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"Black," or "White." As soon as a child is asked, he must answer
immediately. If he does not, or says any of the forbidden words, he
must pay a forfeit.
HIDE AND SEEK.
One child is chosen out. This one stands by a post or in a corner
which is called "base," and hides his eyes. The children decide among
themselves how much he shall count while they are hiding. Suppose they
choose 100, then he counts 5, 10, 15, 20, etc., until he reaches 100,
and then he calls out:
"Ready or not,
You shall be caught."
Each child having hidden in some place while he was counting, remains
perfectly still while he is hunting for them. If he passes by some
child without finding him, that one can run to the "base" and say
"One, two, three, I'm in free!" As many children as can try to get in
"free," but if the one who is out tags any of them before they reach
"base," the first one tagged is the next to hide his eyes.
HANG-MAN.
Two children may derive a great deal of amusement from this simple
pastime. At the top of a piece of paper write all the letters of the
alphabet. Underneath, the child who has thought of a word or short
sentence puts a dash down for every letter contained in the word
thought of.
Suppose the words thought of were "Gamebook," it would be written
thus: --------
The other player asks if the word contains "a," and the other puts it
in its proper place, crossing the letter off of the alphabet above.
The other guesses different letters at random, every right one being
put in its place, while for every wrong one a line is drawn to help
construct a gallows for the "hang-man." If there are many wrong
guesses, the "hang-man" may be completed and then the word is told the
other player. The players take turns in giving out and guessing the
words.
The gallows is made thus for every wrong guess:
[Illustration: The gallows and hang-man is drawn progressively, one
line at a time.]
BIRD, BEAST, OR FISH.
A simple little game for amusing two children is the following. Write
on the top of a slate or paper the words "Bird, beast, and fish."
One child thinks of the name of some animal and puts down the first
and last letters of the word, marking dashes for the other letters.
His companion thinks over all the names of animals he knows containing
that number of letters, until finally he has guessed what it is or
else has given up. If he guesses correctly it is his turn to give
either a bird, beast, or fish.
PETER PIPER.
This is an amusing game for children. A blackboard is needed upon
which the verse, "Peter Piper," etc., is illustrated or written so
that the words are mixed up and it will be difficult to point
out. Some older person will be needed to superintend the game.
One child is given a pointer and as the others sing, to any familiar
tune (Yankee Doodle, for instance):
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Now if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where is that peck of pickled peppers,
Peter Piper picked?"
she must point out each word or drawing as quickly as it is sung.
If a mistake is made in pointing, the child takes her place with the
rest and another child is out. Each one is given a turn.
It is an achievement, if done successfully, and some suitable gift
should be given as a prize.
LOOK OUT FOR THE BEAR!
Any number of children can play this game. One is chosen to be the
"bear," and he hides in some part of the room or garden, while the
rest, with their backs turned, are standing at their goal.
As soon as the children have counted 50 or 100, they all scatter and
hunt for the "bear." The child who finds him first calls out, "Look
out for the bear," and all the children run to their goal.
If the bear catches any while running for the goal, they become
"bears." These "bears" hide together and the game continues until all
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