Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 11

CROSS TAG

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

One player is chosen to be It. He calls out the name of another player, to whom he at once gives chase. A third player at any point in the chase may run between the one who is It and the one whom he is chasing, whereupon this third player becomes the object of the chase instead of the second. At any time a fourth player may run between this player and the chaser, diverting the chase to himself, and so on indefinitely. In other words, whenever a player crosses between the one who is It and the one being chased, the latter is at once relieved of the chase and ceases to be a fugitive. Whenever the chaser tags a player, that player becomes It. Considerable sport may be added to the game by the free players trying to impede the chaser and so help the runner,--getting in the way of the former without crossing between the two, or any other hindering tactics.

DO THIS, DO THAT

_10 to 60 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium; schoolroom; parlor._

All the players stand facing one of their number who is the leader.

The one who is leader a.s.sumes any gymnastic position or imitates any action, at the same time saying "Do this!" and the others immediately imitate. Should the leader at any time say "Do that!" instead of "Do this!" any player who imitates the action performed must be seated, or pay a forfeit, whichever form of penalty has been decided on at the beginning of the game. Three mistakes of this kind put a player out of the game, even when forfeits are the penalty.

The leader may choose any gymnastic positions that are familiar, such as chargings, head bendings, trunk bendings, arm movements, knee bendings, hopping, jumping, dancing steps, etc.; or imitate familiar actions such as hammering, sawing, washing, ironing, sewing, stone cutting, shoveling, riding horseback, etc.

DOUBLE RELAY RACES

_10 to 100 players._

_Schoolroom; playground; gymnasium._

First two rows (Nos. 1 to 14) stand in aisle II and give way to rear to starting point. Third row (Nos. 15 to 21) stand in aisle III, march forward and around to right into aisle I, bringing entire 21 pupils into formation, as indicated for Team A on diagram. Fifth and sixth rows (Nos. 22 to 35) stand in aisle VI and give way to rear to starting point. Fourth row (Nos. 36 to 42) stand in aisle V, march forward and around to left into aisle VII, bringing entire team, Nos.

22 to 42, into formation as indicated for Team B on diagram.

FIRST RELAY

At commands, "Ready, go!" Nos. 1 and 22, the two leaders of the two teams, walk to wall in front of them at W/A and W/B, touch the wall, return down aisles III and V respectively, and continue up aisle IV to teacher's desk. When the two leaders, 1 and 22, touch the wall, Nos. 2 and 23 start at the "exchange points," X and X, 1 and 2 touch left hands across desks, and 22 and 23 touch right hands across desks. At the starting point, 1 touches left hand of 3, who starts as soon as touched, 22 touches right hand of 24, who also starts as soon as touched; so on to the last of each team, who finish the game by touching the desks where the leaders started. Both teams then "about face" and march back, Team A through aisles III, II, and I, and Team B through aisles V, VI, and VII, when they are ready for the next relay.

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: DIAGRAM NO. 1--DOUBLE RELAY RACES]

SECOND RELAY

Same as First Relay, but this time running.

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: DIAGRAM NO. 2--DOUBLE RELAY RACES]

THIRD RELAY

Same as Second Relay, but this time each leader starts with an eraser, if in the schoolroom, or a dumb-bell in playground, in his hand and gives it to the next pupil at "exchange point," each successive pupil repeating the exchange at that point. The third and succeeding pupils must wait at each starting point until "touched" before starting.

FOURTH RELAY

Same as Third Relay, except that a handkerchief, knotted once in the middle, is subst.i.tuted for the eraser with which each leader starts.

FIFTH RELAY

Same as Fourth Relay, except that the leader of each team and the pupil behind him each have an eraser (or dumb-bell), and when meeting at "exchange points," exchange erasers, the leaders giving the second erasers to the pupils on the starting points, and so on.

SIXTH RELAY

Same as Fifth Relay, except that two handkerchiefs are used instead of two erasers.

SEVENTH RELAY

Same as Sixth Relay, except that the handkerchiefs may be _thrown_ and _caught_, instead of being _handed_ or _pa.s.sed_ to the next pupil.

CAUTIONS

The value of these games lies in two things, _i.e._ in the fact that after the first two pupils of each team have started and the game is really under way, there are four pupils on each team actually in motion, and the game moves so fast that each member of each team has little time to do anything besides attending strictly to the game; if his team is to have any chance to make a good showing, he must be constantly on the alert. The second, and still more important, valuable feature of the games, lies in the constant exercise of _inhibition_. Therefore there should be absolutely no "coaching"

except by the teacher during training; care should be taken in the First Relay to see that all children actually _walk_; no running; when hands are to be touched, they _must be touched_; when erasers or handkerchiefs are dropped, they must be picked up by the ones who dropped them before proceeding with the game; if to be exchanged, they must be exchanged.

The intermingling of the two teams in aisle IV does not affect the game in the least.

Diagram 2 is for a schoolroom of seven rows of seats, and six (more or less) deep. The numbers indicate a convenient division, and the pupils fall in as before.

A division of the cla.s.s into three teams may be made if desired, and if there be sufficient aisles.

These games are suitable for boys or girls or mixed cla.s.ses.

Diagram 1 should be used for schoolrooms seating 42, if seven deep; 48, if eight deep; 54, if nine deep.

Diagram 2 should be used for schoolrooms seating 42, but facing as indicated; 49, if seven deep.

Diagram 1 for a schoolroom with five rows and ten deep, using only the outside and next to the outside aisles.

These games may also be played in the gymnasium or playground.

They were originated by Mr. J. Blake Hillyer of New York City, and received honorable mention in a compet.i.tion for schoolroom games conducted by the Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League of New York City in 1906. They are here published by the kind permission of the author, and of the Girls' Branch, and of Messrs. A. G. Spalding & Brothers, publishers of the handbook in which the games first appeared.