School, Church, and Home Games Part 11

Then the other group goes out and they display their noses. The group making the largest number of correct guesses wins.

A modification of this game is made by showing the eye through the hole in the sheet instead of the nose, and the group in front of the sheet endeavors to guess whose eye it is.

Trades

The men are lined up on one side of the room. To each is given three or four b.u.t.tons, a needle and thread, and a piece of cloth. They race to see which can sew the b.u.t.tons in a straight line on the piece of cloth, securely, in the quickest time.

The women are lined up on the opposite side of the room before a plank.

To each is given a hammer and six or eight nails. They race to see who first can drive the nails into the plank without bending them over.

Rooster

Ten or twenty are as many as can well play this game. The group is arranged in seats around the room. The leader starts the game by saying, "My father had a rooster". His left hand neighbor says, "A what?" The leader answers, "A rooster". The left hand neighbor then turns to his left hand neighbor and says, "My father had a rooster", and that neighbor says, "A what?", and his answer is "A rooster". This question is asked of each left hand neighbor until it has travelled around the room. When it becomes the leader's turn, he again says, "My father had a rooster", and his left hand neighbor says, "A what?". He answers, "A rooster". The left hand neighbor says, "Could he crow?" And the leader answers, "Crow he could". This dialogue is pa.s.sed on around the room, each repeating the exact words of the leader to his left hand neighbor.

When it again becomes the leader's turn, he repeats the dialogue previously used and his left hand neighbor inquires, "How could he crow?" And the leader replies, "c.o.c.k-a-doodle-do", imitating a rooster.

This is pa.s.sed around the room. No one is supposed to laugh during the whole game. Whoever does may either pay a forfeit or is out of the game. It is well to have a player who knows the game sit next to the leader, so that it may start correctly.

Poor p.u.s.s.y

The group is arranged in a circle around the room. One player is selected to be "p.u.s.s.y" and takes his place in the centre of the group.

He takes a position on all fours before each member of the group, in turn saying "Meow". Thereupon the one before whom he is kneeling must stroke the back of his head and say, "Poor p.u.s.s.y". p.u.s.s.y meows three times and in return for each meow has the back of his head stroked and is addressed, "Poor p.u.s.s.y". Should the one patting p.u.s.s.y laugh during the performance, he must take p.u.s.s.y's place.

Gossiping

The group is arranged in a circle around the room. The leader whispers some information to his left hand neighbor, remembering the exact sentence or sentences. His left hand neighbor is expected to whisper the same information to the next left hand neighbor and so it is pa.s.sed around the circle until it is returned to the leader. The leader then tells what the original sentence was, and tells what it is after pa.s.sing from ear to ear about the group.

a.n.a.logues

A member of the group thinks of some object, and without disclosing to the other members of the group what he is thinking about, he addresses in turn all of the others, asking, "What is my thought like?" The first one addressed, without having any idea as to what the leader has in mind, says, "Like a star". The second in answer to his question, says, "Like a book", and so every one is given an opportunity to state what they think his thought is like. Then the leader tells the group the thing he had in mind, which, we will say for ill.u.s.tration, was a fountain pen. He then asks the one who suggested that it was like a star why his fountain pen was like a star. Thereupon that one must give some reason why he thought it was like a star and replies, "Your fountain pen is like a star because it can enlighten the world". The next one says, "The fountain pen is like a book because it has the possibility of conveying thoughts", and so every one in the group must give the why of his previous answer. This demands quick thinking and initiative on the part of the players.

Ghost

The group sits in a circle about the room. The leader starts the game by giving a letter of the alphabet. The one at his left adds a letter to the first with the view of making a word. The third adds another letter and so the game continues.

Ill.u.s.tration--The leader gives the letter "a". The one at his left, thinking of the word "adds" adds "d". The third one, thinking of the word "advertis.e.m.e.nt", adds "v". The fourth, thinking of the word "adversity" adds "e", and so the word continues to grow.

If one finishes the word or completes a word without realizing it, that one is given the t.i.tle of "Half-ghost". Anyone speaking to the Half-ghost, becomes a Half-ghost. Should a half-ghost chance to finish another word when it again becomes his turn to add a letter to the spelling of a word, then the Half-ghost becomes a Full-ghost and is out of the game. Any one speaking to a Full-ghost becomes a Full-ghost.

