Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 39

TEN STEPS

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; indoors._

This is a game of hide and seek and like all such games is best played where there is plenty of s.p.a.ce and many hiding places. The distinctive feature of this game is the peculiar limitation put on the opportunity to hide, which may even free the blinder from his task. The one who is It, or hunter, blinds his eyes and counts ten while the other players run for hiding places. As soon as the one who is blinding says "Ten!"

the players must all stand motionless whereever they happen to be, while he turns at once to look for them. Any player whom he sees moving must come back to the goal and start over again. The hunter repeats this five times, and any player not entirely out of sight the fifth time the hunter turns must change places with him, the original hunter becoming a spectator of the game. Having called "Ten!" and turned to look for moving players five times, the hunter (or the one taking his place, as explained above) counts one hundred, to give the players time to reach final hiding places, and the game proceeds as in regular I Spy.

THIMBLE RING

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Indoors; out of doors._

All of the players but one stand in a circle, each one clasping with his left hand the right wrist of his left-hand neighbor. This leaves all of the right hands free and all of the left hands occupied. The odd player stands in the center of the circle, and tries to detect who holds the thimble that is pa.s.sed from hand to hand. Each player in the circle places his right hand first in the hand of his neighbor on the right and then in the hand of the neighbor on the left, keeping this movement going rhythmically, while the entire circle repeats the lines:--

"The thimble is going, I don't know where; It is first over here and then over there."

When the player in the center thinks he knows who has the thimble, he goes up to him and says: "My lady's lost her thimble. Have you it?" If correct, these two players change places. If incorrect, the one who is It demands of the player addressed to find it. This player, in turn, has one guess. If correct, he takes the place of the one who has the thimble, the one who was It taking the vacant place in the circle, and the one who held the thimble going to the center. Should the player be incorrect in his guess, he changes places with the one in the center.

THIRD MAN

(See also _Three Deep_ and _Last Man_.)

_15 to 100 players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

This game is another form of the game commonly known as Three Deep, but instead of being played in the circular formation, the players are scattered irregularly over the playground.

All of the players but two take partners and scatter in any irregular way. The players forming each couple stand facing each other, with the distance of a long step between them. To make a success of the game, the distance should be considerable between the various couples.

Of the two odd players, one is runner and the other chaser, the object of the latter being to tag the runner. The runner may take refuge between any two players who are standing as a couple. The moment that he does so, the one toward whom his back is turned becomes third man, and must in his turn try to escape being tagged by the chaser. Should the chaser tag the runner, they exchange places, the runner immediately becoming chaser and the chaser being liable instantly to tagging.

THIRD SLAP

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium; schoolroom._

The players should be divided into groups of from five to ten each.

One in each group is chosen to be It; the others line up in front of him, all standing at a distance of from thirty to fifty feet from a goal previously decided on. The players in the line hold their hands extended forward the length of the forearm, the elbows being bent and touching the sides; the palms should be turned downward.

The one who is It tries to slap the hands of any of the players, who may evade him by bending the hands downward, upward, or sideways, at the wrist, but may not withdraw the arm or change the position of the elbow. Any player who receives three slaps, whether on one or both hands, immediately upon receiving the third slap, chases the one who is It toward the goal. Should the slapper be caught before he reaches the goal, he must continue as before, but if he succeeds in reaching the goal in safety, he changes places with his pursuer, who becomes It, or slapper, for the next round.

This game may have much sport in it if the one who is taking the part of slapper be very alert and agile in his movements, dodging quickly from one player to another, and making many false moves to throw the players off their guard as to where he is going to strike next. This game is very popular with children, and is an amusing diversion for young people for house parties.

THREE DEEP

(See also _Third Man_ and _Last Man_.)

_15 to 60 players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

This game is one of the standard favorites for both children and adults.

All of the players but two form in a double ring, facing inward; that is, in two concentric circles, with one player directly behind another.

There are several methods of getting players into this formation. One method is to have the players march in column two abreast, form in a circle, and all face inward. Another method is to have the players form in a circle in single file; one player steps in front of his neighbor on the right, and each alternate player in quick succession around the circle does the same, thus accomplis.h.i.+ng the end of bringing all of the players in couples one behind another.

The two odd players, one of whom is runner and the other chaser, start outside of the circle, generally one of them being on one side of the circle and the other opposite. The object of the game is for the chaser to tag the runner. The runner may save himself by stopping in front of any couple standing in the circle, whereupon, that file having been made "three deep," the outer player or third man becomes at once liable to tagging, and in his turn becomes runner and tries to evade the chaser. He may seek refuge in the same way in front of a couple.

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: THREE DEEP]

Should the chaser tag the runner, they exchange places, the runner immediately becoming chaser, and the chaser being liable instantly to tagging.

It will thus be seen that great alertness is necessary on the part of any one standing on the outside of the circle, as at any moment the runner may take refuge in front of his file or couple, making him the third man and liable to be tagged. It is not permissible for any third man to take refuge in front of the couple standing immediately on his right or left when he becomes third man.

Both runner and chaser may dash through the circle, but may not pause for a moment within the circle, except when the runner claims refuge in front of some couple. When players are inclined to confuse the play by hesitating while running through the circle, this privilege of running through is sometimes forbidden, all the chasing being confined to the outside of the circle.

VARIATION.--This game may be varied by having the players who form the circle stand face to face, with a distance of one long step between each two, instead of all facing toward the center of the circle. In this form of the game the runner takes refuge between the two forming the couple, the one toward whom his back is turned being the third man. Both runner and chaser may run between the two circles of players.

This may be made one of the jolliest games possible, and also one of the best for making slow and dull players alert and active. The author has seen many a cla.s.s of slow-minded children waken to much quicker mental action as well as greater physical agility by this game. For adult players it may be thoroughly delightful. The writer recalls a cla.s.s of adult business men in a Y. M. C. A. gymnasium who resorted even to leapfrog tactics in the strenuous sport they put into this game.

TOMMY TIDDLER'S GROUND

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

The ground is divided by a line into two equal parts. One of these belongs to Tommy Tiddler, who stands on his side of the line and may not cross it. All of the other players are on the other side of the line, and venture across the line into Tommy Tiddler's ground, taunting him with the remark,--