Wampanoag and Pilgrim Games

We pretended to be children in the 1620's.  Though the Pilgrim and Wampanoag children worked very hard, they also found time for play.  The kids learned to play Naught, an older version of Tic-Tac Toe.  They also did a little "hop-frog," also known as leap frog.  Their favorite game was "Ring and Stick," played by the Wampanoag children.  Because the Wampanoag children didn't go to Wal-Mart to buy their toys, the kinder-kids didn't either.  They were supplied with string, pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks.  They saw a model of a ring and stick game and then were cut loose to make their own.  The kids had to experiment with knot tying, length of string, and size of the ring.  They tested their products over and over.  They helped their peers tie knots and make rings.  Whenever a child actually caught the ring on the stick their faces were priceless, hence all the pictures today.  We talked about how this game actually trained the Wampanoag children to focus on a target, a useful skill for hunting.

This afternoon was special as Bethany from SASSM came to visit us with her friend Penny the Porcupine, a puppet.  Bethany and Penny taught us ways to deal with people who are touching us if we don't want to be touch.  We can: tell the person to stop, walk away, or tell a trusted adult we need help. The kids all colored a Penny the Porcupine sheet to take home and share her tips with families.  

Be careful with Hop-Frog.  The kids found me to be a little too tall to hop over.

Even the adults had fun with Ring and Stick.  Mrs. Potter was very proud of her success.

Look at the determination on his face.  He was determined to get the ring on the stick.