Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium, Jessie Hubbell Bancroft [best books to read for knowledge txt] 📗
- Author: Jessie Hubbell Bancroft
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10 to 60 players.
Schoolroom.
This game is played the same as Changing Seats, except that the pupils vault over the seats instead of sitting in them. The game may be played anywhere above the third year.
The teacher gives the order "Right, jump!" whereupon all of the pupils jump over their seats toward the right-hand side of the room. The row that is displaced, now standing in the right-hand aisle, runs at once around the room to the left-hand aisle. The teacher then repeats her command. The directions for the vaulting should be varied and unexpected, several being given to the right, then several to the left, etc.
The method of vaulting is to place one hand on the edge of the desk at the back of the seat to be vaulted over, and one hand on the desk that goes with the seat to be vaulted over. The hand should preferably be placed halfway between the two aisles, to assist both the jump and the landing. While placing the hands, pupils should crouch in a position ready to spring, with the heels raised, knees spread outward, and back straight and erect. They should land in the same position, as the bend of the ankle, knee, and hip joints breaks the jar of landing.
WAND RACE10 to 30 or more players.
Gymnasium; playground; schoolroom.
An objective line, fence, or wall is chosen, and from ten to twenty feet from it and parallel with it a starting line is drawn. The players stand behind this line and toe it. If there be a large number, they form in competitive files as for a relay race, the leaders of each division toeing the line. Each leader balances on the forefinger a gymnasium wand, the other hand being placed on the hip, and walks forward to the objective line, all starting at a given signal. Should the wand be dropped, it must be picked up and the effort resumed from the place where this happened.
The first one to reach the objective line wins; or, if a relay, scores for his division. The division wins that gets the largest score. If desired, the winners, i.e. those scoring for the different lines, may "play off" against each other, after all of the other players have had their turn.
WAND TUG OF WAR10 to 100 players.
Playground; gymnasium.
This game is played with wooden gymnastic wands, from three to five feet in length, and not less then one inch in diameter. There should be half as many wands as there are players. A line is drawn across the center of the floor or playground. The players are divided into two divisions, one standing on each side of the dividing line, so that each player faces an opponent. These grasp each the end of a wand, held horizontally between them. At a signal a tug of war begins, each player trying to pull his opponent across the line. Any one who puts a foot on the ground of the opponent's territory ceases the struggle and must come across the line. The division wins which has the greatest number of players on its side of the line at the end.
The game is best played in two or three five-minute intervals, with rests between.
WATER SPRITE10 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
The players stand in two lines facing each other, with a large open space representing a river between. One player, representing the water sprite, stands in the middle of the river and beckons to one on the bank to cross. This one signals to a third player on the opposite bank or side of the river. The two from the banks then run across to exchange places, the water sprite trying to tag one of them. If the water sprite be successful, he changes places with the one tagged.
This is a Chinese game, reported by Miss Adèle M. Fielde, and is based upon the superstition that a water sprite waits in the middle of a stream to entice people into it, probably an outgrowth of spring freshets.
WEATHER COCK10 to 60 players.
Schoolroom.
This game, besides offering much sport, may be made to serve a useful purpose in familiarizing children with the points of the compass.
The class having learned which directions are north, east, south, and west, one player, who represents the weather bureau, stands in front of the others (or the teacher may take this part), and calls out which way the wind blows. For instance, when he says, "The wind blows north" the players turn quickly toward the north; if he says "west," the players turn to the west; whenever he says "whirlwind," the players all spin around quickly three times on the right heel.
The interest will depend very largely on the rapidity and variety with which the leader calls the various points of the compass. For older children, halfway points may be named, as northwest, southeast, etc.
WEE BOLOGNA MAN2 to 60 or more players.
Parlor; playground; schoolroom.
Always do the best you can,
To follow the wee Bologna Man."
A leader who can be very brisk in movement and resourceful in ideas stands in front of the other players and repeats this verse rapidly, imitating each time he repeats the verse some one action characteristic of the members of a band. For instance, the first time he may go through the pantomime of playing a fife; the next time, without any pause between, he may imitate the beating of a drum; the next, playing a fiddle, trombone, flute, cymbals, triangle, imitate the drum major, etc. All of the other players follow his movements.
The sport will depend largely upon the rapidity of the time and the vivacity that is put into the movements.
