multicultural games kit guide

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Teachers Guide to

Multicultural Games

Hopscotch, Puzzles & Bingo

The Childrens Museum, Boston 2002


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Multicultural Games

List of Materials

Teachers Guide

Folding panelMultilingual Bingo with (6) laminated worksheets

Folding panel - Hopscotch

Bingo:1 box of cork circles for bingo markers

6 Sets of Bingo playing cards (10 in each set) in 6 different languages:

6 Sets of Bingo calling cards (20 in each set) to match the bingo playing cards.Amharic (Ethiopia)

Arabic

Chinese

EnglishHebrew

Hindi (India)

Hopscotch (3) large vinyl mats:

Chinese Hopscotch

Ethiopian HopscotchItalian Hopscotch

Sidewalk Chalk

Bag of rock markers

Puzzles:(2) Cats cradlestring puzzle (all over the world)

(2) New African string puzzle (W. Coast of Africa)

(2) Math Gamehexagonal puzzle (all over the world)Tangrams 1 Set of 26 alphabet puzzle forms (China)

2 sets of tangram puzzle pieces (one black and one white)

[Networks (Africa) (included inside Teachers Guide)]

Books:

TangramathTangrams

Fun With String FiguresHopscotch Around The World

The Multicultural Game Book


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Repacking the Hopscotch Mats:

To put the vinyl back into the box, the easiest way to fold them to fit nicely is:

1. Fold in half (width-wise)

Crease

2. Fold in thirds (length-wise)

Crease

3. Fold in half (width-wise)

Crease

4. Fold in half (again, width-wise)

Crease


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Multicultural GamesUsing the Kit

To Play Hopscotch:

The Hopscotch kit is best used on the large floor or outdoor area so that all three mats may be setout near each other. Any number of children can play and basic instructions are provided in the folded

panel. It is nice to have all the mats out at once so the immediate impact on kids and adults is made:

Oh, look Chinese Hopscotch, I play it like this but with different numbers or Look, Hopscotch with a

new shape!

Seeing this familiar game in different languages with slightly different shapes leads to the

discovery that other cultures play the same game. It forms a new common bond for children with thefact that children around the world play like they do.

Although the basic rules of Hopscotch are the same, kids enjoy just practicing jumping andmaking up new variations as they go. The panel shows other kinds played world wide and the kids may

find it interesting to see the variety or try new ones especially if there is a sidewalk or playground

around.

The kit is an excellent springboard for talking about games as a universal human pastime, then

following up by playing other games also found all over the world, like cats cradle, jacks, jump rope,

tag or ball games and cards. As kids want to try new things or change the rules they can experiment thatway too.

Additional information on the languages can be found in libraries or foreign language dictionaries or

local stores, restaurants, universities and consulates. This kit guide includes additional information onArabic and Chinese characters.


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To Play with Puzzles:

African String Puzzle (West Africa) - 9 years and older

String Games (Universal) - 6 years and olderTangrams (China) - 5 years and older

Math Hexagonal Game (Universal) - 7 years and older

Most of these puzzles are one-person puzzles but assistance can always be helpful so children

and adults can work cooperatively in small groups. Basically, the purpose is just to have fun with a

variety of puzzles created from different parts of the world. For use at home, at a party or in the

classroom, a globe or map might be helpful to point out the areas of the world these various puzzles are

from.

Tangrams is believed to have been invented in China around 1800, and spread to the West very

soon after. It was very popular in Britain and in the United States in 1830s-40s. The puzzle alwaysconsists of seven pieces, always the same geometric size (proportionally) and shape. Tangrams can be

enjoyed by many people of all ages. The challenge is in regrouping the same seven pieces to createthousands of different shapes; animals, human figures, objects, etc. You can also use your imaginationand create your own puzzles for others to figure out or solve various mathematical problems (please

refer to the book, Tangramath).

Many puzzles, tangrams in particular, can be used as an extension of the mathematicscurriculum. There are also suggestions for cross-cultural math games included in the back of this guide.

The books included in the kit will help extend the possibilities of what one can do with tangrams and

string games.


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To Play Bingo:

1. Select a caller and pass out cork circles and a playing board to each player.2. The caller mixes up the calling cards, selects one at a time and calls the color and number out ( in

English, if using foreign script boards or in the language if using the English boards). The playerscover the number with a cork circle if they have the number on their boards.

3. The caller sets the numbers called aside, hidden and keeps calling until someone gets Bingo. Bythe way, Bingo is pronounced Bingo in every language!

