School, Church, and Home Games Part 21

Here is one way that it can be done. While the band is playing a lively march at one end of the field which is to be used for the games, have the leaders, who have been previously instructed, get all of the folks lined up in couples around the field for a grand march. A couple trained for the occasion leads the march when everybody is in line, marching about the circ.u.mference of the field. The leaders start their fancy marching. At one end they turn and march down the center of the field to the far end where the couples separate, the ladies going to the left and the gentlemen to the right. They reunite at the other end of the field. The march continues with numerous variations such as change of formation from double to formation of fours, marching diagonally across the field, crossing at the middle, etc. The march should end with the group arranged in couples around the circ.u.mference of the field with the ladies nearest the center. Have both groups face the center and have the ladies take one step forward and the men take one step backward.

The Games for All

One American flag on a short stick is handed to the leaders of both lines, that is, the leading lady and the leading gentleman, and at the signal to start the flags are pa.s.sed about the circle (over the head), the ladies competing against the gentlemen to see which can pa.s.s the flag from hand to hand all the way around the circle in the quickest time. The race ends when the flag returns to the leader, who waves the same above his head, indicating the close of the race.

If the group is less than 100 in number, the following game can be played:

A ball of string is handed to the leader of each team. Upon the signal to start, the leaders, holding the end of the string, pa.s.s the ball to the next one on the team, who pa.s.ses it to his neighbor, unrolling it as it goes, and so on from hand to hand, each one on the team keeping hold of the string with his right hand. There should be string enough in the ball to reach all the way round the circle. The ball diminishes as it is pa.s.sed along. When the ball reaches the last one in the circle he starts rewinding the string upon the ball, pa.s.ses it back to the next one, who winds on the slack, and so the ball is pa.s.sed, each one winding until the ball returns to the captain. Each team will try to get the ball properly wound back into the captain's hands first. No one can leave his regular position in the line during the race. If the ball has been properly wound, it will be possible to throw the same twenty-five feet to the judges, who take a position within the circle and about this distance in front of the captain. The first one to get the ball into the hands of the judge, by means of this throw, wins the race.

In the next race five or six flags of the Allies are pa.s.sed about the circle in the same way. The flags are stuck in the ground in front of the leaders. Upon the signal to start, the leaders pick up the first flag and start it on its way, then immediately pick up the second and start it about the circle and so on until all of the flags are in motion. The American flag should be pa.s.sed last. When all of the flags have been returned to the leaders they run to the center of the ring.

The first one to stick the American flag up in the receptacle there placed to receive it wins the race. (Careful instruction should be given that the flags in being pa.s.sed about the circle must be handed from one individual to the next so that every individual pa.s.ses the flag. Throwing is not allowed.)

See chapter on Racing Games for picnic for other suggestions.

Following these pa.s.sing games the group can be broken up into smaller circles, each under the direction of a leader who has been previously instructed in the type of game he is to give to his group. The activities of the smaller groups are to be arranged according to the age of the partic.i.p.ants.

In dividing a group into smaller groups according to age, the leader should first have all children under twelve years of age step forward.

These should be placed in the charge of group leaders. Next all the boys and girls from twelve to eighteen should be asked to step forward and next all those young men and women who can partic.i.p.ate in active games. When this last group has been called forward, those remaining will form the fourth group.

It is difficult for one leader to handle more than fifteen individuals.

If any of the groups contain more than this number, they should be subdivided, with a leader placed in charge of each subdivision. Try as far as possible to have the two s.e.xes equally divided in each group.

The games should be carefully selected in advance and the various leaders should have been trained for their task. No active play program for large groups should be planned for a longer period than one hour and then frequent rest periods allowed for adults.

Games which will be found adaptable for the various groups contained in this volume are suggested below:

For the children under twelve--Schoolyard Games for Primary and Intermediate Pupils.

For those from twelve to eighteen--Schoolyard Games for Advanced Pupils.

For the young men and women--Outdoor Games for the Older Boys and Young Men.

For the middle-aged--a selection of games from chapter on "Games for Picnics, and Social Games for Adults".

CHAPTER III

GAMES FOR A STORY PLAY HOUR

The Story--"Paul Revere"

Following the reading of Longfellow's poem the listeners are given the opportunity to give expression to their imagination in the following games,--

"The Red Coats"

Divide the group into two equal teams. One team is called the farmers, the other the red coats. A goal is marked off on the ground in the form of a hollow square large enough to contain all the members of one of the teams.

