Is there a difference between Hopscotch, ‘Rayuela’ and ‘Himmel und Hölle’? Do Chinese children play Cops and Robbers? Do English children know a ball game that involves eating cherries? What do ‘Statues’ have to do with ‘Grandmother’s Footsteps’? When Venezuelan children play ‘Pollito Inglés’ (little English chick), Spanish children play ‘Escondite inglés’ (English Hide and Seek) and children in the Dominican Republic play ‘Mariposita es’ (Little butterfly it is), do they all play the same game?
Dr Ricarda Vidal and student Carolin Huth from CMCI, together with Maria-José Blanco from SPLAS, are creating an international archive of child’s play based on the multi-cultural microcosm of King’s College London. Between April and September they are collecting memories of games played by British and international students and staff when they were children. They will present the results of their research at the 2016 Arts and Humanities Research Institute festival at King’s in October.
Win a £50 book voucher! If you would like to share your memories of your favourite children’s games, please fill in the team’s questionnaire: http://translationgames.net/output/childs-play/ All questionnaires submitted before 15th June will be entered into a prize draw.
Our picture shows the shadows of the organisers playing hopscotch at Somerset House.
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