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Read Ebook: Fun for the Household: A Book of Games by Gray Emma J
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Ebook has 1419 lines and 70876 words, and 29 pages
PAGE Introductory 7 Little Folks 9 Boys and Girls 29 Grown-Ups 102 Special F?tes 128 Methods of Choosing Partners 184 Tangles and Forfeits 187 In the Adirondacks 204 The Flower Test 220 Hours with the Poets 235 "Thank You!" 239 A Story within a Story 244 Orrin the Bootblack 258 Breakfast Table Decorations 270 How they Planted the Nasturtiums 273 A Garden Party 276 The King's Children 281 For the Boys 287 I wish I were a General 293 A Hebrew Christian 298 The Baby's Lesson 305 Parlor Fortune Telling 308 Church Courtesy 314 A Brave Boy 317
INTRODUCTORY.
When children have passed beyond the rattle age, they reach out their hands for baa-lambs, woolly sheep, cows with bells, cats that meaw, and dogs that say bow-wow.
The next advance in amusement is to play with a toy that goes on wheels, and therefore for a half hour at a time, little folk will be content by drawing around the nursery such toys as trains of cars, horses with long tails, express wagons, etc., etc.; and then follows the period when pretty lady dolls must go out to drive in a pretty carriage accompanied by mistress baby, whose chubby hands push the doll's carriage ahead, and nurse's ever vigilant eyes keep watch, so that neither baby nor the baby's doll, like the historic Jack and Jill, fall down and break their crown. And mechanical dollies are also in demand,--lady dolls that lift their veils, smile and bow; gentlemen dolls that are orchestrian leaders; boy dolls that can turn somersaults and effect other athletic feats. And about this time if nurse is careful to keep sharp eyes on the scissors, colored pictures may be cut out and pasted in scrapbooks, or paper dolls may be arrayed as their youthful mothers desire. Or bright pieces of silk may be sewed together, provided the thread is tied into the needle's eye, so that it cannot be pulled out. Or wonderful castles may be built with packs of cards, or towers and steeples with building blocks. Noah's ark will do great service, as will also tops that spin, and hoops that may be rolled or twirled, and drums that may be beat, and whistles and horns that may be blown.
But, notwithstanding all the toys and amusement therefrom, there will be heard the oftentimes plaintive wail, "Play with me, please play with me." And then it is that the wise mother or nurse will introduce a simple game. Perhaps Puss in the Corner, or Blind Man's Buff, or perhaps hide behind a large chair or screen and call aloud, "Where am I?" and such a mischievous laugh will follow when the toddling child finds the one who has thus hidden!
From this period game follows game, just as naturally as year follows year, and even when the little tot has grown to womanhood or manhood, the cry is still heard, "Play with me, please play with me," thus illustrating the trite words, men and women are only children grown up.
Therefore the variety of games within this book: Games suitable for all ages, for all temperaments; games for the house, and games for the field; games for the girls, and, games for the boys; games for the young, and games for the old; games for St. Valentine's Day, games for Christmas Day,--games for all seasons, games for all climes. Thus may the year be filled with jollity.
Several games in this volume were originally published in the periodicals of Messrs. Harper & Brothers, and are reprinted by their kind permission.
EMMA J. GRAY.
FUN FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.
LITTLE FOLKS.
A LITTLE CHILD'S PARTY.
Invite both boys and girls for a short frolic. Between three and five o'clock in the afternoon would be excellent hours.
Provide for their entertainment, flowers, birds, worsted and rubber balls, dolls, tea-services, horses, whips, and music. If you have a music-box it will prove very serviceable. The children will be much interested; some of the shorter ones will stand on tiptoe, the better to discover the way the wheels go around.
Two or more grown people should be present; those who understand little children, and have a knack in amusing them.
The toys will greatly aid in getting the children acquainted. Play ball with the boys, throwing it lightly back and forth. Set out the tea-services. Show off the dollies. Put a small boy on a hobby horse, and start the horse on a trot, and after he has his ride, give another boy his turn. After a while play polkas and waltzes, and then
What a merry rout, See the wee ones dance about!
Change the amusement. Show them flowers, canary birds, butterflies, anything you may have to attract, always remembering the toys and going back to them again and again.
Low chairs and hassocks will make it easier for the little people than to have to climb into the great chairs and sofas used by older folks.
