Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 6

History.--The names (related to a given period if desired) of famous men--statesmen, military men, writers, artists, musicians; of battles, discoveries, etc.

BLACK TOM

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

Two parallel lines are drawn on the ground with a s.p.a.ce of from thirty to fifty feet between them. All of the players except one stand beyond one of these lines. In the middle territory between the lines the one player who is chosen to be It takes his place, and cries "Black Tom!

Black Tom! Black Tom!" repeating the words three times as here given; whereupon the other players must all rush across to the opposite line, being chased by the center player, who catches any that he may. Any one so caught joins him thereafter in chasing the others.

The particular characteristic of this game lies in the fact that the center player, instead of saying "Black Tom," may trick or tantalize the runners by crying out "Yellow Tom," or "Blue Tom," or "Red Tom,"

or anything else that he chooses. Any player who starts to run upon such a false alarm is considered captive and must join the players in the center. This is also true for any player who starts before the third repet.i.tion of "Black Tom."

Another way of giving a false alarm is for any one of the center players except the original It to give the signal for running. Any runner starting in response to such a signal from any of the chasers, except the original It, thereby becomes captive and must join the players in the center.

The first one to be caught is center player, or It, for the next game.

The game as here given is played in Brooklyn, N.Y. The same game is played in the South under the t.i.tle of "Ham, ham, chicken, ham, bacon!" the word "bacon" being the signal for the run, any player starting without hearing it having to join the center players.

BLIND BELL

_5 to 100 players._

_Parlor; gymnasium; playground._

All the players but one are blindfolded and scatter promiscuously. The one who is not blindfolded carries a bell loosely in one hand, so that it will ring with every step. If desired, this bell may be hung around the neck on a string or ribbon. The blindfolded players try to catch the one with the bell, who will have to use considerable alertness to keep out of the way. Whoever catches the bellman changes places with him.

Where there are over twenty players, there should be two or more bellmen. This is a capital game for an indoor party.

BLIND MAN'S BUFF

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Parlor; gymnasium; playground._

One player is chosen to be blindfolded and stands in the center. The other players join hands and circle around him until the blind man claps his hands three times, whereupon the circle stops moving and the blind man points toward the circle. The player at whom he points must at once step into the circle, and the blind man tries to catch him, and when caught must guess who the player is. If the guess be correct, they change places. If not correct, or if the blind man has pointed at an empty s.p.a.ce instead of at a player, the circle continues and the game is repeated. The player who is called into the circle will naturally try, by noiseless stepping, dodging, etc., to give the blind man some difficulty in catching him, but when once caught must submit without struggle to examination for identification.

This is one of the oldest recorded games and is found in practically all countries. The ancient Greeks called it "Brazen Fly."

BODY GUARD

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

A small s.p.a.ce is marked off at one end of the ground as a "home" or goal. One player is chosen to be the Panjandrum, an important personage requiring a body guard. Two other players are chosen to be the guard. The game starts with these three players in the home ground and the balance of the players at large. The three issue forth, with the two players who act as body guard clasping each other by the hand and preceding the Panjandrum as a s.h.i.+eld. The object of the game is for the players at large to touch or tantalize the Panjandrum without being tagged by his guard.

The guard will s.h.i.+ft around their charge to avoid these attacks, and the Panjandrum himself may evade them by moving around his guard.

Whenever a guard succeeds in tagging a player, the Panjandrum and his guards return at once to the home; whereupon the player tagged changes places with the Panjandrum, and the game goes on as before.

BULL IN THE RING

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium._

All but one of the players stand in a circle with hands firmly clasped. The odd player stands in the center and is the bull. The bull tries to break through the ring by parting the hands of any of the players. If he breaks through, the two players whose hands he parted immediately give chase to him, and the one catching him becomes the bull.

This is a very rough game.

BUNCH OF IVY

_20 to 60 or more players._

_Parlor; gymnasium; playground._

The players in pairs form a ring. The inner player of each couple kneels. The outer player of each couple holds the upraised hand of the kneeling partner and circles around her, asking the following questions. The partners reply as indicated, mentioning each time one hour later by the clock, until six o'clock has been reached.

"What time does the king come home?"

"One o'clock in the afternoon."

"What has he in his hand?"

"A bunch of ivy."

This dialogue and the accompanying movement of the players should be rhythmic and spirited in time. As the kneeling players say "A bunch of ivy," they begin clapping their hands in the same rapid time; whereupon the outer players run around the entire ring to the right until each player has returned to her partner, once for one o'clock, twice for two o'clock, etc., until six o'clock has been reached. The players change places each time after this series of circling, the outer players kneeling, and those who formerly knelt, standing. The time of both the dialogue and the running should be rapid to keep the game spirited. The larger the circle that may be described around each kneeling player by the partner the better.

BUNG THE BUCKET