We bought some Elastics for French Skipping, which came with instructions and also included the information that the game ‘is thought to have originated in China or Japan around the 1920’s/30’s.’ So what is French about this Chinese or Japanese skipping game?
In fact, elastics appears to have many homes. It was named more often than any other game in our survey of childhood games remembered by staff and students at King’s College. It is played in France, in China and Japan as well as in Spain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Latin and North America and many other places. The moves are often similar, but the rhymes, of course, are different.
For our version, we have provided ‘awkward’ translations of English skipping verses into Spanish and German. We challenge you to create new skipping moves to match the different patterns and sounds of the translated verses.
Inglaterra, Irlanda, Escocia, Gales
Dentro, fuera, estas colas de burro!
Banana Splits (o banana separada), Banana Splits
Borla de Chocolate, Banana Splits
Tarta de chocolate, cuando la horneas,
¿Cuantos minutos tardará?
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro…
____
La vieja señora Mason (o Jurado) rompió su lavabo
De camino a la estación de Londres
¿Cuanto costó?
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro…
____
Charlie Chaplin se sentó en un alfiler
¿Cuantos centímetros entraron?
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro…
____
Osito de peluche, osito de peluche
Date la vuelta
Osito de peluche, osito de peluche
Toca el suelo
Osito de peluche, osito de peluche
Atate el zapato
Osito de peluche, osito de peluche
¿Cuantos años tienes?
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro…
England, Irland, Schottland, Wales
Drinnen, draußen, diese Eselschwänze!
Bananensplits, Bananensplits, Ibbel, Obbel,
Schokoladenbobbel, Bananensplits!
Schokoladenkuchen, wenn du backst,
Wieviel Minuten brauchst du da?
Eins, zwei, drei, vier….
_____
Die alte Steinmetzin hat ihr Becken zerbrochen
Auf dem Weg zum Londoner Bahnhof
Was hat das gekostet?
Eins, zwei, drei, vier…
_____
Karl Kapplan setzte sich auf eine Nadel
Wie weit ging sie rein?
Eins, zwei, drei, vier…
_____
Teddybär, Teddybär
Dreh dich um (Turn around)
Teddybär, Teddybär
Berühr den Boden (Touch the ground)
Teddybär, Teddybär,
Schnür deinen Schuh (hit your shoe)
Teddybär, Teddybär,
Wie alt bist du?
Eins, zwei, drei, vier…