Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 51

TIP TAP TOE

_2 to 8 players._

_Indoors; out of doors._

INDOORS.--A circle is drawn on a slate or paper, the size of it varying with the number of players, a larger circle being desirable for a large number of players. This circle is intersected with straight lines, so that it is divided into a series of wedge-shaped s.p.a.ces, the number of lines and s.p.a.ces being also at the discretion of the players, the larger the number of players the larger the number of s.p.a.ces desirable and the greater the variation in scoring. In each of these s.p.a.ces numbers are written in consecutive order, one for each s.p.a.ce, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., or the numbers may be done in multiples of five,--5, 10, 15, 20, etc. The players take turns in rotation. The one whose turn it is shuts his eyes, takes a pencil, circles it around over the diagram while he says the following verse:--

"Tip, tap, toe, here we go, Three jolly sailor boys all in a row."

At the close of the verse the player places the point of the pencil on the diagram, still with his eyes closed. He then opens his eyes, and should the pencil have touched one of the numbered s.p.a.ces, he marks down to his score the number written in that s.p.a.ce, and crosses out that figure on the diagram. Thereafter that s.p.a.ce does not count in playing. Should the pencil touch a dividing line or the line forming the circ.u.mference of the circle, or fall outside of the circle, or fall in a s.p.a.ce in which the number has been crossed out, the player scores nothing, and loses his turn, the next one taking up the play.

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: TIP TAP TOE]

When all of the s.p.a.ces have been crossed out, the player wins who has the largest score, but should any player at any time touch his pencil to the center of the circle, he wins the game.

OUT OF DOORS.--This game may be played out of doors by drawing the diagram on the earth with a sharpened stick, which is used afterwards as a pointer as a pencil is used on the paper diagram. If on hard earth the figures may be marked in the s.p.a.ces as on a paper diagram, but the diagram should be drawn considerably larger than when on paper.

This is an admirable game for playing on the hard sand of the seash.o.r.e. In that case little pebbles or sh.e.l.ls are placed in the different s.p.a.ces instead of numerals; one in the first s.p.a.ce, two in the second, three in the third, etc. When a player places his stick or pointer in a s.p.a.ce he removes the pebbles from that place to a little pile, and the score is counted at the end by counting this pile of pebbles. Any s.p.a.ce from which the pebbles have been removed is thereafter out of the game, as when the figures are crossed out on the paper diagram.

This game is supposed to have originated in early methods of allotting land.

UP, JENKINS!

_6 to 20 or more players._

_Parlor; schoolroom._

This is one of the most popular current games among young people, being usually played to the accompaniment of much laughter and intense interest. It consists in the guessing by opposing parties of the hand under which a coin is hidden.

The players are divided into two parties. Each party has a captain, each player being captain in turn during successive rounds of the game. The players gather around a table, one party on one side and the others opposite. A coin, usually a quarter, is pa.s.sed from hand to hand under the table by one of the parties in an endeavor to conceal from the opponents which individual holds it. The leader of the opposite party then calls, "Up, Jenkins!" when all of the hands of his opponents are brought from under the table and held up with palms outward toward the guessing party, fingers closed down tightly over the palms, the quarter being hidden in one of the hands. The opponents may look at the hands from their side of the table in this way as long as they choose. The leader then commands "Down, Jenkins!" when the hands are slammed down simultaneously flat on the table, palms downward. This is done with enough noise to disguise the clink of the coin striking the table. The object of the game is for the opponents (those not having the coin) to guess under which hand the coin is laid, each hand supposed not to have it being ordered off the table.

The captain of the guessing party, who alone may give these orders (though his players may a.s.sist him with suggestions), calls for the lifting of one specified hand at a time. The player named must lift the hand indicated, and that hand is thereafter to be taken from the table.

If the guessing party can be successful in thus eliminating all of the empty hands so that the coin is left under the last hand, they are considered to have won, and the coin pa.s.ses to them for the next round. If the coin be disclosed before the last hand be reached, the side holding it adds to its score the hands remaining on the table that were not ordered off. The side wins which has the highest score when the play stops, the time limits being indefinite.

For the schoolroom see also an adaptation called _Hands up--Hands down_.

WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?

