Hoop rolling with a stick

The hoop is made using a circular piece of metal cut from the bottom of a bucket and the guiding stick is metal with an elderflower wooden handle. At the bottom end the stick is cut as a square with one open side the same size as the width of the hoop, and this acts as a rut to gently push the hoop and make it move. A wooden handle is attached to the other end.

The hoop is a traditional children´s game which helps to develop coordination, balance and skilful movement. It can be played individually or in groups, using the stick to roll the hoop.

The hoop is best played outdoors in fun races between a starting and a finishing line, with some obstacles, curves or narrow stretches.

This game, like all traditional games and toys, was sustainable. On the one hand, materials were recycled to make hoops, and on the other, as it was the end-user who made them, they looked after them more. The process of making them was transmitted orally from father to son, and this meant that values and knowledge were also transmitted. Being played in groups, the game meant that socializing started from a very tender age.