Sardines

Sardines is a different version of Hide-And-Seek where only one person hides and the others (the seekers) have to find the hider.  When a seeker finds the hider, they join the hider in the hiding place as does the next seeker and the next, until there is only one seeker left.  As the seekers find the hiding place, they are all squeezed together in a small place like sardines in a small space.

Traditional Hide-And-Seek is where one person is “it”  (the seeker) and the rest of the players hide (usually in a specified, but large enough area outdoors or indoors).  The seeker closes their eyes and counts loudly and slowly to 20 or 30 (or another agreed upon number) while the other players hide.  After finishing the count, the seeker tries to find everyone.  Once the seeker finds a hider they are called out.  You can establish a base where the hiders can sneak back to without being called out – like a tree or a couch or a rock or a chair.

Other variations of Hide-And-Seek:

• Require that hiders are tagged rather than just seen and called out.  This give the hider a chance to run to the safety of the base.
• If everyone is anxious to begin a new round and only a few people are left hiding, the seeker can yell “Olly Olly Oxin Free” (or some other term) as a signal for all hiders to return to the base.
• Chain Hide-And-Seek, where hiders who are found join hands with the seeker as the seeker looks for the other hiders.
• Marco Polo, which is Hide-And-Seek typically played in the pool.  When the seeker finishes counting with their eyes closed, they keep their eyes closed and call out “Marco” and then the other players have to call out “Polo.”  The seeker swims in the direction of the a player’s voice and tries to tag them out.  The seeker keeps calling out “Marco” (and the other players have to call out “Polo“) until the seeker tags all of the other players.  Sometimes the seeker can hear a player splashing or talking and swim over and tag them out without calling out “Marco” or hearing “Polo.”

A Little Trivia

Hide-And-Seek is a very old game.  A writer in 2nd-century Greece wrote about this game (we are now in the 21st-century).

It is played in different countries all over the world.  Some of the names in different countries are:  El Escondite (Spain), Jeu de Cache-Cache (France), Machboim (Israel), Krishki-Mishki (Hungary), and Sumbaggoggil (South Korea).

Some people think that the term “Olly Olly Oxin Free” or “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free” or “All-y All-y In Come Free” comes from a German phrase “Alle, Alle Auch Sind Frei,” which translates to “Everyone, Everyone Is Also Free.”