Las Ollitas {Traditional Game}

by | Jun 14, 2017 | Actividades de verano, cultural activities, cultural corner, cultural games, Mundo de Pepita, sancocho, Summer Camp, traditional games, Vacaciones Recreativas

This is a fun game that is played in many Latin American countries. It’s simple, fun, and doesn’t require much preparation.  There are different versions of this game. I am sharing with you the one I remember playing with my friends in a (then) small neighborhood outside of Cali, Colombia. You will need a minimum of six participants to play the game. Each team will have three participants. One person is placed in the middle in a squatting position, grasping their hands between their legs. The two other members of the team have to pretend to prepare el “sancocho,” which is a traditional soup in Latin America. They have to pretend they are adding the ingredients to the bowl while saying the lines below:


Para preparar el sancocho,
pongo el pollo,
pongo la yuca,
pongo la papa,
pongo la mazorca,
lo pongo al fuego.

¡El sancocho ya está listo!




When everyone is done making the sancocho together, the game turns into a competition. You will need to set a finish line for everyone to get to. The team who makes it to the finish line first wins the game. You can continue playing until everyone gets tired of it. I recommend playing the game on a field with grass so nobody gets hurt.
This is a video of a Scout Troop playing a version of “las ollitas” game.

Variation: You can use visuals for the students to use while playing the game.

Have fun!

Traditional Game for Elementary Spanish

by | Apr 18, 2013 | clothes, cultural games, culture, games, games in Spanish, juguemos en el bosque, ropa, traditional games


I grew up playing this game in Colombia and had tons of fun with it.  I recently used it in a unit on clothes with my second graders. We have played the game outside when the weather is nice, and we’ve also played the game in the classroom with a wolf made out of felt. The children enjoy each of the versions – indoor or outdoor.

 

The game is simple, just pick a wolf and have everyone else sit in a circle. The wolf will stand up in the middle of the circle while the rest of the class chants.

I made the props for the song using felt (see picture below). We use it to dress the wolf while singing the song. My students love it!

 

Class: Juguemos en el bosque mientras el lobo no está. ¿Lobo estás?
Lobo: Me estoy poniendo los pantalones.

Class: Juguemos en el bosque mientras el lobo no está. ¿Lobo estás?
Lobo: Me estoy poniendo el chaleco.

Class: Juguemos en el bosque mientras el lobo no está. ¿Lobo estás?
Lobo: Me estoy poniendo el saco.

Class: Juguemos en el bosque mientras el lobo no está. ¿Lobo estás?
Lobo: Me estoy poniendo el sombrero (or sombrerito)

Class: Juguemos en el bosque mientras el lobo no está. ¿Lobo estás?
Lobo: ¡Sí! Y salgo para perseguirte / ¡Sí! Te voy a comer / ¡Sí! Corre

Here is a fun video with the song:


Here is another version of the song:

 

Have fun playing the game!

Carolina