School, Church, and Home Games, George Orrin Draper [best classic literature .TXT] 📗

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 constitute 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 bumping 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 title 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.

Compass

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 constitute 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 passed 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.

Indian Trail

A pupil is blindfolded and placed in the front of the room. Other pupils, one or two at a time, are given the opportunity to stealthily approach the one blindfolded, in an endeavor to take some object, from before his feet, such as a flower pot and saucer, or a tin can with a loose pebble in it, without being detected by the one blindfolded. If a pupil succeeds in taking back the object to his seat without having been heard, he wins a point for his aisle. Where two pupils are sent forward at the same time, two similar objects must be placed at the foot of the one blindfolded. The aisle scoring the largest number of points in this way wins the game.

Number Relay

The pupils of each aisle constitute a team. They are numbered, beginning with the one in the first seat. The teacher describes some mathematical problem she desires done and calls certain numbers. All the pupils having those numbers rush to the board and compute the problem. The first back to his seat wins a point for his team, the aisle gaining the largest number of points wins the game.

Multiplication Race

The pupils of each aisle constitute a team. The teacher decides on a multiplication table which is to be placed upon the board. A piece of chalk is handed to the first pupil in each aisle. At the signal to go Number 1 goes to the board and writes the first example in the multiplication table thereupon. Returning to his seat, he hands the chalk to the one next behind him, who puts the next step in the multiplication table on the board, and so the race continues until the one in the last seat has returned to his seat, after adding his part to the table. The one first back to his seat wins for his aisle.

History Race

Similar to the preceding, with the exception that the pupils are requested to write upon the board the name of some historical personage or some historical event, date, etc.

Poem Race

The pupils having learned some poem may use it in a game in the following way:

The pupils of each aisle constitute a team. At the signal to go the last pupil in each aisle stands up and recites the first line of the poem, returns to his seat and taps the one next in front of him, who stands up and repeats the second line of the poem, sits down and taps off the third pupil, who repeats the third line, and so the game continues. If the poem has not been completed after the one in the front seat has said his line, he taps the one next behind him, and that one is supposed to give the next line and so on back. The aisle first completing a poem wins the race.

If the poem be a very small one, words of the poem instead of lines may be used. If it be a long one, verses instead of lines may be used.

Last Man

This is a good active game thoroughly enjoyed by the children. The teacher selects one pupil to be "It," and another to be chased. The one chased can stand at the rear of any aisle and say, "Last man." Thereupon the front pupil in that aisle is subject to being tagged by "It" and leaves his seat. All the other pupils in that aisle advance one seat and the first man chased sits down in the last seat in the aisle. "It" tries to tag the man who left the front seat before he can go to the rear of any of the aisles. Should he succeed in doing so, he can immediately be tagged back if he does not hurry to the rear of some aisle and say "Last man."

(Caution: Should any child appear fatigued when "It," substitute another child in his place).

Change Seats

This is a good relaxation game. The teacher says, "Change seats left." Thereupon all the pupils shift to the seats to their left. The children who are in the last aisle on the left must run around the room and occupy the vacant seats on the right hand side. Should the teacher say, "Change seats right," the reverse of the proceeding is necessary. The teacher can also say, "Change seats front," or "Change seats rear," and the pupils are expected to obey the commands. Those left without seats must run to the other end of the room and take any seat found vacant there.

Relay Run Around

The pupils of each aisle constitute a team. The pupil in the last seat in each row, upon the signal to go, steps out in the right hand aisle, runs forward around the front of his row of seats, back on the left hand side, circling the rear seat, and sits down, touching off the next pupil in front of him, who repeats the performance. The aisle first accomplishing the run, wins.

CHAPTER IIIToC SCHOOLROOM GAMES For Advanced and High School Pupils

Geography

The group is divided into two equal teams. A leader is chosen for each. The leader of Team A begins the game by giving the name of a country beginning with the letter "A" (Austria). The leader of Team B gives another country beginning with "A". The second member of Team A, another; the second member of Team B, another; until one of the teams cannot think of any more countries beginning with "A". That team last thinking of a country wins one point. The other members of the team