Facts
The 'Diablo' or 'Diabolo' if you want to get picky about the spelling...If you want to be REALLY picky was originally named "Diaballo" when it first made its way over to Europe.
What is it then?
It is a fun juggling 'toy' that has been around for a loooong time, dates way back and historians are pretty much agreed it comes from ancient China. The Chinese versions were and are different to the ones we have. The original ones had sticks made from bamboo which whistled while spinning. The Chinese version of Diablo also has flat sides rather than the European version we have now with 'cup' shape sides which dates back to 1906.
What do you do with it?
What you do is put your Diablo on the string, balance it (easier than it sounds) roll along floor to get it started and jerk one stick continuously to set it spinning on the string. Left or right handed doesn't matter.
Getting Outdoors
The Eden Project is all about celebrating what nature gives to us while learning how and why we need to look after it.
So naturally we were concerned by recent findings that children are spending less and less time outside. Not only are they missing out on a whole world of fun, adventure and really cool games (hide and seek anyone?) but there are some serious knock-on effects including health problems, poor social development and little understanding or interest in the environment - especially worrying in the face of climate change.
That's why Eden has launched a programme to combat the increasing alienation of children from their environment. We call it Mud Between Your Toes because its aim is to reconnect children with the outside world - and that means learning to love the mud.