4. Bingo happens when someone covers all four spaces vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

5. The player with Bingo must be able to read back the numbers in the appropriate language to reallywin. As the player reads back the numbers the caller should check through their pile to make sure the

correct numbers were actually called.

6. Because only the numbers 1-5 are listed, sometimes more than one person wins and that is fine...thepoint is just playing, learning a new language and having fun.

As a further variation, you can learn the colors (blue, green, red, yellow) in different languages too!

To learn them you might try finding people who can speak different languages at the following places:

local restaurants, ethnic food stores, consulates, schools, universities, airports, etc.


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Learning to read and write:

Use the following pages and laminated sheets to learn how to read and write the different

language scripts. Copy the laminated version so kids can trace the numbers on their own sheets. Strokeorder as indicated on the sheets is very important. PLEASE NOTE: the order of the numbers are written

the way they are normally written in their native language; for example, Hebrew is written right to left

so the Hebrew numbers are written right to left. Read sheets carefully (small English numbers indicatethe order). Please practice writing the correct way (right to left or left to write).

For the kids, it is fun to think of little tricks to remember the written numbers; e.g. the

Ethiopian 5 looks like and upside down F for five. Once they learn the numbers the kids like toplay Bingo over and over.

There are more puzzles and games in the following pages. (Hints to the African String puzzleare here, too.) Are there games that are unique to your students? Let them share their favorite family

game or puzzle.


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Practice using the Arabic number system using Eastern Arabic numerals:

Adding without carrying; and subtracting without borrowing.

FOR YOU TO READ: The Arabic number system is the same, whether you use western Arabic symbols

or eastern Arabic symbols. You will still add and subtract and do all arithmetic operations in the sameway. Only the shape of symbols, or digits, from 0 to 9 are different.

FOR YOU TO DO: The arithmetic examples below are written with eastern Arabic symbols which are

used in most of the countries of the Middle East. Learn to recognize them and write them by doing the

problems. Use eastern Arabic symbols for your answers.

You may find that it will help you to write each problem in western symbols beside each eastern

Arabic problem until you remember all the numerals easily. See the example on the top right:TEACHERS GUIDE: LANDS, PEOPLES AND COMMUNITIES OF THE MIDDLE EASTStudent Enrichment Activity Duplicating Master Copywrite (c)1980 Juanita Will Soghikian MEGS * Teachers may copy for classroo m use.


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Practice writing Eastern Arabic numerals:

Arabic is written from right to left. When numbers are written in a series, the also are written from right

to left. The eastern Arabic numbers above were written with a special pen to make thick and thin shapesin each number. When the numbers are written with pencil, you will be making just one line of the same

thickness for each shape.

FOR YOU TO DO: Trace each of the Eastern Arabic Numbers below. Be sure to follow the arrows so

that you can learn to write each number in the correct direction. Write the eastern Arabic numeral on the

line below each of the numbers that you have traced, the first two have been done as an example.

TEACHERS GUIDE: LANDS, PEOPLES AND COMMUNITIES OF THE MIDDLE EASTStudent Enrichment Activity Duplicating Master Copywrite (c)1980 Juanita Will Soghikian MEGS * Teachers may copy for c lassroom use.

Student Worksheet

FOR YOU TO DO:


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The arithmetic examples below are written with eastern Arabic symbols, which are used in mostof the countries of the Middle East. Learn to recognize them and write them by doing the problems. Use

eastern Arabic symbols for your answers.

You may find that it will help you to write each problem in western symbols beside each eastern

Arabic problem until you remember all the numerals easily. See the example on the top right:

TEACHERS GUIDE: LANDS, PEOPLES AND COMMUNITIES OF THE MIDDLE EASTStudent Enrichment Activity Duplicating Master Copywrite (c)1980 Juanita Will Soghikian MEGS * Teachers may copy for classroo m use.

Some characteristics of Chinese charactersFrom: Demystifying the Chinese Language, by BAYCEP (Bay Area China Education Project)

Hoover Building, Room 221, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. 94305


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Introduction

In contrast to the alphabetic languages such as English, Chinese does not have a key to its

pronunciation. (There are partial clues in many characters, but in general, the link between the form of

the Chinese character and its pronunciation is one of convention and memorization.) As the written form

of the character cannot be separated into phonetic units, the meaning of the character depends entirelyupon its appearance and form, not upon its sound. This is similar to our numerical system where the

symbol 5 connotes a certain number of objects whether it is pronounced five or cinq. Likewise, the

character for 5 would be pronounced wu in Mandarin and ng in Cantonese.

