Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 28

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Gymnasium; playground; out of doors._

One player, who is the leader, holds a small pebble between the palms of his hands, while the others stand grouped around him, each with his hands extended, palm to palm. The leader puts his hands between the palms of each player, ostensibly to drop therein the pebble which he holds, as in the game called "b.u.t.ton, b.u.t.ton." The player who receives the pebble is chased by the others, and may only be saved by returning to the leader and giving the pebble to him. This chase may begin as soon as the players suspect who has the pebble. Each player should therefore watch intently the hands and faces of the others to detect who gets it, and immediately that he suspects one, start to chase him. It is therefore to the interest of the player who gets the pebble to conceal that fact until the attention of the group is distracted from him, when he may slip away and get a good start before he is detected. He may do this whenever he sees fit, but may not delay after the leader has pa.s.sed the last pair of hands. The leader will help to conceal the fact of who has the pebble by pa.s.sing his hands between those of the entire group, even though he should have dropped the pebble into the hands of one of the first players.

If the pebble holder gets back to the leader and gives him the pebble before being tagged, he continues with the group. If the pebble holder is caught before he can get back to the leader, he must pay a forfeit or change places with the leader, whichever method is decided on before the game opens.

In a crowded playground it is well to require that the chasers follow over exactly the same route as the pebble man. Under such conditions, the game is more successful if limited to ten players to a group.

This game is from the modern Greeks. It is found to bear transplanting excellently, being full of interest and sport.

PINCH-O

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Gymnasium; playground._

This is a game of chase, an advancing line (rank) of players turning and fleeing from an odd player in front of them when a signal is given. The players in the advancing line pa.s.s a "Pinch" (hand pressure) from one to another along the line, the end players calling out "Pinch!" and "O!" respectively at the start and finish of this performance. The "O" is the signal for the chaser to start. The chaser therefore watches the hands carefully to detect the pressure and know when it is approaching the end; the other players naturally try to conceal this pa.s.sing of hand pressure, delaying or hastening it to take the chaser unaware.

The player who is It walks backward, being about ten feet in front of the others, who advance slowly forward in a line, holding hands. The player on one end of the line calls "Pinch!" and at once squeezes or pinches the hand of the player standing next. This player slightly presses the hand of the one on his other side, and so on across the line until the pressure is felt by the last player on the opposite end, who at once calls out "O!" Immediately that the "O" is heard, the entire line is liable to be tagged by the one who is walking backward in front of them, and they therefore instantly turn and run for "home," a place determined beyond certain boundaries at one end of the ground. The one who is It gives chase, and any one tagged by him must join him in tagging the players when the game is repeated. The game ends when all are caught, the last player to be caught being the winner, and taking the part of the odd player for the next round.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PITCH PEBBLE]

PITCH PEBBLE

_4 to 10 players._

_Out of doors; seash.o.r.e._

This game may be played with pebbles, sh.e.l.ls, or nuts, each player having two or four of such articles. The object of the game is to throw these pebbles into a hole about four inches in diameter, which should be made in the ground. The first part of the game is concerned with determining the order in which the players shall take turns. Ten feet from the hole a place is marked, from which the players throw in turn until each has had enough turns to have thrown all of his pebbles. The one who has succeeded in landing a pebble nearest the hole becomes the first player, and takes his stand on a second mark drawn one fourth nearer the hole, all the players meanwhile having gathered up their pebbles again. These are all given to the successful player, and he pitches them in a ma.s.s toward the hole, becoming the owner of as many as fall into the hole. Any pebbles that do not go in the hole are gathered up by the player who in the original throwing came out second in trying to get near the hole, and he, in turn, throws these in ma.s.s, standing also at the nearer throwing point from which his predecessor threw. All of the players take turns in this way until all of the pebbles have been appropriated. The player wins who gets the most pebbles. Pebbles won are not thrown again, but kept for score.

For good players the distances from the hole may be increased.

POISON

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Gymnasium; playground; seash.o.r.e._

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: POISON]

A circle is marked on the floor or ground considerably smaller than an outer circle formed by the players, clasping hands. Each player tries, by pulling or pus.h.i.+ng, to induce the others to step within the smaller circle, but endeavors to keep out of it himself. Any one who touches the ground within the inner circle, if only with one foot, is said to be poisoned. As soon as this happens, the player or players so poisoned become catchers; the other players shout "Poisoned!" and at once break the circle and run for safety, which consists in standing on wood. The merest chip will answer, and growing things are not counted wood. If played in a gymnasium, iron may give immunity instead of wood. Any one caught before reaching safety, or in changing places afterward, joins the catchers, and when all have been caught, the ring is once more surrounded.

POISON SNAKE

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Gymnasium; playground._

The players join hands to form a circle. About fifteen Indian clubs or tenpins are placed in the center of the circle, with s.p.a.ces between them in which a player might step. The players then try, by pus.h.i.+ng or pulling their comrades by means of the clasped hands, to make them knock over the clubs. Any player who overturns a club or who unclasps hands must at once leave the circle, the club being replaced. The first players so leaving start a "scrub" circle; players disqualified in the scrub circle start another in their turn, etc. The player wins who is left in the original circle. Where several circles have been formed, the several winners may form a circle at the close and play to determine the final winner.

[Ill.u.s.tration diagram: POISON SNAKE]

This game has possibilities for much sport and skill. The agility with which players leap over or pa.s.s between the clubs is as important a part of the game as the pulling and pus.h.i.+ng.

The clubs should be sufficiently scattered to make it possible for a player to save himself in this way. Children may need to have this feature of the game pointed out to them. The game is equally interesting to children or adults, but obviously requires gymnasium suits for girls or women.

POM POM PULLAWAY

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Out of doors._

This game is often played between the curbings of a city street, but is suitable for any open play s.p.a.ce which admits of two lines drawn across it with a s.p.a.ce of from thirty to fifty feet between them. All players stand on one side behind one of the dividing lines, except one player who is It and who stands in the center of the open ground. He calls any player by name and adds a formula, as below:--

"John Smith, Pom Pom Pullaway!

Come away, or I'll fetch you away!"

Whereupon the player named must run across the open s.p.a.ce to the safety line on the opposite side, the one who is It trying meanwhile to catch him before he reaches that line. If he gets over safely, he remains there until all of his comrades have joined him or have been caught. Any one caught by the one who is It joins the latter in helping to catch other players as they dash across the open s.p.a.ce, but the one originally It remains the caller throughout the game. After all of the uncaught players have crossed to one side, they try in the same way to return to their first goal. The first one to be caught is It for the next game.

Players should give the chaser as much difficulty as possible in catching them by making feints in one direction and suddenly running in another, or by running diagonally instead of straight across, etc.

POOR p.u.s.s.y

_5 to 20 players._

_Parlor._

The players sit in a circle, except one who is chosen for Poor p.u.s.s.y.