Refreshments should be exceedingly simple, and a souvenir, such as a cornucopia or handful of motto-papers, gayly tinted and full of candy, will be much appreciated.
THE FARMER'S SONG.
As over the field the farmer goes, And grain by grain he sows in the rows, He sings and shouts, Oh, you crows, you crows, Keep away from my rows, away from my rows.
This is the way the glad farmer reaps His wheat, and when it is bunched he keeps An eye on all his workers around, And laughs at their faces, merry and round.
This is the way the glad farmer binds All the ripe sheaves he's able to find, And when no more wheat is on the ground, He laughs ha, ha, ha, and turns all around.
Hurrah, hurrah for the farmer bold He laughs and is merry e'en when 'tis cold, He shouts ha, ha, on an August day, And gathers his wheat as if 'twas his play.
Oh, who would not be a farmer lad, And clap one's hands hard and never be sad, And sing, while working all the day long, I'm jolly and happy and brave and strong?
Let all the players form a ring, with a boy in the centre for farmer. After the song is sung through, the farmer must choose two players to clasp their hands and raise them, thus forming an arch. The ring having broken, now forms a long line, and one by one each individual passes under the arch, singing as they go,
Oh, who would not be a farmer lad,
and with the last word of the verse the arch falls, and thus some one is caught, and he or she is now farmer. A ring is then again formed, and the game proceeds as before.
This being a motion game, the words of the song must be acted. Every child has seen farmers sow, reap and bind, and while singing those words they must copy the farmer as nearly as possible, also remember to clap the hands, turn around, etc., at the proper time, indeed lose no opportunity to act the words as well as to sing them. Tune, "Oats, peas, beans, and barley grows."
THE PIE-MAN'S SONG.
Solo. If a body meet a body, coming to my fire, If a body greet a body, why should I have ire? All the lassies and the laddies Come to me and buy Buns and bread and muffins sweet, And all my jelly pie.
Chorus. This is the way the pie-man takes The roller to smooth the crust he makes; Then putting the crust in a bright tin pan. He fills it with quince and raspberry jam.
This way the pie-man carries bread, Holding the board on top of his head; While to the oven he hurries along, All the time merrily singing his song.
Solo. If a body meet a body, coming to my fire, If a body greet a body, why should I have ire? etc.
Chorus. This is the way we eat the cakes, And pies and buns the pie-man makes, And when we are through we ask yet for more, While we dance on the baker's clean wood floor.
Then we run as fast as we can, And leave this jolly baker man, While to the oven he hurries along, All the time merrily singing his song.
Solo. If a body meet a body, coming to my fire, If a body greet a body, why should I have ire? etc.
The verses may be sung to the tune, "Pop Goes the Weasel." The solo is sung by the baker, to the tune, "Coming Through the Rye."
All the children should sing and imitate the pieman, who illustrates each action that is mentioned.
FLY SOUTH.
Very small children would delight in playing Fly South.
All the players should sit around a table, and each having put their right hand on it, the leader should exclaim, "Fly South, Sparrow." The second that this is said everybody must lift their hand, and then at once put it down as before. Again the leader speaks, perhaps to say, "Fly South, Pigeon," and instantly the players must act as at the first command.
But if on the contrary something is named that cannot fly, such as, "Fly South, Bear," or "Fly South, Cat," the players must keep their hands on the table. All removing them at the wrong time should pay a forfeit.
The leader should speak rapidly, in order to catch all he can.
THREE BLIND MICE.
Ask three small boys to be blindfolded. When this is done, and they each state that they cannot see, even the least little bit, a big sister or mother should say, "You are three blind mice and I am the farmer's wife, and I am going to run, and as soon as I count three you must run after me. Whoever catches me first shall have a big apple; whoever catches me second shall have two big apples; and when I am caught by the third I shall present that blind mouse with three big apples."
Having made the above explanation, the farmer's wife deliberately counts one, two, three, and on the instant three is spoken, the blind mice run.
As soon as the running starts, all others sing,
Three blind mice, see how they run, They all ran after the farmer's wife.
This may be sung over and over until the blind mice succeed. Having run a few moments, the farmer's wife should allow herself to be caught, as this game being particularly suited to little children, they would not have the skill in catching known to older people.
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