_5 to 30 players._

_Children's party; house party; playground._

The players are seated in a circle or any convenient group. One of the number decides upon a "thought"; that is, he thinks of some person, object, or abstraction, without telling the others what it is. He then asks of each in turn, "What is my thought like?" Each answers anything he chooses. The first player then declares what his thought was, and asks of each, "Why is--(naming the object he thought of) like--(whatever such player answered)?" Each must find some likeness, however absurd, or pay a forfeit. For instance, the answers around the circle might be, "Your thought is like an umbrella," "like Napoleon,"

"Pinafore," "sadness," "my necktie," "a rose," etc. The questioner then says, "I thought of a lead pencil. Why is a pencil like an umbrella?" "Because it is oftenest black." The pencil may be like Napoleon because it can make a mark; like a rose because it is sometimes cut, etc. If any one happens to answer to the first question, "a pencil" (or whatever was thought of), he also must pay a forfeit.

WOODLAND LOVERS (THE)

_5 to 30 or more players._

_House party._

Each player is given a paper on which the following is written or dictated, the words in parentheses being omitted and a blank s.p.a.ce left. The game consists in each player filling in these blank s.p.a.ces with the name of some tree. The host or hostess at the end reads this list of words in order, the player winning who has the largest number correct. The same tree may be mentioned more than once.

He took her little hand in his own big (palm). "I love (yew), dear," he said simply. She did not (sago) away, for it had been a case of love at first sight. She murmured something in (aloe) voice. They had met one day upon a sandy (beech), and from that (date) onward, they cared not a (fig) for the outside world.

Her name was (May Ple). She was a charming girl. Rosy as a (peach); (chestnut) colored hair; (tulips) like a (cherry); skin a pale (olive). In fact, she was as beautiful (as pen) or brush ever portrayed. The day he met her she wore a jacket of handsome (fir). He was of Irish descent, his name being (Willow) 'Flaherty. He was a (spruce) looking young fellow.

Together they made a congenial (pear). But when did the course of true love ever run smooth? There was a third person to be considered. This was (paw paw). Both felt that, counting (paw paw) in, they might not be able to (orange) it. What if he should refuse to (cedar)! Suppose he should (sago) to her lover? And if he should be angry, to what point won't a (mango)? Well, in that case she must submit, with a (cypress) her lover in her arms for the last time, and (pine) away. But happily her parent did not const.i.tute (ebony) skeleton at their feast. He was guilty of no tyranny to reduce their hopes to (ashes). They found him in his garden busily (plantain). He was chewing (gum). "Well," he said thoughtfully, in answer to the question: "Since (yew) love her I must (cedar) to (yew). You make a fine young (pear). Don't cut any (capers) after you're married, young man! Don't (pine) and complain if he is sometimes cross, young woman! I hope to see (upas) many happy days together!"

ZOO

_5 to 10 players._

_Parlor; schoolroom._

Each player is provided with ten slips of paper, numbered conspicuously from one to ten, but arranged irregularly in a pile. The players gather around a table or sit in a circle, each one being given the name of an animal; the sport of the game will consist largely in choosing unusual or difficult names, such as yak, gnu, camelopard, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, Brazilian ant-eater, kangaroo, etc.

Each player holds his slips with the numbers turned downward. The first player turns up his upper slip so that the number is visible and lays it down in front of him. In doing this he must turn it away from himself, so that the other players see it first; the next player then does the same. Should the two slips happen to coincide in number, for instance, should the first player have turned up number three and the second player turn up number three, they must each at once call each other's names, as "Yak!" "Hippopotamus!" or whatever name was a.s.signed to them. The one who first calls the other's name gives away his slip to that other, the object being to get rid of one's slips as fast as possible.

Should the slip turned up by the second player not correspond in number to that turned by the first, he also lays it down in front of him; the third player then turns his up, and this is continued around the circle until a slip is turned that corresponds in number with any that has already been turned up, when those two players must immediately call each other's names, as before explained. The player wins who first gets rid of all of his slips.

For schools, a cla.s.s should divide into small groups for this game, which may be made to correlate with geography or history, by using proper names from those subjects instead of names of animals.

For older players the game may be made very funny also by a.s.signing to each player the name of a patent medicine instead of the name of an animal, and playing cards may be used instead of the numbered slips.

FEATS AND FORFEITS

FEATS AND FORFEITS