SLOVENIA

Presentation by Petra Kočar

Facts about Slovenia:

• Location in Europe: Central Europe - Mediterranean Europe Area: 20.273 km2 The highest peak : Triglav (2.864 m) Length of Adriatic coastline: 46.6 km Population: ~ 2.000.000

• Neightbour countries and lenght of borders: Austria: 330 km Croatia: 670 km Hungary: 102 km Italy: 232 km

• Climate: Alpine in north-west Slovenia continental in central Slovenia

sub-Mediterranean in south-west Slovenia (coastline)

http://www.burger.si/

Slovenian anthem:

God's blessing on all nations, who long and work for that

bright day when o'er earth's habitations no war, no strife shall hold its

sway; Who long to see that all men free

no more shall foes, neighbours be.

France Prešeren (1800-49)

You will see our children dancing in a very simple Slovene national dress that is typical for our region of Ljubljana.

SLOVENE NATIONAL COSTUME In Slovenia we have several national costumes according to the region.

On this picture you can see the best known national costume that is presented around Slovenia, Europe

and even world by many folk ensembles. This national costume origin from Upper Carniola region.

A very typical Slovene addition for every Slovene national dress is Slovene carnation; you can see that the woman on this picture is holding a bunch of red

carnations.

SLOVENE FOLK GAMES

Collected, prepared and played by Barbara Stančevič

CHRIS CROSS KING MATIAS Origin of the game: SLOVENIA

Number of the children: 3+

Expected age of the children: 3+

Playing space: gym, playroom, classroom, playground, meadow, forest

Duration of the game: 15-20 minutes

Aims:

Children develop movement coordination

Each child seeks one’s own way of solving the movement problem

Materials needed: elastic band

Game preparations:

We prepare two equally long elastics. We pick two volunteers who hold elastics; they both hold both elastics for the end of elastic.

How to play the game:

Two children hold the elastic and they say: “Chris cross king Matias!” While saying those words they re-knit elastic with their hands and legs so that it becomes a sort of a net.

The other children try carefully to come trough the “net” while crossing the net they are not allowed to touch it.

Game options:

children can take turns in holding elastic; the child who makes the mistake takes the place of elastic holder

child who touches the elastic is out of the game or he/she has to make one gym exercise

we can play this game in scope of the polygon activity

children cross the net trough all possible wholes – trough the whole one child already went is not allowed to go again so when all possibilities are used up the game begins again

elastic could be moving away

Game recommendations:

It is recommended that the elastic is held by the adults!

HOW SOLID IS THAT BRIDGE ? Origin of the game: SLOVENIA

Number of the children: 6+

Expected age of the children: 4+

Playing space: gym, playroom, classroom, playground, meadow

Duration of the game: 20-30 minutes

Aims:

Children develop space orientation and coordination

In case puling the rope in the end of the game they develop strength

Materials needed: /

Game preparations:

We pick two children, who stand opposite to one another they hold their hands in way that they form the bridge. They agree what is who; they can pick the fruit like one is apple and the other is plum or they can pick something else like colour or number… The other children form a column in way that they hold each other for the waist of the chid in front.

Game description:

The column travels freely around the space and when it comes to the closed bridge (children forming the bridge put their hands down in way of closing the bridge) the dialog begins:

First child in the column: “How solid is this bridge?”

The bridge: “Like a stone, like a rock and like a bone!”

First child in the column: “May our army cross the bridge?”

The bridge: “Yes you may, but only if you leave the last one behind.”

First child in the column: “If only you can catch him!”

The bridge opens (children forming the bridge lift their hands up) and the column runes under the bridge. At the last child in the column the bridge closes –children forming the bridge put their arms down and they catch the child. They ask the caught child what he/she likes best a plum or an apple. Child must go and stand behind the one the child picks (children in the column shouldn’t know who is an apple and who is a plum). The column again goes around and comes back to the bridge. The game goes on as long as there are children in the column.

