Finding the word.—The children who have been listening are now asked to guess, and may be encouraged by remarks, such as, 'Think of the first act, and what the children said to their mother.'
'Remember the tea-table and what was said there.'
Some of the words thus obtained may be written on the blackboard, words for each act being put in separate columns.
'Now what did the baker sell?' In this way the answer is soon obtained.
It is well worth while to help the children to learn how to play charades, because it makes such a pleasant home-play for them in wintry and wet weather.
34. PASSING THE STICK
The children sit round the room, or stand in a semi-circle. The teacher should start the game, standing at the left extremity of the semi-circle, with the stick in her right hand, and repeat the lines:—
On the floor you see I [1]tap my [1]stick, [1]stick, [1]stick,
Then I [2]pass it to my [3]neighbour quick, quick, quick,
If you know it, then please do the trick, trick, trick.
The children who do not know the game will probably omit to pass the stick into the left hand; as each one tries to do the trick, the teacher says 'right' or 'wrong' as the case may be, and those who are wrong are told to notice particularly how the teacher does it.