Chile: Corre, Corre La Guaraca

              The name means 'Run, run, la Guaraca.' The game needs five or more players and a handkerchief. Players sit in a circle while a runner jobs around the outer rim with a handkerchief. The seated kids are not allowed to watch. They sing 'Corre, Corre, la Guaraca, who looks back will be bopped on his head!'

              As discreelty as possible, the runner drops the handkerchief on a child's back and runs. If he makes it around the circle before the players realises that it's on her back, the seated players is out. If the seated players catches on, s/he must tag the runner. If s/he succeeds, the runner is out. If s/he fails to tag him, they play again, but this time player who had the handkerchief dropped on him or her is the runner.

Games From Around The World

                       There was a time when boys would rush to play glass marbles in an open space and showed their mastery in hitting each and all the marbles, while girls would draw rectangular lines for hopscotch and loved to hop and pick the stone.
                       IT was a time when children would have a ball playing games like hide and seek, gilli danda, dhoop chaon
and such sweat-inducing activities. But then came the technological revolution and these traditional games took a backseat as kids became glued to their seats as they played games on the computer, TV, cellphones and pads.

 

                       Each part of the world has some traditional games that are particular to that region and some games
may actually be the variation of popular games know in other parts of the world, maybe by some other name. We have compiled some details about famous traditional games played around the globe and if you have the space and time available, you can try them out with your friends and siblings to add more fun and physical activity to you life.

The Missing Diary

It was a grim night in mid-winter. Everywhere silence prevailed like stillness in a dark graveyard. I felt extremely overwhelmed with grief and despair. Perhaps it was my sense of loneliness coupled with agony which drove me crazy.

I made up my mind to scribble down my unalloyed feelings in my diary. But, to my dismay, I couldn’t retrieve my dearest possession (diary) by my bedside table where I had left it the night before. I ransacked every nook and corner of the house, searched through the drawers and my bags but it was nowhere to be found.

The Wise Caliph

             The Caliph Haroon-ur-Rashid was known and respected for his Justice and wisdom. A night, he would disguise himself as a common man and go through the streets of Baghdad. He would mingle with the common people in order to gain first-hand knowledge of their difficulties and problems.

             One day, when he was holding court, two men were brought before him. One of them was well-dressed and appeared to be a well-to-do, respectable citizen, while the other seemed to be a beggar, because he was rags. These two men were holding between them a beautiful white horse. The Qazi approached the Caliph and said to him: "O Leader of the Faithful! I've brought before you a dispute which I could not settle. IT is a difficult case but I am certain that with your knowledge and wisdom, you will pronounce a just decision.

             "What is the dispute?" asked the Caliph.

The Pangolin

In some parts of Africa and Asia there lives a creature called a pangolin. The pangolin is a medium-size animal, about a metre long. It has short legs and a very long, stout tail.

           There are many things about the pangolin that make it seem stranger or unusual.

           The first strange thing about this creature is its tongue. The pangolin's tongue extends for about 40 cm beyond its mouth. Because its feeds on onts, the tongue is long and sticky. When a pangolin sports a column of ants, it extends it tongue and the ants stick to it.


           When the ants are safely in the pangolin's mouth, the creature simply swallows them, for it has no teeth to chew with. The muscular walls of its stomach then begin to digest the food. Sometimes, the pangolin has pebbles in its stomach. The muscular action of the stomach and the pebbles help digestion.

The Clever Owl

Once upon a time two sparrows lived in a great oak tree which stood on the bank of a wide river. Every year the sparrows built a new nest in one of the many hollows of this tree.

         Now this part of the river was the favorite swimming place of the Prince of Naroon Kot. After a hot, dusty ride on one of his fine horses, the Prince liked nothing better than to have a quiet swim in the cool water.

Visits Library

             Rashid was a poor boy. He loved to read but he had no money to buy books. One day he was playing in the garden when he saw a man sitting there on a bench. The man had a book in his hands. He was absorbed in reading. Rashid uttered, "Wow!" and stopped playing. He come in front of the man and asked him if he could see that book. The man looked up and smiled to see the boy's interest in the book."Do you want to read this book?" asked the man. Rashid nodded. The man patted him saying, "It's good that you want to read it but I have not completed it yet. I have to return the book to the library today." Rashid looked at the man rather disappointedly. The man realised the situation and hurried to add, "But you can read another storybook just after a few minutes. Go to the library and enjoy reading the books of your choice there." The boy thanked him and went straight to the library.

My Classmates

               I am Ahmad. I study in class five. There are thirty students in my class.Our classmates are quite friendly. Umer is our class prefect. If we have any problem, we ask him. He always likes to consult and listen to everyone. Then he asks the teacher's advice and if necessary, goes to the teacher's advice and if necessary, goes to the principal to seek further guidance.

               We have a sports period. Our class has a cricket team. Dawood is the captain of our team. He shares his ideas with the players. He tries to improve their performance. Mr. Nasir is our sports teacher. He encourages us to develop sportsmanship.

AN AFRICAN VILLAGE

             After Asia, Africa is the largest Continent and it consists of more than thirty-five independent countries. Its northern parts have had relations with Europe and Asia for many centuries but very little was known about other parts till the middle of the 19th century. No wonder, it was called the "Dark Continent" once.