School, Church, and Home Games Part 2

CHAPTER II

SCHOOLROOM GAMES

For Intermediate Pupils

Initial Tag

A pupil who is "It" is sent to the board. He writes thereupon the initial of some other pupil in the room. That pupil is to try to tag "It" before he can return to his seat. If successful, he becomes "It"

and continues the game by writing some one else's initial on the board.

Magic Music

One pupil is sent from the room. Thereupon the remaining pupils hide some object agreed upon. The pupil sent from the room is recalled. The teacher or one of the pupils plays the piano loudly when the seeker approaches the hidden article and softly when some distance from it.

The seeker determines the location by the volume of the music.

Hunt the Rattler

All of the players in the room are blindfolded, except one, who is given a tin can in which is placed a loose pebble. He is known as the "rattler." The blindfolded players attempt to locate and tag the rattler by the rattle. The one successful takes the place of the rattler.

Sticker

The pupils stand in a circle in the center of which is "It"

blindfolded, holding in his hand a blunt stick about 12 or 15 inches long. Those in the circle dance around two or three times, so that the blindfolded player may not know their position. At the command "Stand,"

given by the one blindfolded, all must stand still. Thereupon, by feeling with his stick, "It" tries to discern an individual in the ring. "It" is forbidden to use his hands, in trying to discover who the individual is. If he succeeds in guessing, the individual guessed must take his place. Otherwise he proceeds to some other individual in the circle whom he tries to identify.

Name Race

The pupils of each aisle const.i.tute a team. A slip is handed to the one in the first seat in each row. At the signal to go, he writes his full name thereupon and pa.s.ses it immediately to the one next behind him, who writes his name and pa.s.ses it on. When the one in the last seat in the row has added his name to the slip, he rushes forward and places the slip upon the teacher's desk. The aisle first succeeding in accomplishing this task, wins.

Frogs in Sea

One pupil sits in tailor fashion in the center of the playing s.p.a.ce.

The others try to tease him by approaching as closely as they dare, calling him "Frog in the sea, Can't catch me." If the frog succeeds in tagging any of the other players, that player must take his place. The frog is not allowed to change from his sitting position in his effort to tag the other players.

Corner Spry

The pupils in the room are divided into four equal teams. Each team is a.s.signed to a different corner. A leader stands in front of each team with a bean bag, cap, or ball. At the signal to start the leader tosses to and receives from each member of his team in turn the bean bag.

Having received the bag from the last one in his line, he takes his place at the foot of the line, and the one at the head of the line becomes leader and proceeds to toss the ball to each member as did the preceding leader. The group, in which all have served as leaders and which successfully completes the game first, wins.

Flag Race

The pupils of each aisle const.i.tute a team. Flags are given to the pupils in each front seat. On the signal to go, each pupil holding a flag steps out on the right hand side of the seat, runs around the front of his own aisle, back on the left hand side, around the rear seat, returning to his own seat up the right hand aisle, and hands the flag on to the one next behind him, who continues the race. When all the pupils in the aisle have circled their row of seats with the flag, the last one, instead of returning to his seat, runs forward and holds the flag above his head in front of his aisle. The one first succeeding in reaching the front, wins the race.

In this race it is often better to run two aisles at a time and thus avoid the possibility of pupils b.u.mping into each other in their attempt to race through the aisles. In this way the various winners can race against each other, making an interesting contest.

Seat Vaulting Tag

A pupil is selected to be "It." He attempts to tag any other pupil in the same aisle in which he stands. The pupils avoid being tagged by vaulting over the seats. No one is allowed to run around either end.

"It" cannot reach across the desk in his effort to tag another. He must be in the same aisle or tag as one is vaulting a seat. A pupil becomes "It" as soon as tagged.

Jerusalem, Jericho, Jemima

This is a simple game of attention. The three words in the t.i.tle are near enough alike to require close attention on the part of the pupil to distinguish between them and to act accordingly. Have the pupils turn in their seats facing the aisle. If the teacher says "Jerusalem", the pupils stand. If she says, "Jericho", they raise their arms momentarily forward and upward. If she says, "Jemima", they sit down.

Any child making a mistake sits in her seat and faces to the front.

Compa.s.s

An attention game. The pupils stand in the aisle beside their seats. In starting the game, the teacher asks them to face to the north, then to the south, then to the east, and to the west, so that they have the directions fixed in their minds. She then proceeds to tell a story or to make statements such as the following, "I came from the north." At the mention of the word "north" all the pupils must turn and face towards the north. "But since I have arrived in the south,"--at the mention of the word "south" they all turn and face the south, etc. If the teacher should say "wind," the pupils imitate the whistling of the wind; if "whirlwind" is mentioned, all must spin about on their heels a complete turn. Failing to do any of the required turns, the pupil takes his seat.

Geography

The pupils of each aisle const.i.tute a team. Those in the front seats are Number 1, those next behind them, Number 2, and so on back. The teacher calls some number. The pupils having that number race to the board and write thereupon the name of some river, returning to their seats. The first one back wins one point for his team. The game continues until all the numbers have been called, the team having the most points wins.

Spelling Words

Have the pupils in aisle 1 face those in aisle 2, those in aisle 3 face 4, those in aisle 5 face 6. Appoint a captain for each aisle. The captain of one team starts spelling a word containing more than three letters. The captain of the team facing his, adds the second letter, not knowing what word the captain of the other team had in mind. The second man of the first team adds a third letter; the second man of the second team adds a fourth, each team trying to avoid completing the word. The team completing the word loses one point to the other team.

For example, the first man of team A says "g," the first man of team B says "o," thinking of "gold." The second man on team A says "o,"

thinking of "goose." The second man on team B can only think of "good"

and contributes "d," ending the word. Team A thereupon scores a point.

The third man of team A continues the game by starting another word.

When the ends of the aisles are reached the word, if uncompleted, is pa.s.sed to the head of the line and continued.

If there are four aisles in the room, there will be two groups playing at the same time; six aisles, three groups; eight aisles, four groups.

The captains of opposing teams keep a record of the score.

Rhymes

This game stimulates quick thinking. Some one is selected by the teacher to start the game, and thereupon gives some word to which the first pupil in the aisle must give a rhyming word before the former can count ten. Failing to do this, the leader continues and gives a word to the second one in the aisle. The rhyming words are to be given before the leader has completed his count of ten. Then the one succeeding in giving the word replaces the leader.

Clapping Song

A pupil is selected by the teacher to clap the rhythm of some familiar air. The rest of the children in the room endeavor to guess the song clapped. The pupil succeeding in doing this is given an opportunity to clap another song.