore. The frogs will run about in the lake and try to escape his clutches. Sooner or later, the devil will succeed, if he is quick, in catching a frog.

When a frog is caught, he or she must leave the lake. The last frog to be taken becomes the new Devil.

The Japanese game is fast and exciting. The second game, which is from Vietnam, is more a test of skill, and it is one you will find fascinating. It is called Stieklets.

Play Stieklets indoors and find several friends. You need a ball and a pile of used matches. Play with the ball in turn and spread out the used matches on a table.

The first player throws the ball up in the air and, letting the ball bounce once, picks up a match and then catches the ball. He or she goes on like this, the second time picking up two matches, and the third time three, then four, and so on, until the player either misses the ball or fails to pick up the correct number of matches. When the player makes a mistake, he or she passes the ball to a neighbour who then plays the game from the beginning. Ail the players must have a turn and the winner is the player who has collected the most matches. I hope you play these games and enjoy them Tikumu.