N My Name Is Neo

Hei ystävät

N my name is Neo

I live in Naantali, Finland

My friend’s name is Niia

We like to play Te Tar Bug

We speak Finnish

And now we’ll say Hyvästi

TE TAR BUG

Te Tar Bug is best play on a playground. The edges of the grounds are “safe”. The tar bug stands in the middle of the ground and shouts “Who’s afraid of the tar bug”. The players must run from one safe-place to another. If the tar bug catches a player not in a safe-place, the player becomes the new tar bug. Some versions has the caught player helping the original tar bug tag the others until there is only one player left.

References

Neothemi Finland Traditional Games

Welcome to my 2019 Blogging A-Z Challenge. Each day in the the month of April (except Sundays), I will bring you a memory of games and a jump rope song. It is similar to the classic A My Name Is… Do you recognize the chant? A world of children will greet their friends and skip through the alphabet alliterating their name, a friend’s name, and their home city. They will also state their country, the language they speak, and their favorite game. Descriptions of the games are included. I chose games that are played on playgrounds or streets where children negotiate their teams and terms. You may recognize your favorite games that differ only in name. As the alphabet progresses, it becomes apparent that the pursuit of laughter and fun are universal.

Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.