Pictographs

As indicated earlier, many of the earliest recorded characters were pictographs,

appearing first on oracle bones, the divination instruments and records of the Shang

Dynasty. They are comprised of large numbers of recognizable drawings, Sun..

However, this representational form became inadequate, serving best to

communicate familiar concrete objects. Below are several examples reflecting the development of the

pictograph:

Ancient...............................................................Present

Sun:

Moon:

Person:

Tree:


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Ideographs

Simple Ideographs: In order to depict more abstract or complex symbolic thoughts, the

development of ideographs began quite early....A more specific type of ideograph utilizes a pictograph

with an indicator or pointer to draw attention to a certain quality or aspect of the picture, e.g.,

knife: tree:

knife edge: roots:

Compound Ideographs: Compound ideographs are characters comprised of two or more

components whose association determines the meaning of the entire character, e.g.,

roof + pig = family

women + child = good

tree + tree = forest


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The gaily colored puzzle will challenge your

ingenuity. It is much harder than it looks to

reassemble, once the pieces have been

scrambled.

These diagrams show several different ways in

which the mathematical puzzle can be solved.

Mathematical Puzzle

How to Play the Game

For many centuries, people have occupied

themselves by creating and solving mathematicalpuzzles. They build models and make drawings in

order to visualize problems in mathematics and

geometry. Leonardo da Vinci, for example,illustrated a whole collection of experiments in

plane and solid geometry. Here is a fascinating

example of this species of puzzle. It looks easy

when it is all together, but once the pieces havebeen scrambled, reassembling them will provide a

real test of your ability to perceive spatial

relationships.

Begin by separating the puzzle pieces and jumble

them together on a table.

First, try to assemble a hexagon; that in itself is

difficult. More complex still is the problem of

how to make hexagons with three differencombinations of the same pieces. As shown at left

The puzzle pictured above is based on a

hexagonal shape, formed around the triangle gridshown on the next page. Using this same grid

however, you can design puzzles of several

different shapes and with varying degrees of

difficulty.

From: Games of the World, by Frederic Grunfeld, Ballantine Books, NY: 1975.


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Figure A: With a drawing compass, mark

the six points to describe the hexagon withinthe circle

Figure B: Divide the boundary lines and

connect the points to form the equilateraltriangle grid.

Make a Math Game

Materials

Thick cardboard or a wooden panel, 5 inches square and not more than 3/8 inch thick.

Paint (optional).

ToolsA compass, ruler, pencil, saw, sandpaper, and paintbrush.

How to Make the GameUsing a compass, draw a circle 5 inches in diameter. Draw a vertical line, AF, through the center of the

circle. Then, without changing the setting of the compass, place the metal tip at point A on the circle and

draw an arc that intersects the circle at points B and C. Repeat this procedure, placing the compass tip atpoint F, marking points E and D. Using a ruler and pencil, connect points EB and CD, then connect AB,

BD, DF, FE, EC, and CA.

Divide lines AB, BD, DF, FE, EC, and CA in half, marking the divisions with points (G, H, I, J, K and

L). Connect points KG, JH, LH, KI, and IG, as shown in figure B. The circle is now filled withequilateral triangles. Using these triangles as a basis, you can map out the various pieces of the puzzle.Saw the sections out of the board and sand down the edges until smooth. If you like, varnish or paint the

pieces.



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Match Games

Nim

Nim originated thousands of years ago in the Orient where it was played with twelve stones, usuallyplaced in heaps of three, four and five. Today, it is popular in all parts of the world, particularly among

travelers appreciative of a game whose complete equipment can be carried in a matchbox.

To play, arrange any number of matches into as

many piles as you like. A possible arrangementis illustrated above. The piles need not contain

an equal number of matches.

Each player in turn takes part or all of any pile

of matches. The game is over when the lastmatch is picked up. The player who takes the last match, or remaining pile, is the winner. Or the rules

may be reversed, making the player who picks up the last match the loser.

A variation of nim allows a player to split a pile in two instead of picking up a match or matches. Before

beginning the game, the players must agree on how the splitting is to be done. For instance, they could

decide to split only piles which contain an even number of matches, or those which contain an oddnumber. Another possibility is to split any pile into as many sub-piles as a player wishes.

Squayles

Arrange 31 matches into a rectangle of 12 squares, as shown in theillustration at left. Each player in turn may take as many matches as

he likes as long as they are adjoining and can be taken in order.

