NCERT Solutions for Class 5th English Chapter 7 A. Let us make a Gilli Danda using waste material — Let us Do
Book page 88–89 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Let us make a Gilli Danda using waste material.
Things required:
1. A thick, firm twig or a wooden stick (for the danda)
2. Thick small twig (for the gilli)
3. A rough stone (for smoothening the sticks)
4. Colours or coloured papers (optional, for decoration)
Steps — For the Danda (stick): 1. Find a Stick 2. Smoothen the Surface 3. Decorate (Optional)
For the Gilli (small peg): 1. Find a Small Stick 2. Shape the Ends 3. Smoothen the Surface 4. Decorate (Optional)
Final Touch: Test the gilli and danda to ensure they are easy to handle and are sturdy.
Answer
This is a making activity, so the answer is what you make — plus a short report of how you made it. Follow the book’s own steps. Nothing here needs to be bought.
What you need (all of it is waste material):
A thick, firm twig or a discarded wooden stick — this becomes the danda.
A thick, small twig — this becomes the gilli.
A rough stone, for rubbing the wood smooth.
Colours or coloured paper, if you want to decorate. This part is optional.
Steps for the danda (the long stick):
Find a stick. Pick a thick, firm twig or an old wooden stick. It should be about as long as your arm and should not bend when you press it.
Smoothen the surface. Rub the whole stick with a rough stone until no splinters are left. A splinter can prick your palm when you swing.
Decorate (optional). Paint the stick with colours, or wrap coloured paper around the handle.
Steps for the gilli (the small peg):
Find a small stick. Use a small twig or a piece of a discarded stick, about 3 to 4 inches long — that is roughly 8 to 10 centimetres, about the length of your middle finger.
Shape the ends. Rub both ends with the rough stone so that each end becomes narrower, like a short cone. Both ends must be shaped, not just one.
Smoothen the surface. Rub the whole gilli until it feels smooth in your hand.
Decorate (optional). Colour or paint the gilli so that it is easy to spot on the ground.
Final touch: Test both pieces. Hold the danda and take a slow practice swing — it should feel light and steady. Press the gilli — it should not crack. The book says they must be easy to handle and sturdy. Sturdy means strong and not likely to break.
What you are making: a long, smooth danda, and a short gilli that tapers at both ends.
Why both ends of the gilli must be narrow: A gilli with flat ends will only roll when you tap it. A gilli with narrow, sloping ends flips up into the air, and that is what lets you strike it in mid-air. The shape is the whole secret of the game.
Safety, as the Note to the Teacher asks: Rub the wood, do not cut it with a blade. Do not make the ends sharp like a pencil point; a gentle slope is enough. Wash your hands after handling old wood. Try your new gilli and danda only on open ground, well away from other people and windows.
Sample answer — how to write up the activity in your notebook:
Making a Gilli Danda
On Saturday my brother and I made our own Gilli Danda. We did not buy anything.
First we looked behind our house, where a neem branch had fallen in the storm. From it we chose one long straight piece for the danda and one short thick piece for the gilli.
Next we sat on the step with a rough stone. I rubbed the long stick again and again until it was smooth and no splinters were left. My brother rubbed both ends of the small piece until they became narrow, like two small cones.
Then we decorated them. I wrapped red paper around the handle of the danda so that it would not slip. My brother painted two yellow rings on the gilli, so that we could find it easily in the grass.
At last we tested them. The danda felt light and did not bend. The gilli did not crack when we pressed it. In the evening we took them to the ground and played for an hour.
The best part was that our whole game was made from a broken branch that nobody wanted.