Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium by Jessie Hubbell Bancroft (top novels of all time .txt) π
In the arrangement of material there has many times been a strong temptation to classify the games by their historic, geographic, psychologic, or educational interests; by the playing elements contained in them; or by several other possible methods which are of interest chiefly to the academic student; but these have each in turn been discarded in favor of the original intention of making the book preΓ«minently a useful working manual for the player or leader of games.
[Sidenote: Varying modes of play]
The same games are found not only in many different countries and localities, but under different names and with many variations in the form of playing them. This has necessitated a method of an
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Same as Third Relay, except that a handkerchief, knotted once in the middle, is substituted for the eraser with which each leader starts.
Fifth RelaySame as Fourth Relay, except that the leader of each team and the pupil behind him each have an eraser (or dumb-bell), and when meeting at "exchange points," exchange erasers, the leaders giving the second erasers to the pupils on the starting points, and so on.
Sixth RelaySame as Fifth Relay, except that two handkerchiefs are used instead of two erasers.
Seventh RelaySame as Sixth Relay, except that the handkerchiefs may be thrown and caught, instead of being handed or passed to the next pupil.
CautionsThe value of these games lies in two things, i.e. in the fact that after the first two pupils of each team have started and the game is really under way, there are four pupils on each team actually in motion, and the game moves so fast that each member of each team has little time to do anything besides attending strictly to the game; if his team is to have any chance to make a good showing, he must be constantly on the alert. The second, and still more important, valuable feature of the games, lies in the constant exercise of inhibition. Therefore there should be absolutely no "coaching" except by the teacher during training; care should be taken in the First Relay to see that all children actually walk; no running; when hands are to be touched, they must be touched; when erasers or handkerchiefs are dropped, they must be picked up by the ones who dropped them before proceeding with the game; if to be exchanged, they must be exchanged.
The intermingling of the two teams in aisle IV does not affect the game in the least.
Diagram 2 is for a schoolroom of seven rows of seats, and six (more or less) deep. The numbers indicate a convenient division, and the pupils fall in as before.
A division of the class into three teams may be made if desired, and if there be sufficient aisles.
These games are suitable for boys or girls or mixed classes.
Diagram 1 should be used for schoolrooms seating 42, if seven deep; 48, if eight deep; 54, if nine deep.
Diagram 2 should be used for schoolrooms seating 42, but facing as indicated; 49, if seven deep.
Diagram 1 for a schoolroom with five rows and ten deep, using only the outside and next to the outside aisles.
These games may also be played in the gymnasium or playground. They were originated by Mr. J. Blake Hillyer of New York City, and received honorable mention in a competition for schoolroom games conducted by the Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League of New York City in 1906. They are here published by the kind permission of the author, and of the Girls' Branch, and of Messrs. A. G. Spalding & Brothers, publishers of the handbook in which the games first appeared.
DROP THE HANDKERCHIEF10 to 30 or more players.
Indoors; out of doors.
All of the players but one stand in a circle. The odd player runs around on the outside of the circle, carrying a handkerchief, which he drops behind one of the circle players. The main idea of the game is to take the circle players unaware with this. Those who form the ring must look toward the center, and are not allowed to turn their heads as the runner passes them. The one who runs around with the handkerchief will resort to various devices for misleading the others as to where he drops it. For instance, he may sometimes quicken his pace suddenly after dropping the handkerchief, or at other times maintain a steady pace which gives no clew.
As soon as a player in the circle discovers that the handkerchief has been dropped behind him, he must pick it up and as rapidly as possible chase the one who dropped it, who may run around the outside of the circle or at any point through or across the circle, his object being to reach the vacant place left by the one who is chasing him. The circle players should lift their hands to allow both runners to pass freely through the circle. Whichever player reaches the vacant place first stands there, the one left out taking the handkerchief for the next game.
This is one of the oldest known games and is found throughout the world. The writer has heard it described by Cossacks, Japanese, Italians, and people of many other nationalities.