It is possible to remove 26 matches in one turn. Starting with match1, the other can be picked up in the numerical order shown at left.

Nimbi

The game of nim was enjoyed for centuries until the mathematicianCharles Leanord Bouton, in 1901, demonstrated that all movements

could be reduced to a mathematical formula which assured victory to

any player acquainted with it. This seemed to seal nims fate until Piet

Hein, the Danish scientist and philosopher, took up the challenge ofreviving the game. His solution is called Nimbi. It is no more

complicated than its ancient forerunner but it cannot be won with the

help of a mathematical formula. The matches are laid out in arectangle or square of any size, as in the drawing at right. In turn, each

of the two players takes any number of adjacent matches from any

row or

column. For example, if the first player takes the top three matches from the second column, the secondplayer could not take the whole first row since there is a gap in it. He could, however, pick up the entire

fourth row, because it has no gap, or any number of consecutive matches on the broken rows. The player

to pick up the last match is the winner.


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1. Transform the triangle into three connecting triangles using the same number ofmatches.

2. Arrange 24 matches into a square composed of nine smaller squares. Removesix matches to reduce the number of inside squares to two.

3. Arrange the matches into a telegraph. By pressing the lastmatch on the right, you can make the whole network move.

4. Remove five matches from the figure to the right, thereby reducing the number oftriangles to five.

5. Arrange three matches into a triangle without having any of the heads touchthe table.

Pictured at right are the solutions to problems 1, 2, 4, and 5.



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Match Bridge

Though this is a project for steady hands, the match bridge looks more difficult to make than it is. (Hint

for beginners: start building at the top.)

From: Games of the World, by Frederic Grunfeld, Ballantine Books, NY: 1975. African Games


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African Games

Networks (Material on this sheet is drawn from Africa Counts, an excellent book on Africanmathematical systems by Claudia Zaslavsky, published by Lawrence Hill & Co, Westport, Connecticut.)

Shongo kids, in Zaire, smooth off a place in the sand and draw networks like these in one continuousline, without lifting a finger, and without retracing a line.

Try copying their networks without lifting your pencil, and without going back over any line twice. Can

you do it? The arrows are a hintyou should begin at one and end at the other.


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African Games, cont.

Here are some slightly different networks. Try tracing them in the same way:

Material on this sheet is drawn from Africa Counts, an excellent book on African mathematical systemsby Claudia Zaslavsky, published by Lawrence Hill & Co, Westport, Connecticut.


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African String Puzzle

How to Play the GameThis puzzle is commonly found among the people on the Guinean

coast of Africa.The object of the game is to transfer the ring from one loop of thecord to the other. To do this, first pull out the center noose B and

slide the ring along noose A until it is within the perimeter of

noose B, as in diagrams 1 and 2.

By tugging at nooses A and C, pull noose B backwards until it

passes through the center hole. The puzzle will now look like

diagram 3. Continue sliding the ring to the right through the two

central loops, as shown indiagram 4.

Push noose B back through the center hole until it appears on thefront side of the board. The ring will

now be on noose C, within the perimeter of noose B, as in

diagram 5. Enlarge noose B and slide the ring down along string

C. Tug at the three nooses until they assume their originalpositions. The ring is now on noose C.


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African String Puzzle

To make your own:

Materials and tools

Plywood or hardboard 8 x 1A ring roughly 1 in diameterA length of string or cord

Saw, sandpaper and a drill

How to make the game

Drill a small hole near each end of the wooden or board frame. At the center of the frame, drill anotherlarge hole, large enough to allow the double strings to be passed through twice. Attach the string and ring

to the panel, as shown in the photo.

This same puzzle, made from a twig and a large bead in place of the ring, is found in western Africa.

Moving the ring from loop to loop is easy once you have mastered the secret.

From: Games of the World, by Frederic Grunfield, Ballatine Books, NY: 1975.


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Bibliography

Barbarash, Lorraine. Multicultural Games. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Press, 1999. 75 games from 43

countries or cultures.

Bell, Robert Charles. Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations. New York: Dover Publications,Revised Edition, 1979. 182 board games and tabletop games.

Bernier-Grand, Carmen T. Shake it, Morena! and other folklore from Puerto Rico. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook

Press, 2002. A mix of traditional songs, games, riddles, a few simple recipes, and stories from Puerto Rico.

Braman, Arlette N. Kids Around The World Play! The Best Fun and Games From Many Lands. New York:

Wiley, 2002. Crafts, activities and games.

