All the DAZE Productions: Ideas for all the daze you spend with children

Activity Ideas:
MONKEY TAG
Number of Players: Any number
Location: Outdoors with over the head places to touch, such as tree limbs, or playground equipment
Object: Avoid being tagged by "IT"
Set-Up: One player is chosen as "IT"
Play: "IT" cannot tag any players if they are touching something over their heads AND standing on only
one foot. (This position prevents players from remaining in the safe position too long). Players should be
encouraged to move around and take chances. Also, "IT" cannot stand next to one player to wait for
them to move and cannot push them to make them get off balance. "IT" has to keep moving from one
player to the next. NO two players can touch the same overhead object and the "last" player to an object
wins that spot, thereby causing the other player to have to run.

Doggie's Bell
Played like "Doggie Doggie Where's your Bone?" With a twist. The teacher picks one child to sit in the
middle and be the "Doggie". Then the other children sit in a circle around the "Doggie". The teacher
picks one child to hold the bell behind their back, and all the children sit with their hands behind their
back. Say the Chant: "Doggie, Doggie, Where's your bone? Somebody took it from it's home, Upstairs,
downstairs, by the telephone, Wake up doggie, Find your bone." The Doggie picks up to three people
that he/she believes has the bell. One at a time, as picked, the children show their hands. If they pick the
right child they "win". Regardless the child with the "bone" become the next Doggie, and the old Doggie
pick who will get the bell next.

Mbube, Mbube
Mbube is one of the Zulu words for "lion." "Mbube" is addressing the lion, calling to him. Sort of
pronounced like: mboo'-bay. In this game the lion is stalking the impala (a southern African buck).
All players form a circle. Two players start the game. One is the lion, one is the impala. Blindfold them
both and spin them around. (Children used to just close their eyes, but the temptation to peek is so
great!) Players in the circle start by calling the lion, "mbube, mbube!" The closer to the impala the lion
gets the faster the chanting becomes. Likewise if the lion is far away the calling decreases, in volume as
well as repetition. If the lion has not caught the impala within a minute a new lion is chosen. If the lion
catches the impala, a new impala is chosen.

Ubuthi
Ubuthi is poison (usually made from the berries of an indigenous bush). Umuthi,on the other hand, is
medicine made from plants (usually tree bark). This game, so I am told, used to be "umuthi" and the
players were meant to capture the muthi and bring it home to their family. It has been corrupted to ubuthi,
steal the buthi and take it home.
Players form a circle. One person is chose to be "sebi" (the thief). The sebi stands in the middle of the
circle with the buthi. The sebi must shout another persons name. Both the sebi and the "muntu" (person)
try to grab the buthi.
The player who gets the buthi first then tries to reach the spot in the circle that the muntu vacated. The
player who did not get the buthi tries to tag the runner. The sebi for the next round is the person who
either successfully makes it back to the place in the circle without having been tagged and with the buthi,
or the one who successfully tagged the other palyer.

THIEVES AND DETECTIVES
All the players are given the sheets of paper with the figure (1 or 2). The number of the sheets of paper
with the figure 1 is equal to the number of sheets of paper with the figure 2. The players choose the
leader - the main thief. He/she goes out of the room. The players who are in the room hide any object
there. The leader's task is to find it. He/she tries to find the object with the help of the players-thieves
(they have figure 1 on their sheets of paper). The players-thieves show place where the object is hidden
by their eyes. The task of the detectives (they have figure 2 on their sheets of paper) is to watch the
players and find the thieves among them. The game is over when the hidden object is found or when all
the thieves are "caught" by the detectives.

CATCH THE LION BY THE TAIL
Children sit in a circle on the floor. One child, the lion, tucks a homemade tail (a yellow piece of fabric with
a knot in one end) into his waistband and begins circling, touching each child on the head and saying
"Lion." When he decides he wants some action, he touches a player on the head and shouts "Hyena!"
The lion then must dash around the circle and take the hyena's spot before the hyena can grab the lion's
tail. If his tail is snatched, he remains the lion; if not, the crafty hyena becomes the new king of the jungle.

Coat Hanger Bats
Materials: One metal coat hanger, nylons and masking tape.
Description: Bend the hanger to form a diamond or circle shape. Twist the hook of the hanger to form a
closed handle. Place the nylon over the coat hanger to form, securing it to the handle with masking tape.

Game DAZE