GLOBAL GAMES IN THE SCHOOLS
INCLUDES STIX
by Kaj Fjelstad

Global Games in the Schools includes Stix

This year was exciting for Elena and I as we had the opportunity to visit 260 different schools around the midwest. Our assembly program "Global Games" was focused on sharing games from around the world, including the Crystal Stix. We had only 45 minutes in each school to entertain and educate 100 to 800 students, kindergartners to 12th graders, about six different games. After introducing each game with a brief history of its origin we demonstrated the games and then asked for volunteers to try out the basic skills themselves, to see how easy or difficult they indeed are. To make it more interesting we integrated some musical instruments from the various countries to create cultural moments full of traditional rhythms.

Being in front of so many students and educators gave us a chance to improve our presentation and methodology of teaching the Crystal Stix each day, as we had less than ten minutes to accomplish both during every program. When we got to the volunteers we focused on the cooperative game of passing the baton back and forth, broken down into steps of the balance, the catch, and the throw. This seemed the fastest way to teach five people at a time how to play stix.

History of the Invention of Stix Games

For the demonstration of the Crystal Stix we creatively interpreted the history of invention of different kinds of stick games. I began by sweeping the floor with a thin hand made broom, looking tired and bored, saying loudly "Ancient Pleasures Lost", in a depressed voice. Then Elena begins to play beautifully on a bamboo flute shaking me from my doldrums and giving me my first idea. Balancing the broom upside down on my finger I then place it on my foot and then up to my chin saying "BALANCE". Picking up two hand sticks I begin to sweep the floor with a smile (s)tic toking it across the floor.

I begin to bring the broom off the ground and then spinning it around and around saying "Ancient Pleasure Found" and throwing it high into the air. I then balance the broom sideways on the end of the hand sticks and begin turning around faster and faster in a circle and bringing it over my head and proclaiming "DANCE".

Then, taking a traditional set of wooden devil sticks, I leverage it back and forth and all around saying "RHYTHM". Spinning it vertically this way and that way, I threw it high in the air and caught it, before getting it into a horizontal spin on one hand stick and rotating my body around in a complete circle while keeping it right in front of me the whole time.

Then, I picked up a Crystal Stix baton with silver mylar tassels, as Elena began to play a Chinese bead drum speeding up the rhythm of my dance as I bounced the baton off my feet several times and said "GAMES". After several other tricks I shared a couple of moves I invented myself where I toss both the hand stick and the baton into the air with a horizontal spin and then after a rotation I catch one upon the other.

Moving to double batons I do some double tricks passing them back and forth in parallel and symmetrical patterns. I then jump up on a rola bola, questioning the audience "Impossible?" as I put both batons into an infinity or figure eight move. I feel like I am creating an illusion that the crystal sticks are stuck onto the hand sticks no matter where I move them.

Finally I pickup a third baton (back on the ground) and tic toc one of them between the other two and then as they switch positions with each other, which I think of as the stick machine. Throwing one high in the air I begin to juggle them with double and triple spins. We finish together when I flourish them all and sing out "HARMONY" and Elena hits a Tibetan bowl sounding like a small gong.

Teaching the Stix Game in Five Minutes

The Evolution dance of the stix transforms as Elena and I demonstrate how two or more people can play together by tossing the baton back and forth in a free style game. Inviting four or five student volunteers up on the stage we create a circle and first practice the most basic skill of balancing the baton on the hand stick. As we all get into position with our sticks ready, and with the same foot out in front of us, we lean back to catch the baton and forwards to throw it.

I serve the Crystal Stix baton to each around the circle as they attempt to pass it back to me. If some student needs help, I stop and put my hands on his or hers to give them the right timing and feeling. Soon everyone feels comfortable with the catch and throw until we toss it around the circle, laughing at our drops. After making a complete circle with no misses we stop and everyone is feeling successful and hopefully empowered. The students return to their seats to thunderous applause form the other students and teachers.

Many of the schools we visited purchased some Crystal Stix and other games to integrate into the Physical Education curriculum. Many teachers liked the games because they were not only fun but tied into various subjects such as history and geography and gave the students skills such as focus and whole mind-body coordination.

We had fun traveling around the country visiting various states, national parks and historical places. Our son Soljan (1 year old) was really an angel to put up with 30,000 miles of driving and watching our show over and over. Usually he would sit with a teacher and watch intently, pointing and clapping at the right times. We enjoyed sharing the global games program with over 104,000 students during the nine month tour. We hope the students at the schools we visited will continue to improve their Crystal Stix skills and come up with their own clever games.