Ga-ga is a game popular in Israel, and while it’s similar to dodge ball (getting hit by the ball puts you out of the game) all the action takes place below the knees, so even the youngest children on the Clear Spring School campus can play. Often games involve students from first grade as well as high school and no one is ever excluded from the fun.

The Clear Spring middle school students first learned about the game while on a week-long trip to a neighboring state. After playing the game at a camp they came back insisting on building a court for our school campus. They helped with the design and cost calculations, presented a plan to administration and helped to settle on the location for the court. Then they did almost all of the work themselves.

The Clear Spring School Ga-ga court is made from treated 8 foot and 10 foot 2 x 4’s laid log cabin style with overlapping corners and ½ inch rebar used to connect them into a ridged 6-sided enclosure. A seat was added for strength on three sides at the top and to make getting in and out easy.

The rules are simple. To play the students chant together “Ga, ga, ga.” Then the ball is thrown into the ring and the fun begins. The ball is to be hit with the hands, not thrown and a ball out of the court disqualifies the player who touched it last. No overhand shots are allowed, and both the rules and the close action discourage forceful throws.

Building the Clear Spring School Ga Ga court was a collaboration between the middle school class and the Clears Spring School’s well known woodworking program, the Wisdom of the Hands. For additional information contact info@clearspringschool.org.