School, Church, and Home Games Part 4

Distinguishing Sounds

This game is good training for the ear. Various noises, such as the shaking of a pebble in a tin can, in a wooden box, in a pasteboard box, in a large envelope; knocking on wood, on tin, on coin (as silver dollar), on stone, on bra.s.s, on lead,--are made. The pupils are allowed to guess just what the noise is caused by.

Laugh

This is a good relaxing game and one in which the practice of self control is a factor. An open handkerchief is tossed into the air. While it is in the air the pupils are to laugh as heartily as they can, but the instant the handkerchief touches the floor, all laughing is to stop.

Guessing Dimensions

The ability to measure with the eye is well worth cultivating. Each pupil is to guess the distance between various points indicated on the blackboard, the height of a door, the width and the height of a school desk, the height of the schoolroom, the thickness of a book, etc. Each of the guesses is written on a slip of paper. The pupil with the best guesses wins.

Mysterious Articles

An article is concealed under a cloth on the table. Each pupil is given an opportunity to feel the article through the cloth and guess what it is, educating the sense of touch.

Distinguishing by Smell

Various articles invisible to the eye, with distinctive odors, such as vinegar, rose, mustard, vanilla, ginger, clove, tea, coffee, chocolate, soap, etc., are placed before the pupil. The one able to distinguish the largest number of articles by the smell, wins the game.

Art Gallery

Pictures of a number of famous paintings by the masters are placed on exhibition. The pupil guessing the largest number of masters and t.i.tles, of the various pictures, wins.

Drawing Animals

The teacher whispers in the ear of each pupil the name of some animal, whereupon the pupil proceeds to draw that animal, each pupil being given the name of a different animal. Drawings are made and put on exhibition. All try to guess as many as possible of the animals represented in the drawings. The drawing securing the largest number of correct guesses wins for the artist.

Historical Pictures

A long sheet of paper is given to each pupil, with instructions to draw thereupon a picture representing some historical event. After completing the drawing, each paper is pa.s.sed about the room. Each pupil writes underneath the picture what he thinks the picture represents.

His subject is folded under, so that the next pupil to receive the picture cannot see what his guess has been. At the end of the game, the picture having the largest number of correct guesses wins.

Train of Thoughts

A word is suggested by the teacher. This is written at the top of a sheet of paper by each pupil. The pupil then writes beneath that word various thoughts that are suggested to him by the word. For instance, the word suggested by the teacher is "aeroplane". Pupil A has suggested to him by the word "aeroplane", humming. He writes that on his list.

Humming suggests bees. Bees suggest honey; honey, clover, clover summer, summer swimming hole, etc. When all of the pupils have written fifteen or twenty thoughts which have suggested themselves to them, each is called upon to read his train of thoughts to the rest of the cla.s.s.

Bowknot Relay

The pupils of each aisle const.i.tute a team. A piece of string is given to each pupil in the front seat. At a signal to start each pupil with the string runs forward and ties it in a bowknot on some article placed in front of each aisle. After tying the bow, he returns to his seat and touches the one in the seat next behind him. Thereupon the second member of the team runs, unties the bowknot, returns with the string; and hands it to the third, who runs forward, and ties it in a bowknot, as did the first, and returning touches off the fourth, etc. The aisle in which each pupil has accomplished the required task first, wins the race.

Cooking Race

This is a good game for the cla.s.s in domestic science. The pupils of each aisle const.i.tute a team. A piece of chalk is handed to the one in each front seat. At the signal to go, the chalk is pa.s.sed back until it reaches the one in the last seat in the row. Every one in the aisle must have handled the chalk in pa.s.sing it back. Upon receiving it, the last one in the row runs forward to the board and writes thereupon an ingredient necessary in the making of cake. Returning, the chalk is handed to the one in the front seat and again pa.s.sed back until it gets to the one in the next to the last seat, who rushes to the board and writes another ingredient necessary in cake making. And so the race continues. When the last pupil at the board, namely the one from the front seat, has written upon the board and returned to her seat, the race is ended. The race is won by the aisle first completing this task.

Spelling Game

The group, if numbering 40 or more pupils, is divided into two teams.

The contestants of each team are given a different letter of the alphabet. The teacher gives a word. Thereupon the pupils in both teams whose letter occurs in the word named, run one to the front and one to the rear of the room, as a.s.signed by the teacher, and take their places in the order in which their letter occurs in the word. When the pupils have taken their proper position, they call out the letters they represent, spelling the word. The group first accomplishing this, wins one point for their team. If the letter occurs twice in the same word, that pupil representing that letter takes his place where the letter first occurs in the word and shifts to the second position, so as to help complete the word.

If the group be too small for two alphabets the game can be played by having but one and seeing which of the various words given is formed in the quickest time by the single group.

Grammar Race

The pupils of each aisle const.i.tute a team. A piece of chalk is given to the one in each front seat. At the signal to go, the one with the chalk rushes to the board and writes the first word of a sentence on the board and returns to his seat, pa.s.sing the chalk on to the second one, who writes the second word for a sentence. The third writes the third, and so on until a complete sentence has been written upon the board. The one in the last seat must complete the sentence and return to his seat, ending the race.

Twenty-five points is awarded the team finishing first; twenty-five points to each team with correct spelling; twenty-five points for the team with the best writing; twenty-five points for the best composition of the sentence.

Schoolroom Tag

A three foot circle is made with a piece of chalk in the front of the room. Each pupil in the room is given a different number. The teacher selects one to be "It," who must stand at least ten feet from the circle and be touching a side wall. "It" calls a number. The pupil whose number is called tries to run through the circle in the front of the room and get back to his seat without being tagged by "It". The one who is "It" must run through the circle before he can tag the one whose number he called. If the pupil is tagged he becomes "It".

Directions

An attention game. Taking for granted that the pupils have a general knowledge of the directions of various towns or cities in their state or the surrounding states, the following game can be played.

All are requested to stand in the aisle beside their seats. The teacher then proceeds to make statements or tell some story, mentioning the names of various cities and towns. At the mention of these the pupils face in the direction in which said cities or towns are located.

Failing to turn correctly when a city is mentioned the pupil is required to take his seat.

CHAPTER IV

SCHOOLYARD GAMES

For Primary Pupils

Chase the Rabbit

The group kneels in a circle with their hands on each other's shoulders. The one selected to be rabbit runs around the circle and tags some individual. Thereupon that individual must get upon his feet and run to the left around the circle. The rabbit runs to the right around the circle. The rabbit must tag the one who is running around in the opposite direction, and then both endeavor to get back to the hole left in the circle. The one failing to do this becomes the rabbit for the next play.