Summer is here! Time for sun, games and outdoor fun! Below is an activity adapted from the Children at Play box.

Along with marbles, ball games and various other sports, kicking around a shuttlecock (or jianzi) with a group of friends is a popular folk game for children and adults played across Asia. It’s believed that jianzi originated in China but later spread to neighbouring countries and beyond due to its simple materials and ease of use. Originally, shuttlecocks were made from rooster feathers attached to a coin. Now, they can be made from a variety of materials. Players must keep the shuttlecock in the air without using their hands.

Watch this video of people playing jianzi in China:

Here’s what you need for your own jianzi:

Materials

• Coloured duct tape
• Shuttlecocks (in box)
• Plastic straw cut to 2”
• Scissors
• 4-5 pennies
• Cardboard circles 2” in diameter (2 for each students)
• 4 large coloured feathers
• Glue

What to Do

1.  Punch a hole in the centre of one cardboard circle.
2. On one end of straw section, cut four slits 1” in length
3. Push straw into hole in cardboard circle. Flatten the four sliced pieces of straw and tape them down.
4. Make a “sandwich” with the two cardboard circles together and the coins and taped straw ends inside. Tape the sandwich together. The straw section (unsliced side) should stick up on the outside.
5. Stick the feathers inside the straw and fill with glue.
6. Let dry for at least one hour.