No.289
Pilolo
Japanese name: ピロロ
Materials
- Large, brightly coloured cards: one per searcher
- A marker for the shared start and finish line
- Paper to record scores
How to play
- Choose a hider and a finish judge. Everyone else waits behind the line, facing away while the hider places cards within the agreed area.
- Provide one card per searcher. Place them separately where finding them requires no climbing, digging or entering water. Show everyone the search boundary and the objects they may collect.
- At the call “Pilolo!”, turn and search. Each person may bring back only one card. Never take a card from someone’s hand or block their path.
- Bring a found card to the finish. The first person across the line scores one point. Everyone else finds a card and returns too; the hider offers hints to anyone who needs them.
- Once everyone returns, collect the cards and change the hider and judge. Continue until everyone has had the same number of searching turns, then compare total points. Change the hiding places between rounds.
Ways to adapt
Preschool: walk with a caregiver and aim for everyone to retrieve a card. Younger primary: leave cards half visible. Discuss its connection with treasure hunts played in Japan.