All of the red coats take a position inside of the goal with eyes closed while the farmers hide. After sufficient time has been given to the farmers to hide, the red coats are released and each seeks to discover a farmer. Upon being discovered the hiding farmer must remain in his hiding place until tagged by the red coat then they both race back to the goal. The first one to cross the goal line becomes a farmer and the other a red coat in the next hiding. After returning to the goal both farmer and red coat must remain therein until all of the farmers have been discovered. If the last red coats find it difficult to locate the hiding farmers they can call to their a.s.sistance such other red coats as they may need, in which case the red coat first discovering the farmer points him out to that red coat who enlisted his help, thereupon said red coat tags the farmer and races with him to the goal.

After all of the farmers have been discovered those who are to be farmers in the next round hide and the game goes on as before.

In case two red coats discover the same farmer the one first tagging him shall count and shall race with him for the goal. In case the red coat discovers more than one farmer he may choose the one he wishes to tag, but he is not to disclose the other to another red coat.

"Yankee Doodle Tag"

The group is divided into two equal teams. Two lines are marked upon the playing s.p.a.ce parallel to each other and about 20 yards apart.

These lines should be long enough to allow all of the expected number of players to form line upon, shoulder to shoulder. Each team lines up on a goal line facing in the same direction, Team A facing the center of the playing s.p.a.ce, Team B facing away from the center.

Team A marches forward whistling "Yankee Doodle" maintaining a straight line until a leader who takes a position near the center of one side of the playing s.p.a.ce raises a hand above his head. This is a signal for team A to stop whistling, break ranks and run back to their goal line.

Team B, whose backs are toward the advancing column, upon hearing the whistling stops, turns about and chases after team A, trying to tag as many of them as possible before they get back to their goal line. Every member of team A who is tagged becomes a member of team B.

Team B next marches forward whistling as did A, while A waits on their goal line until the whistling stops, thereupon they turn about and chase B. The game continues in this way. At the end the team having the most players is declared the winner.

Note--the leader giving the signal for the whistling to stop should take a position where the signal cannot be seen by the team waiting to chase the whistlers.

"Paul Revere Race"

The group is divided into teams of from 8 to 15 each. These teams are placed on the field in parallel columns of file with a distance of 10 feet between each team. The players on each team are then arranged in the line at a distance of from 10 to 20 feet apart. The lightest member of each team is selected as the rider for that team and takes his position behind the player at the back end of his line.

At the signal to start he leaps upon the back of the last man who carries him forward to the next man of his team in front of him in the line, and the rider must change from the back of the first steed to the back of the second without touching the ground. The second steed carries him to the third, and he is pa.s.sed on from steed to steed until he reaches the last steed at the end of the column who carries him across a finish line. The first Paul Revere to cross the line wins the game for his team.

"The Midnight Ride"--Quiet Games

Two teams of equal numbers are chosen and arranged in two lines facing each other. If the game is played in-doors place the teams on opposite sides of the room. A pad of paper and a pencil is given to the two players at the head of each line. The leader then reads a number of lines from Longfellow's poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", requesting that all of the players endeavor to remember as much of the poem as possible. When a sufficient number of lines have been read the player at the head of each team, at a signal to start, writes the first word of the poem on the sheet and pa.s.ses it along to the next player in line who writes the second word. And so it is pa.s.sed until it reaches the end of the line. If a player does not remember the right word he writes his surname in place of the word and pa.s.ses it on to the next player who either fills in the proper word or writes in the surname.

The team which pa.s.ses the pad to the other end of the line first wins, provided that every one has either written a word from the poem or a name thereupon, and scores 5 points. The team having the fewest names written into the poem also scores 5 points (an error counts the same as a name). In case of a tie, the score race is repeated.

MODIFICATION.--Read several verses and require the paper to be pa.s.sed up the lines and back as many times as are necessary to write down all of the verses read, using the same method used in the other race. The team first getting all of the verses written, wins. Those who cannot add the right word to the verse must write their surname in every time the paper pa.s.ses them. Forfeits can be required from them whose names appear above a certain number of times on a sheet. If the group is very large increase the number of teams.

The above games are supposed to be played after the reading of Longfellow's poem--"The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere".

CHAPTER IV

AN INDOOR SPORTS FAIR

They are still talking about the Indoors Sports Fair that the Welfare League of Ashton gave last spring, and ranking it as the best thing the town ever did to raise money for their united welfare funds.