Y.M.C.A. puts new spin on old Bzean games
If you are one of those parents who constantly fight with your child to put down the remote or the game boy and get involved in some sort of constructive activity, you might want to check out the latest spin on some traditional Belizean pastimes. News Five’s Patrick Jones has the details.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
Long before television and video games, Belizean children found other healthy ways of amusing themselves, such as jacks, marbles and the hoola-hoop. But today many of these traditional games are on the endangered species list. Y.M.C.A.?s Executive Director Raphael Martinez says it?s time to bring back the old time fun activities.
Raphael Martinez, Executive Director, Y.M.C.A.
?So what we?re trying to do is to bring back the traditional game. Y.M.C.A. Traditional Game is collaboration between NICH, NCFC and Fanta and this will happen this Monday, the ninth to the thirteenth of August right here at Y.M.C.A. compound and we are catering for children between the ages of five to thirteen years old.?
Martinez says the first one hundred children who register by midday Monday are eligible for a gift. While the camp is primarily for youngsters, parents are being encouraged to accompany their children to the workshop, which runs from August ninth to the thirteenth.
Raphael Martinez
?We?re looking at hopscotch; we?re looking at capparuche; we?re looking at marbles; we?re looking at stilts; we?re looking at skipping rope; we?re looking at jacks and ball; we?re looking at the various different types of marbles of course and top spinning, which was one of our popular sports back then. We brought back the roller and of course the hoola-hoop.
While some of the children have never heard of some of these games, early indications are that the week of activities will be fun for everyone.
Raphael Martinez
?Oh they are enjoying themselves. You know some of them is the first time they actually seen some of these games. As a matter of fact we have them struggling with the little hopscotch. Once they put their put their hands in it, they don?t want to let go at all; they just want to continue having fun and this is what we are trying to do. One of these days we hope that when we walk around the schools and so on, we see people playing wholesome games; children occupying themselves in physical sports. This is good for their heart, it?s good for their health and it makes them grow strong and healthy and that is what we are advocating. We are not trying to say you know what, be like me in my old days. We are saying there is an alternative to sitting down and playing video games and watching television.?
It?s an ambitious goal, to try and wean these youngsters from popular children?s shows, but the idea is to make Capparuche, Hopscotch and Johnny Walker appealing by the end of the workshop. Patrick Jones, for News Five.
The traditional games workshop is sponsored by the Y.M.C.A., Fanta, the National Committee for Families and Children and the National Institute of Culture and History.
