Materials:

PVC piping (approx 96 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter) or bamboo stick

strong string

2 bamboo canes (approx 55cm long)

felt

elastic band

duct tape

Tools:

drill

scissors

Drill a hole through both ends of the PVC piping, making sure to keep it straight and that it comes through the other side.

Tie the string through the first hole and knot it tightly. Then pull it very taught (ask someone to help) and then tie it through the inside hole on the other end. The bow should be bent into an arc shape and the string needs to be as taught as possible. (The string on ours measures 74 cm when taught,)

 Because of the strength of the materials, the bow will retain its shape and stay strong and tight.

Cut some large oval type shapes from felt and wrap one over the end of each arrow, keeping them firmly in pace by fixing them around the middle with an elastic band.

On the opposite end, cut a small notch into the wood, right in the centre, using a small saw, so that the bow can be pulled back into the string to line it up.

That’s all there is to the arrows! The ends should feel soft and firm and won’t hurt at all when they are shot out using the bow.How to make DIY arrows

Add different coloured tapes to the bow and arrow sets as you make them. That way each child knows which is their own arrows as it will match their bow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD-D6QWDn7k

What you need:

·         As much open space as you can find (traditionally 27 meters by 15 meters)

·         Two poles or sticks, these are to go at either end of the pitch and should be about shoulder height on your child

·         String or chalk (for marking out the perimeters of the play area)

·         Ideally, 12 children (but any number above six is fine)

Kho Kho rules:

·         Mark out the play area with chalk or string. Then draw a line down the middle, cutting the field in half length-ways. Put a pole, stick or sweater at each end of the central dividing line.

·         Split players into two equal teams, and then allocate one team as the chasers and one team as the defenders (let them know they’ll get to swap roles after seven minutes).

·         Chasers need to line up on the line down the middle, facing in alternate directions. They can only ‘chase’ on the side of the pitch they are facing and can only chase one at a time (see image one).

·         The defenders enter the field in groups of three and need to avoid being tagged by a chaser - they can run anywhere on the field, but they’re out if they get tagged.

·         The chaser at the pole starts and must try to tag one of the defenders on their side of the pitch, if a defender crosses the line to the other side, the chaser must tap the back of one of his teammates, who is sitting facing the other direction, and shout “Kho!” (See image three).

·         The teammate must then try to tag the defender and the standing chaser sits in the team mates place so only one chaser is chasing.

·         Chasers can swap with a teammate every time the defender moves into the opposite side of the pitch or the chaser can run round one of the poles to get to the other side of the pitch.

·         The aim for chasers is to tag-out the defenders the fastest. Whichever team gets the defenders out the quickest wins.

What’s so good about playing Kho Kho?

This game is not only very physical, with lots of running, diving and squatting; it’s also brilliant for encouraging teamwork. Kids have to watch carefully, work together, and learn how to recognise when a teammate should take over the pursuit. They also have to decide quickly which is the right player to take over, so there’s an element of strategy involved. It’s a real workout for body and mind.

Tales of the tradition of Kho Kho

Why not add a bit of drama and mystery when telling your kid about Kho Kho? The truth is, nobody knows exactly where and how the Kho Kho game was born, but it’s believed to have evolved in the state of Maharashtra, where it was played on chariots, called Rath.

In its ancient form, the game was known as Rathera. It gradually became a much loved game for kids, keeping them entertained for centuries, some rules of play were eventually formalised in the early 1900s, and in 1960 the first national Kho Kho Championship took place in Andhra Pradesh state. However, over the years, with modern games and different sorts of childhood activities taking over, it’s faded away. It’s time we heard shouts of “Kho!” all around the world.

Twine

Beads

Wish Bracelets

The idea behind a wish bracelet is that you make a wish, and tie it on.  Eventually, the hemp wears out, and you will lose the beads.  Which sounds sad, but when this happens, your wish is then “released” and is supposed to come true.  

You need some hemp twine and large seed beads, making this a really inexpensive project, too.  You need beads at least size 6/0.

Edit to add: some people have asked for video! So I put this YouTube tutorial together. You can view it in action (it’s under 8 minutes from start to finish), or you can scroll down for the photo step-by-step.

First things first.  Cut three strands of hemp twine to about 15 inches.  You could probably use jute, too – I just had hemp cord from the jewellery section of Hobby Lobby on-hand from last time it was half off.  You only need seven beads for each bracelet, but since seed beads can be inconsistent in size and shape, just take a look and make sure the hole is as large as possible.

Tie a knot in the end.  Make your ends longer than this, aim for about 2 to 2 1/2 inches (I really wasn’t sure if I had cut enough length when I started taking photos).  Now, braid your three strands down about three inches.  Nothing fancy, just a simple braid.w, because I’m right-handed, I’m going to add beads from the right.  When I show you how to do this, feel free to add them from the left instead if that’s more comfortable for you.  But you’ll only be adding beads on one side, and I will show you what I mean.

That strand I have just pulled from the right to the center, I threaded a bead onto my strand.  Snug it up close to the braid, and pull your left strand to the center like normal.

Now that you’re pulling from the right again, add another bead on the strand you pull to the center.

When you pull from the left, no bead.  When you pull from the right, add a bead.  Add all seven of your beads.  Why seven?  Because that’s a “lucky” number, of course! ;) There may be a real reason I don’t know, but mine always had seven as a kid, so I made them up with seven now.  You could always play with a different number of beads if you like!

Once your beads are all added, braid the rest of your strand normally, adding another 3 inches in length (give or take, depending on your wrist size, of course).  Tie the end off and trim the strands up evenly.