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Caber Toss
A truly Celtic event, the caber toss, involves flipping a long cylindrical piece of wood (the caber) and having it accurately land pointing away from you. This is thought to originate from the need to toss trees over rivers so that people on the other side could cross.
Start with a light piece of wood for your child, less than 20 lbs or so. Explain to them that the object is to make the caber end up at 12 o'clock while they are at 6 o'clock, or you can draw the line. Get a larger caber for yourself and compete against your child; the winner is the one with the caber closest to 12 o'clock.
Celtic Slang
Teaching your children Celtic slang from Ireland, Wales and Scotland can be a lot of fun as it will sound especially silly to younger children. There are many different ways you can base a game around this. You can rip up little pieces of paper with the Celtic sayings on it and have the kids attempt to guess the meaning of the phrase. For example, a piece of paper could say, "pull your socks up" and the kids could all work together to come up with the meaning (which is "get to work").
Make it part of a relay, where two teams of kids compete: each child answers a slang question and then shoots a basketball into a hoop or a quarter into a trashcan. The team that finishes first wins. A follow-up game can involve your kids doing a little scene using all the sayings that they can remember.
Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, guards Queen Boudicca's castle where you are invited to cross the bridge and enter to make your very own crown or princess hat!
Stone-Putters
The best stones used by stone-putters are untouched by tools. They are found naturally in the bottom of rivers, worn smooth over time by the water. Early athletes used these smooth, round stones in their competitions. The stone-putters can practice their sport practically anywhere at little or no cost, because the only things they need are stones and ground. This made the sport easily accessible throughout Scotland, and was often practiced in farmyards and villages.
The distances thrown by stone-putters at early gatherings were much longer than the distances thrown today. It is not because they were stronger or more skilled, but the techniques and rules differed in the earliest Highland Gatherings. Depending on where an athlete competed, they would use different sizes, shapes and weights of stones. Larger athletes, as well as inexperienced stone-putters may power their throws mainly with their arm and shoulder, while connoisseurs of the sport have developed techniques involving many more muscles in their bodies. These strategies allow them to throw longer distances.
Sheaf Tossers
Sheaf tossers toss a straw-filled sack
[14] over a crossbar, using a three-pronged pitchfork to hoist it over the bar.[15] These sheaves are 16 pounds, and it is quite difficult for athletes to hurl them straight up and over the crossbar. It takes strength and good technique, although athletes are not restricted to tossing the sheaf with any one method. Not only do athletes work out by lifting weights, but they also use special equipment to learn how to do the sheaf toss.[1] The sheaf toss, while highly popular among spectators, is often not included in Canada, unlike the United States. In Scotland, it is often not included as a heavy event. In fact, in Scotland it is known as a farming sport. Because of this, there are athletes around the world who would like to see the sheaf toss taken out of Highland Games heavy event programs.[16][[2] Inferences to stone-putters can be seen throughout Scottish history, beginning with the ‘stone of strength,’ which was placed at highland chieftains’ entrances. The ‘Stone of Strength’ was the earlier version of putting the stone. Later, the ‘Manhood Stone’ was placed at the entrances to homes. A visitor who could lift this stone onto another stone about three or four feet high was assured hospitality and a good welcome.[2] |
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