Kurukuru

Kurukuru is a traditional game played among the children of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the stem of a tall spiny grass. You can replace the grass with a stick or pool noodle.

Age: All ages

No. of players: Any number

Equipment: Tall grass or bamboo stems (you can sticks or pool noodles)

Time: 5-10 minutes

Aim: To hit a target with a grass stem.

NOTE: Due to the possiblilty of injury caused by thrown sticks hitting other players, this game should be supervised by an adult or other responsible person. Using soft sticks (such as a foam pool noodle) will reduce the risk of injury.

1. To play the game, children choose a target such as a rock or a tree.

2. They set themselves at a distance of about two metres/yards from the target and take turns aiming and then throwing at the target.

3. Any player who hits the target scores one point.

4. When each player has thrown at the target once, they retrieve their sticks and all move further back from the target to a new line (maybe one metre/yard at a time) before trying to hit the target again.

5. Play continues at each distance until no player hits the target at that distance.

6. The winner is the player with the most points .

Source: Adapted from "Games Around the World" UNICEF New York