FOR THE SCHOOLROOM.—The head players in the different lines of seats should take turns in being the Bologna Man, and the movements should be such as will afford effective exercise. For instance, the first player will stand and repeat the verse while hopping on one foot, the entire class joining in the hopping. The moment he is through, the leader of the next row should jump up, face the class, and repeat the verse, going through some other motion, such as hopping on the other foot; he, in turn, to be succeeded by the next leader, etc. Many gymnastic movements will suggest themselves, such as jumping on both feet, jumping forward down the aisle frog fashion, jumping high in place, running in place, stretching the arms out sideways and bending sideways like a walking beam, whirling both arms around like a windmill, taking a dance step, etc.
This is one of the Scotch plays, and like most Scotch things of the sort, should be done in brisk time.
WHIP TAG10 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
This game may be played with a knotted towel, though it is perhaps more skillful and interesting when played with a "beetle," a small cylindrical sack about twenty inches long, stuffed with cotton, and resembling in general proportions a policeman's club.
All but one of the players stand in a circle with hands behind their backs. The odd player runs around the outside carrying the beetle, which he drops in the hands of any player in the circle. That player immediately turns to chase his right-hand neighbor, beating him as much as he can find opportunity for while he chases him around the circle and back to his place. It is obviously to the interest of this neighbor to outrun the beetle and escape a buffeting.
The one holding the beetle then takes the place of the first outside player, that one joining the ring. The new beetle man, in turn, runs around on the outside and drops the beetle in any hands which he chooses.
The sport of this game depends on the alertness of the players, as not only the one who receives the beetle but his right-hand neighbor must know when and where the beetle lands, and turn quickly for the chase. The player running around the outside will add to the zest of the game by trying to deceive the ring players as to where he is going to place the beetle, quickening or slowing his pace, or resorting to other devices to keep them on the alert.
WHO GOES ROUND MY STONE WALL?10 to 30 or more players.
Indoors; out of doors.
There are two ways of playing this game. The one first described is better suited to schools and general playground conditions; the second is quite distinct, and may have better sport for parlor use.
The players stand in a circle, numbering preferably twenty or less, with a little space between each two players, and not holding hands. They represent a sheepfold, but later, as each is chosen from the circle, he takes the part of a sheep. One player is chosen to be Jacky Lingo, who walks around outside of the circle. Another, who is the shepherd or owner of the sheep, stands in the center of the circle.
The owner says, "Who goes round my stone wall?" The outside player answers, "Nobody; only little Jacky Lingo."
"Pray don't steal any of my fat sheep."
Jacky Lingo answers: "Unless I take one-by-one, two-by-two, three-by-three! Follow me!"
As Jacky Lingo says his last line, he taps three different players on the back, one for "one-by-one," another for "two-by-two," and a third for "three-by-three." If a large number be playing, he may tap two for each count instead of one, making six in all. As the players are tapped, they step out from the sheepfold and line up back of Jacky Lingo, each one in the line placing his hands on the shoulders of the one next in front. This is continued until all the players are taken by Jacky Lingo, who then runs off around the ground with them. The owner goes after them, faces Jacky Lingo, and says, "Have you seen anything of my black sheep?"
"Yes; I gave them a lot of bread and butter and sent them up there" (pointing to left or right).
"Then what have you got behind you?"
"Only a few poor black sheep."
"Well, let me see! Here's my black sheep!"
The owner then tries to catch the sheep, and this Jacky Lingo tries to prevent. Any sheep in the line may be touched by the owner, and when so touched he steps out of the line and stands aside until all are caught.
VARIATION.—When played indoors or on the turf, the game may be played by the owner being blindfolded and taking a position on hands and knees—"all fours." The dialogue is the same as given above, and the gathering in of the sheep by Jacky Lingo the same, except that the players do not line up behind him. They simply stray over the ground when he takes them from the fold. When all are scattered in this way, they begin to cry, "Baa-a! baa-a!" and the owner, still on all fours and blinded, tries to catch them. The first one caught becomes shepherd the next time.
WINK9 to 25 players.
House party.
An uneven number of players are required for this game. Enough chairs are placed in a circle to allow one chair to each two players and one for the odd player, that is, half as many chairs as there are players, with one player over. A player sits in each chair, all facing inward. Behind each chair stands a second player, who acts as guard. There should be one empty chair with a guard behind it. This odd player winks at some one sitting in the circle, who at once tries to slip
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