AIMING GAMES—MISCELLANEOUS
Ring-Toss (Small wooden box, broom-handle or dowel, nail or glue, embroidery rings or hoops of small keg)
Saw a foot from a broom-handle or dowel (a child's broom will best serve the purpose). Glue or nail this to a box. Let the child practice tossing over this post rings taken from a small keg; or embroidery rings may be used. These may be wound around with bright colored strips of lining or with ribbon. The rings should be graduated in size.
Grace-Hoops (Basket reeds, raffia)
Make a wand of three or four basket reeds cut into two foot lengths. Wind these more or less loosely with string, just so as to hold them together. Then wind around and around closely and smoothly with a strand of raffia so as to bind firmly together. If held smoothly, several strands of raffia may be used at one time. If reeds are not to be had lilac branches may be used instead. The result should be a wand firm and stiff.
Make the hoops by soaking the reeds first in water for an hour to make flexible. They should be cut into lengths of about 2½ feet. Curve several into a hoop and tie. Then wind smoothly and firmly with the raffia. The ends of the latter may be disposed of by threading upon a large needle and running it a short distance in and out of the part already wound.
Two wands and one hoop are required for each player. One tosses a ring from her two wands to her opponent, who must catch it upon her own wands.
This once popular game cultivates both alertness and grace.
In the kindergarten the children use wand and ring in playing "knights." One child holds the ring while the little knight gallops around the circle on an imaginary steed and tries to capture the ring on his lance (wand), as at an old-time tournament.
Croquet with Peas (Peas, hairpins or double-headed tacks, nail or match, toothpick, cork, cover of starch-box)
Bend hairpins into shape or use double-headed tacks as wickets. Insert into the cover of a wooden starch-box for ground. For a stake use a nail or a painted match-stick. Sharpen this to a point and insert it in a hole previously made by hammering in a nail. Make mallets by inserting matches or toothpicks into heads made of small pieces of cork. Use peas for balls.
Put the whole outfit in a box and give to little sister for her doll's birthday.
Egg-Shell Game (Egg-shell, long table, four tumblers)
Blow an egg-shell and paint with some college colors as a foot-ball. Take four tumblers and place two at one end of a long table for goals and two at the opposite end for goals, the two which make a pair being four inches apart. Divide the party into two competing groups. Those on one side must try to blow the shell between the tumblers of their opponents. These must try to defend their end of the table and at the same time try to blow the shell between the tumblers of their opponents. This makes a merry game for young people.
Cherry-Stone Game (Save and dry a dozen or more cherry-stones)
Scatter the stones lightly on the table. They will fall so that some lie closely together, others far apart. The first player selects any two stones and draws his finger between them so that he touches neither. If he succeeds thus far he must then try to snap one (with thumb and middle finger) so that it strikes the other. If this succeeds also the two stones belong to him and he has another turn, continuing until he either touches a stone in trying to draw a finger between two or fails to make one of the two hit the other. The second player will not fare so well, because the remaining pairs will lie closer together than those first chosen, so that great care will be needed in drawing the finger between two. Sometimes it is necessary to use the little finger. At the end the player having most stones wins the game. The stones may be dyed or painted if desired. The game suggests tiddledy-winks and crokinole.
Donkey Game (Picture of a donkey, minus a tail, and one dozen separate tails. These may be bought in large sheets for ten cents, but may be cut out of paper if drawn first by skilful hands)
Pin the picture to the wall in some spot where it will not deface it. Give each player a tail with a pin sticking through it. Blindfold him. Turn him around three times and send him in the direction of the picture to pin the tail on the donkey. The one who succeeds in fastening a tail nearest to the proper place wins the game.
Blowing Out the Candle (Candle in candlestick)
Place a candle on the table. Blindfold a player, turn him around three times about six feet from the candle. Then let him try to find his way towards it and blow it out. He may have three trials.