Corbett, Doris, John Cheffers, and Eileen Crowley Sullivan. Unique games and sports around the world: a

reference guide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001.

Devoogt, Alexander and Larry Russ. The Complete Mancala Games Book: How to Play the World's Oldest

Board Games. New York: Marlowe, 1999. Mancala has been played for thousands of years across Africa, the

Caribbean, Central and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East; contains clearly written rules for an array of

different Mancala games.

Fletcher, Alice C. Indian Games and Dances With Native Songs: Arranged from American Indian

Ceremonials and Sports. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1994.

Games Around the World. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2001& 2002. A set of 8 books, each on

one game (Dominoes, Hopscotch, Jacks, Marbles, Magic Tricks, Yo-Yo Tricks, Card Tricks and Juggling).

Each book includes the rules and variations of the game, its history and how the game is played in different

countries.

Gust, John and J. Meghan McChesney. Learning About Cultures: Literature, Celebrations, Games and Art

Activitie. Carthage, IL: Teaching & Learning Company, 1995.

Hamilton, Leslie. Child's Play Around the World: 170 Crafts, Games, and Projects for Two-To-Six-Year-

Olds. New York: Berkely Group/Perigee, 1996.

Jones, Bessie. Step It Down: Games, Plays, Songs and Stories from the Afro-American Heritage. Athens,

GA: University of Georgia Press, 1987. Lyrics, music, and description of traditional Afro-American children's

songs from the early 20th Century.

Kimble-Ellis, Sonya. Traditional African American Arts and Activities. New York: J. Wiley, 2002.


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Kirchner, Glenn. Children's Games from Around the World, 2nd Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. In

3 parts: popular traditional games from six continents; new games invented by children; new cooperative

games created by children

Lankford, Mary D. Hopscotch Around the World. New York: Beech Tree Books, 1996.

Milord, Susan. Hands Around The World: 365 Creative Ways to Build Cultural Awareness and Global

Respect. Milwaukee : Gareth Stevens Pub., 1999.

Murphy, Shannon. The Teachers Handbook of Multicultural Games Children Play. Ann Arbor, MI: Robbie

Dean Press. 45 games from all over the world, with lessons plans and suggestions for use in the classroom.

Nelson, Wayne E., and Henry Glass. International Playtime: Classroom Games and Dances from Around the

World. Carthage, IL: Fearon Teacher Aids, 1992.

Onyefulu, Ifeoma. Ebele's Favourite: A Book of African Games. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd, 1999.

Orlando, Louise. The Mulicultural Game Book (Grades 1-6). New York: Scholastic, 1999. More than 70traditional games from 30 countries.

Pilger, Mary Anne. Multicultural Projects Index: Things to Make and Do to Celebrate Festivals, Cultures, and

Holidays Around The World Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2002.

Powell, Darlene and Derek S. Hopson, with Thomas Clavin. Juba This and Juba That: 100 African-American

Games for Children. New York: Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 1996.

Sierra, Judy. Children's Traditional Games: Games from 137 Countries and Cultures. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx

Press, 1995.

Zaslavsky, Claudia. Math Games and Activities From Around The World. Chicago: Chicago Review Press,

1998. Math games, puzzles, and projects from all over the world, utilizing geometry, probability, analysis

skills and logic to solve problems while learning about other cultures.

Web SitesThe Online Guide to Traditional Games www.tradgames.org.uk/

Provides history, useful links and current information about traditional games from around the world.

International Games www.gameskidsplay.net/games/foreign_indexes/index.htmA small but useful list of games (with directions) arranged by country.

Multicultural Games: the Links Directorywww.ga.k12.pa.us/Academics/MS/6th/MCGAMES/Gamelink.htm

Links to web sites about individual games, arranged by game.
http://www.tradgames.org.uk/http://www.gameskidsplay.net/games/foreign_indexes/index.htmhttp://www.ga.k12.pa.us/Academics/MS/6th/MCGAMES/Gamelink.htmhttp://www.ga.k12.pa.us/Academics/MS/6th/MCGAMES/Gamelink.htmhttp://www.gameskidsplay.net/games/foreign_indexes/index.htmhttp://www.tradgames.org.uk/


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Credits

The Multicultural Hopscotch, Multicultural Puzzles and Multilingual Bingo kits were created by NancySato, Developer

Hyla Skudder, Senior Graphic Artist

The Multicultural Games kit, combining the three kits above, was completed by

Juli Brownrigg, Kits Manager

Susan Steinway, LibrarianSamir Sur, Roxbury Latin Intern


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