Game options:

Before each time the column passes trough the bridge children forming the bridge agree who is an apple and who is a plum

Instead of the fruit children can pick something else like some other food or colour or sport….

If the last child of the column runes away the column goes trough again

In the end two groups of children can pull the rope

Before the bridge catches the last child he/she walks around naming days of the week

Game recommendations:

younger children should hold each other arms or shoulders

RING GIVING Origin of the game: SLOVENIA

Number of the children: 6+

Expected age of the children: 4+

Playing space: gym, playroom, classroom, playground, meadow

Duration of the game: 15-20 minutes

Aims:

Development of child’s sensuality perception

Materials needed: a ring or other small object

Game preparations:

Children sit in half circle holding their hands together. The group pick out two children. One goes out of half circle, the other has a ring in his/hers hands.

Game description:

The first child that goes out of half circle closes his/her eyes and covers them with his hands.

The child holding the ring walks from child to child and says: “Rings we give, rings we give! Hide it good, hide it well, don’t let the cat get to you!” and secretly he puts the ring to the hand of one child.

When he finishes the half circle all children call the first child- the cat: “Kitty, kitty, kitty!”

When the cat comes to the half circle all the children a quiet and the cat –first child sniffs the children’s hands and guesses who’s got the ring. If he guesses correctly than they switch places, otherwise the same child guesses where’s the ring for so long that he/she guesses correctly.

Children switch places.

Game options:

we change the lines children are saying

instead of the cat we can have some other animal

Game recommendations:

If one of the children betray the one having the ring to the cat, we remind him of fair play rules and if he/she does it again we exclude him/her for two game rounds!

FOX AND HENS Origin of the game: SLOVENIA

Number of the children: 5+

Expected age of the children: 5+

Playing space: gym, playroom, classroom, playground, meadow, forest

Duration of the game: 15 minutes

Aims:

Development of speed, space orientation and coordination

Materials needed: fox and hen masks, apron for the housewife

Game preparations:

We organise playing space: in one part we set the fox den and in the other side hen house.

We define playing roles: hens, fox and housewife

Game description:

Hens go around in front of the hen house while the housewife looks after them. The fox takes advantage of the housewife’s carelessness and takes one of the hen; the fox runs holding the hen into the fox den.

Rules:

hen is not allowed to go into the hen house

housewife is not allowed to go into the fox den

if the housewife grabs the hen that the fox is holding on and they are not in the fox den jet than the hen can return back into the hen house

the hen cooperates with the fox when it is caught; the captured hen doesn’t fight the fox and cooperates in running from the housewife.

Game recommendations:

It is recommended that children exchange roles.

SLOVENE FOLK DANCES ABRAHAM'S GOT SEVEN SONS

Abraham’s got seven sons

Seven sons’s got Abraham

All were eating, all were drinking,

They were doing all like this:

All like this, all like this

They were doing all like this

All like this, all like this

They were doing all like this.

Children form the column and they hold each other hands.

First in the column leads the column around the playroom.

When the lines in the song say: “…They were doing all like this” the first one comes up with an activity (for example: jumping, waving, touching the nose, clapping….) and all the children repeat after him/her. When the song ends the first child goes to the end of the column.

So we have a new leader of the column and everything repeats again!

MARKO'S JUMPING

Marko's jumping,

Marko's jumping all over the meadow,

a-jaj, ajajaj, all over the meadow.

a-jaj, ajajaj, all over the meadow.

Children form the circle and holding each other hands they walk around into the left direction singing the song.

We let one dancer holding white handkerchief in one hand into the middle of the circle.

Dancer with the handkerchief walks around in the circle near other children to the right direction. Dancer walks around waving with white handkerchief high over his had and he is looking for his girl dancer.

When the song starts: “a-jaj”, he takes the dancer under her hand and they dance in the meddle of the circle. When the song is over he gives the handkerchief to the girl.

The song begins again and now he girl picks out the boy dancer. The dance continues as long as children are enjoying it.