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Ayu Sutarto: Traditional games offer more than just play
Man with the plan: Ayu Sutarto founded the USK foundation, which provides traditional toys to children, among other activities to alleviate poverty
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Man with the plan:: Ayu Sutarto founded the USK foundation, which provides traditional toys to children, among other activities to alleviate poverty. (A.Kurniawan Ulung)" border="0" height="383" width="510">Man with the plan: Ayu Sutarto founded the USK foundation, which provides traditional toys to children, among other activities to alleviate poverty. (A.Kurniawan Ulung)After the rain stopped on Tuesday afternoon, children began leaving their simple houses along the Bedadung River in Jember, East Java.
They did what they usually did after school â they played. They rushed to a playhouse, where an elderly man in batik shirt was writing a column for a local newspaper with books laying on his plastic table.
With glasses on his nose, cultural observer Ayu Sutarto, 65, smiled when welcoming his guests. He let the children take bamboo stilts, locally known as egrang, that were lying against the wall of the playhouse, which is a part of his foundation, Yayasan Untukmu Si Kecil (For You, Kids, or USK).
Ayu said that the USK provided other old-time toys, such as hula hoops, congklak (mancala-based wooden board game), bekel (western jacks), kelereng (marbles), kitiran (paper windmill), dakon (a board game using cowry shells) and gobak sodor (a game with two teams competing).
âWe provide traditional games, because they have an important role in developing childrenâs character and mind-sets,â he said.
According to Ayu, traditional games hone dexterity â and promote honesty, sympathy and cooperation between children.
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span class="caption">Man with the plan: Ayu Sutarto founded the USK foundation, which provides traditional toys to children, among other activities to alleviate poverty. (A.Kurniawan Ulung)
After the rain stopped on Tuesday afternoon, children began leaving their simple houses along the Bedadung River in Jember, East Java.
They did what they usually did after school ' they played. They rushed to a playhouse, where an elderly man in batik shirt was writing a column for a local newspaper with books laying on his plastic table.
With glasses on his nose, cultural observer Ayu Sutarto, 65, smiled when welcoming his guests. He let the children take bamboo stilts, locally known as egrang, that were lying against the wall of the playhouse, which is a part of his foundation, Yayasan Untukmu Si Kecil (For You, Kids, or USK).
Ayu said that the USK provided other old-time toys, such as hula hoops, congklak (mancala-based wooden board game), bekel (western jacks), kelereng (marbles), kitiran (paper windmill), dakon (a board game using cowry shells) and gobak sodor (a game with two teams competing).
'We provide traditional games, because they have an important role in developing children's character and mind-sets,' he said.
According to Ayu, traditional games hone dexterity ' and promote honesty, sympathy and cooperation between children.
Playtime: Children use some of the toys provided by the USK foundation in Jember, East Java. (A. Kurniawan Ulung)
Players socially punish a cheater in congklak, for example, through criticism and then expulsion. Such social punishments teach children that they should be honest in all dimensions of their lives, Ayu said.
'Educational values can be found in traditional games only, not modern ones,' said the grandfather of three.
Ayu said that he was worried about children spending their pocket money in Internet cafes offering online games and computer game rentals after school.
What makes Ayu raise his eyebrows is parents who apparently turn a blind eye to the money wasted on online games.
He said that he also disagreed with parents who did not give time for their children to play, instead pushing them into extracurricular classes after school.
'Children need a space to play. Playing is their world. Studying all day will not give a positive impact to their development.'
Parents should give children equal time to study and play, as has happened in the Netherlands and other developed countries, he added.
He said that the USK also had a 500-square-meter library that provided books, for children and adults. 'Many university students come to here to study, write or look for resources for their theses,' said Ayu, who is also professor of culture at Jember University.
He said that the traditional toys he provided actually a strategy to attract children to the library and read. Eight volunteer university students also give free English and mathematics courses to children on weekdays and the kids can even learn how to cook dishes ranging from soto ayam (chicken broth with vermicelli) to the Indian-Malaysian dish roti canai (flatbread).
He said that he hoped that the free courses and training would make the children ready to work if they could not continue their schooling.
Ayu said that his spirit became stronger when he learned that the children began earning money from their skills. For example, the East Java Education Agency recently invited them to perform hula hoops in Malang. After the show, each got pocket money worth Rp 50,000 (US$3.97).
Ayu said that he established the USK in 1998 with one purpose: eradicating a structural poverty. To achieve this, the foundation provides books through its library and gives free cooking training and courses. Meanwhile, traditional games help shape humanist characters.
'My motto is working is praying, praying is giving, and giving is a love. Therefore, I will keep struggling for children and people through the USK,' he said.
