Games for Everybody Part 15

The side which succeeds in filling its bowl first is victorious.

TORN FLOWERS.

Prepare a table full of different colored tissue paper, bottles of mucilage and white cards, one for each guest.

The players sit around the table, the hostess gives each a card and announces that each one is to make a flower out of the tissue paper, but as there are no scissors each one must tear his paper and every one knows how hard it is to tear tissue paper. Each one keeps the name of his flower a secret. As they are made they are pasted on the cards. Each card is numbered and when all are done "tearing," the cards are collected and placed on a table for exhibition.

The player guessing the greatest number of flowers correctly receives a prize. The game may be varied, as either animals or vegetables could be torn.

SPEARING PEANUTS.

Fill a cup with peanuts, two of which are blackened with ink on one end.

The guests play one at a time. No. 1 sits down by a table, empties the cup of peanuts in a pile on it and is given a hatpin with which she spears the peanuts one at a time without disturbing the pile, and places them back in the cup. A few minutes is allowed each player; when the time is up, the peanuts in the cup are counted, the blackened ones count ten apiece and the plain ones, one.

Tally is kept for each player and a suitable prize is given to the one who succeeded in securing the largest score.

PEANUT HUNT AND SCRAMBLE.

Before the guests enter the room, hide peanuts in every conceivable place, behind pictures, under chairs, on the gas fixtures, among the ornaments, five or six in vases, etc.

Give each guest a paper bag as he enters the room into which he places all the peanuts he finds. Allow a certain length of time for the hunt, then collect all the bags and select a good tall person who stands on a chair and empties the contents of each bag on the floor as fast as he can and a lively scramble for them ensues, then the one who has the greatest number of whole peanuts collected deserves a prize; the others can eat their peanuts as a comfort.

MUSICAL ILl.u.s.tRATIONS.

A blackboard and different colored chalk will be necessary for this game.

Give each guest a slip of paper on which is written the name of some song.

The leader announces that each one in turn steps up to the blackboard and ill.u.s.trates his song in the most vivid manner possible. Each player is numbered and after No. 1 finishes his drawing the others write their guesses on paper opposite his number and No. 2 erases the former drawing and ill.u.s.trates his song. Thus each one takes his turn, allowing time for the others to write their guesses.

When all have had their turn the correct list is read by the leader, the players checking their own lists. Prizes may be given to the one having the most correct answers and to the person who ill.u.s.trated his song the most artistically.

Suggestions for songs are "Sweet Bunch of Daisies," "The Four-Leaf Clover." "My Old Kentucky Home" may be ill.u.s.trated by drawing a house in the outline of the state of Kentucky; "Home, Sweet Home," by a house and a jar of sweets near it; "America," by the outline of North America.

AN APPLE HUNT.

The hostess should prepare beforehand cards four inches square and outline on each an apple by dots concealing the outline with other dots. In one corner of the card is stuck a needle containing enough green thread to outline the apple. These "apples" are then hidden by groups, five in a group, in different parts of the room.

A set of directions is prepared such as, No. 1, "Look under the mat"; No. 2, "Look under a certain rocking-chair," and so on. Five of these directions are sufficient, the last one telling where the apple is hidden. There are different sets of directions lettered A, B, C, etc., five in a set, all lettered alike; the group of five apples being at the end of each set of directions.

As each guest arrives he is given No. 1 of some set. Following that, he finds No. 2, and so on, until he finds the five apples, one of which he takes, finds the dotted apple, threads the needle and outlines it with the green cotton. The one who succeeds in finding his apple first and makes the neatest outline is the winner.

SHOUTING PROVERBS.

The more playing this game, the merrier it will be. Send one of the players from the room. The others decide upon a familiar proverb which he is to guess when he returns. Suppose the one chosen is "A rolling stone gathers no moss." Beginning with the leader and going to the left each player in turn takes one word, thus the leader has "a," the next "rolling," the next "stone" and so on, repeating it until every player has a word. If the company is large two or three might have the same word.

When the one who was out is summoned in, he counts 1,2,3; when he says 3, all the players shout their word. It will be very confusing and hard to hear any one word, but after the second or third trial, one word which was heard above the rest might suggest the whole proverb.

The player who is out is given five trials in which to guess; if he does not succeed, he must go out again, but if he has listened attentively to one or two, and has guessed correctly, the player whose shouting gave away the proverb is then sent out and the game continues as before.

BAKER'S DOZEN.

This game is just for two and is similar to t.i.t-tat-to. Make a drawing like the ill.u.s.tration and the game is ready.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A drawing of a stack of twelve rectangles topped with an half-circle. These are numbered sequentially from the bottom.]

No. 1 chooses a figure which No. 2 must try to guess by indicating with a pencil dot or mark at the side of the different s.p.a.ces, until he has guessed the number chosen.

The numbers in the different s.p.a.ces marked by No. 2 are added to his score; and those unmarked are added to No. 1.

Suppose No. 1 chooses 13, and No. 2 marks first 4, then 10, 9, 5, 2, and finally 13, the sum of all these (43) will be No. 2's score, while the sum of the numbers unmarked (48) belongs to No. 1.

The game may be played as long as is desirable, but it is more exciting to have a fixed number, such as 300 or 500.

PEANUT CONTEST.

Place two small bowls on a table at one end of the room, at the other end of the room on a table have two bags of peanuts and two knives.

The players may choose partners in any way desired. The partners play together.

The leader gives a signal, watches the time and keeps tally. When the signal is given a player, with his partner, steps to the table containing the peanuts, each takes a knife and when the leader says "go," each places as many peanuts as he can on the blade of the knife and carries it with one hand to the other end of the room, where he deposits the peanuts and returns for more. As many trips can be made as the time will allow. Three minutes is good time.