Games for Everybody Part 21

The players who then receive the slips are requested to write one or more stanzas of poetry containing the noun and question written at the top of the paper.

Allow fifteen minutes for this, then pa.s.s the papers to the left and they are then read in turn. A prize may be given to the one who wrote the best poetry.

Examples--

Question--Where did you get that hat?

Noun--Fair.

"Where did you get that hat?"

Said Shortie to Mr. Fat, "I stole it from the Fair, When I was leaving there."

Question--Can you dance?

Noun--Day.

"May-day! let us away!

Can you dance?

Here's your chance, On this lovely May-day."

ART GALLERY.

Select copies of famous paintings, those familiar to every one, and hang them around the room.

Neither the name of the painting nor of the artist must be on it, only a number on each picture.

Provide the guests with pencil and paper and allow a certain length of time, according to the number of pictures, for guessing the names and artists.

HUNTING FOR BOOK-t.i.tLES.

The hostess must prepare beforehand pictures, cut from magazine advertis.e.m.e.nts and miscellaneous articles, suggestive of the t.i.tles of books.

These are arranged around the room, some on tables, some on the wall, and in any place, so all the guests can see them. All the articles are numbered.

The guests are handed pencil and paper and the hostess announces that all the articles represent the t.i.tle of some book and when guessed the names are to be written opposite their corresponding numbers. Allow half an hour for the hunt, and when the time is up the hostess reads the correct list and the player who has guessed the largest number correctly, deserves a prize.

Examples--A large bow of orange ribbon pinned on a curtain, immediately suggests "A Bow of Orange Ribbon," by Amelia Barr.

A picture of several boys suggests "Little Men," by Louisa M. Alcott.

A picture of Gen. Grant cut in half suggests "Half a Hero."

PART III.

GAMES FOR SPECIAL DAYS.

JACK FROST.

Around Christmas and New Year's the children will enjoy playing this. All form a circle; one, Jack Frost, stands in the middle.

Jack Frost runs around inside the circle and touches one child on her right hand, and goes back to his place again. The child touched says: "Jack Frost came this way," the child to her left says: "What did he do?" No. 1 says: "He nipped my right hand," (shaking her right hand). No. 2 tells No. 3 about Jack Frost, each doing as No. 1 did, and thus it goes down the circle, until back to No. 1 again.

Jack Frost then steps out and bites her left hand, and now both hands are shaking; thus each time Jack Frost nips some part, that is shaking with the rest, until the children are hopping up and down, and shaking all over.

MAGIC CANDLES.

Arrange twelve candles, one for each month, in a row about two feet apart. Have the candles different colors suggestive of the months they represent, such as, green for March and red for December.

The children form in line and one at a time jump over the candles, which are lighted.

If a light goes out the child who has just jumped will have bad luck in that month which the candle represents.

THE LUCKY OR UNLUCKY SLIPPER.

A slipper is waved three times over the head and then thrown on the floor.

If the toe be toward the player, good luck is coming. If the heel, bad luck is in store, and if it rests on its side, there is hope for something better.

CAKES.

On the sixth of January, Twelfth Night was celebrated in the olden times. Then all the pastry cooks did their finest baking and decked their windows with marvelous productions of cakes.

If a party is being planned for this day invite your guests to come dressed as cakes. Just the ladies will do this and the men can wear miniature cooking utensils if they choose.

Give each lady a number and each man a pencil and slip of paper. The men must guess what cakes the ladies represent and write their answers with the corresponding numbers on the paper.

When all the cakes have been guessed the correct list is read by the hostess and the one having the largest number of correct answers may be awarded a prize.