Full-ghosts and Half-ghosts naturally endeavor to get as many others into their cla.s.s as possible, so between thinking of letters to complete the word in turn and avoiding becoming ghosts, the group is kept in a very difficult frame of mind. The game continues until there are no players who have failed to qualify as Half-ghosts or Full-ghosts.

Charades

Five of the group are selected to act out a charade. These five act out a word in pantomime. While they are doing this a second group of five is selected and prepares to act out another word, immediately following the presentation by the first group. The audience is given three minutes to guess each charade. Should it succeed in doing this, then the members of the group each choose a subst.i.tute for themselves, thus making a third group of five. While this last group is preparing a charade, the second group is putting on its pantomime, and so the game continues. If the audience fails to guess the word within the required time, then the same group is given an opportunity to act another word.

Good charade words are as follows:

Aeroplane Air-oh-plane Antarctic Aunt-ark-tick Buccaneer Buck-can-ear Charlatan Char-lay-tan Falcon Fall-con Handicap Hand-eye-cap Handkerchief Hand-cur-chief Microscope My-crow-scope Automobile Ought-oh-mob-eel Pilgrimage Pill-grim-age Sausage Saw-sage Stiletto Still-let-toe Bandage Band-age Stationary Station-airy Feline Fee-line Rainbow Reign-beau Bookworm Book-worm Handsome Hand-some Penitent Pen-eye-tent Cribbage Crib-age Broomstick Broom-stick Infancy In-fan-sea Hornpipe Horn-pipe Eyelash I-lash Forswear Four-swear Masquerade Ma.s.s-cur-aid Melancholy Melon-collie Pantry Pan-tree Tennessee Ten-I-see Antidote Aunt-I-dote Definite Deaf-in-ate

Knight of the Cracker

The ladies are lined up on one side of the room. Each is provided with a cracker. The men are lined up on the opposite side. At the signal to go the men rush forward and try to secure a cracker from one of the ladies. They then return to their original line and devour the cracker.

Having succeeded in doing this, they return and whistle a tune which must be recognized by the lady.

Match Boxing

Compet.i.tors are divided into equal teams and the teams are arranged in parallel lines. The outside cover of a small safety match box is given to the first man on each team. He slips this over the end of his nose and holds his hands behind his back with the box on his nose. All other players must hold their hands behind their backs.

At the signal to start the players having the box on the end of the nose transfer the same to the nose of their neighbor without the use of their hands. The box is pa.s.sed in this way to the far end of the lines and back. Should it fall upon the floor it is picked up by the one from whose nose it fell, placed on his own nose again, and the game continues as before.

CHAPTER IV

SOCIABLE GAMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

What Animal?

The leader whispers the name of a different animal or object to each individual. When called upon each must try to represent the noise or action of the animal or object. The rest of the group guess what is represented and write the same on a slip of paper. The one guessing the most wins.

Rhyming Verbs

Half of the group leaves the room while the others decide upon a verb.

The group which left the room is then called back and tries to guess the verb from the clues which are given by those who determined the verb. These clues are given in the form of sentences containing words rhyming with the verb. Should the group which is to guess think they have found the right verb, they retire from the room without stating it and returning act out the verb. If they have been successful in guessing the verb, then the other group is given an opportunity to guess a verb in the same manner.

Fruit Basket

The group is seated in a circle and counted off in 4's. The number 1's are given the name of oranges, number 2's lemons, number 3's bananas, number 4's apples. One of the individuals is selected to be "It". He takes his place in the centre of the group and one chair is taken out of the circle, leaving one less chair than there are players. "It"

then calls the name of two fruits, for example, oranges and lemons.

Thereupon all of the oranges must exchange places with all of the lemons and "It" endeavors to capture one of the seats. Succeeding, the one left without a seat is "It" and calls two other kinds of fruit.

These two must change places and "It" endeavors to capture a seat.

Should "It" say "Fruit basket", instead of naming two fruits, all must change seats.

Exchange

The group is arranged in seats around the room. "It" takes a place in the centre. All of the players are given a different number. "It" is blindfolded. The game is started by "It" calling two numbers. Thereupon the numbers called must change seats. "It" tries to either tag one of the players seeking to change seats or occupy one of the vacant seats, in which case the one without a chair becomes "It".