DUCK ON A ROCK5 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
Each player is provided with a stone, called a "duck," about the size of a baseball. A large rock or post is chosen as the duck rock, and twenty-five feet from it a throwing line is drawn. On this duck rock one player places his duck and stands by it as guard. This guard is selected at the outset by all of the players throwing their ducks at the duck rock from the throwing line. The one whose duck falls nearest to the rock becomes the first guard. The other players stand behind the throwing line and take turns in throwing at the guard's duck on the rock with their stones, trying to knock it from the rock. After each throw a player must recover his own duck and run back home beyond the throwing line. Should he be tagged by the guard while trying to do this, he must change places with the guard. The guard may tag him at any time when he is within the throwing line, unless he stands with his foot on his own duck where it first fell. He may stand in this way as long as necessary, awaiting an opportunity to run home; but the moment he lifts his duck from the ground, or takes his foot from it, he may be tagged by the guard. Having once lifted his duck to run home with it, a player may not again place it on the ground.
The guard may not tag any player unless his own duck be on the rock. Before he may chase the thrower, he must therefore pick up his own duck and replace it should it have been knocked off. This replacing gives the thrower an opportunity to recover his own duck and run home; but should the duck not have been displaced from the duck rock, the thrower may have to wait either at a safe distance or with his foot on his own duck if he can get to it, until some other thrower has displaced the duck on the rock, and so engaged the time and attention of the guard. Several players may thus be waiting at once to recover their ducks, some of them near the duck rock with a foot on their ducks, others at a distance. Any player tagged by the guard must change places with him, placing his own duck on the rock. The guard must quickly recover his duck and run for the throwing line after tagging a player, as he in turn may be tagged as soon as the new guard has placed his duck on the rock.
A stone that falls very near the duck rock without displacing the duck may also prove disastrous to the thrower. Should a stone fall within a hand span (stretching from finger tip to thumb) of the duck rock without knocking off the duck, the guard challenges the thrower by shouting "Span!" whereupon he proceeds to measure with his hand the distance between the duck rock and the stone. Should the distance be as he surmises, the thrower of the stone has to change places with him, put his own duck on the rock, and become the guard. This rule cultivates expert throwers.
When used in a gymnasium, this game may best be played with bean bags, in which case one bag may be balanced on top of an Indian club for the duck on the rock.
The modern Greeks play this game with a pile of stones instead of the one rock or stake with the duck on top. The entire pile is then knocked over, and the guard must rebuild the whole before he may tag the other players. These variations make the game possible under varied circumstances, as on a flat beach, or playground where no larger duck rock is available, and add considerably to the sport.
DUMB-BELL TAG5 to 30 or more players.
Gymnasium; playground; schoolroom.
The players stand, scattered promiscuously, one of their number, who is It, being placed in the center at the opening of the game. A dumb-bell is passed from one player to another, the one who is It trying to tag the person who has the dumb-bell. If he succeeds, the one tagged becomes It.
A great deal of finesse may be used in this game; in appearing to hand the dumb-bell in one direction, turning suddenly and handing it in another, etc. Players may move around freely, and the action is frequently diversified with considerable running and chasing.
In the schoolroom this may be played either with the players seated or standing.
EVERY MAN IN HIS OWN DEN5 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
Each player selects for himself a den; a post, tree, or other objective point may serve for this, or the corner of a building, or if in a gymnasium, a piece of apparatus.
One player opens the game by running out from his den. The second player tries to catch (tag) him. The third player may try to catch either of these two, and so on. The object of the different players is to make captives of the others, as any player caught must thereafter join his captor in trying to catch others, thus eventually aggregating the different players into parties, although each starts separately, and any one may be the nucleus of a group should he be successful in catching another player. The players may only be caught by those who issue from a den after they themselves have ventured forth. For instance, Number Two goes out to catch Number One. Number Three may catch either Two or One, but neither of them may catch him. The last player out may catch any of the other players. At any time a player may run back to his den, after which his again issuing forth gives him the advantage over all others who may then be out, as he may catch them. As the players are gradually gathered into different parties, the game becomes more concentrated, and the side wins that captures all of the players.
One player may catch only one opponent at a time.
EXCHANGE10 to 30 or more players.
Parlor; gymnasium; playground.
One player is blindfolded and stands in the center. The other players sit in chairs in a circle around him. It is advisable to have the circle rather large. The players are numbered consecutively from one to the highest number playing.
The game may start with the players sitting in consecutive order, or they may change places at the outset to confuse the blindfold player, although the changing of places takes place very rapidly in the course of the game. The blindfold player calls out two numbers, whereupon the players bearing those numbers must exchange places, the blindfold player trying meanwhile either to catch one of the players or to secure one of the chairs. Any player so caught must yield his chair to the catcher. No player may go outside of the circle of chairs, but any other tactics may be resorted to for evading capture, such as stooping, creeping, dashing suddenly,
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