Hobbies And Interests
Catch the Dragon's Tail
The game needs 10 or more players. The players stand in a line with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. The front player is the dragon's head; the last acts as the dragon's tail. The head player tries to catch the tail. The in-between players try to keep the head from tagging the tail without breaking their place in line. When the head player catches the tail, the second player in the line becomes the head and the head player moves to the end of the line. This is an open-ended game where the game stops when all the players have been the head.
Fingers Out
This is a game for two children. The children face each other and count to three. On the number three, the children put out one hand either as a fist or with one, two or three fingers extended, at the same time shouting a number between one and six. Add up the number of fingers that are extended. If one child guesses the exact number of fingers shown, she scores two points. If a child guesses nearest the numbers of fingers without getting it exactly, she gets one point. If there is a tie, both children get a point. Play the game until a player reaches five or 10 points, depending on how long they want to play the game.
Four Seasons
Four Seasons is a game to help children learn---as the name suggests---the four seasons. The children first learn the names of the four seasons. One child is the leader who will give directions and keep score. Divide the class into teams of four, with each team having a spring, summer, autumn and winter. All the teams sit in a circle by seasonal order. The game begins with the leader who says, "I am spring. I am leaving now." All the players who represent summer must stand up and say, "I am summer, and I am coming."
If the wrong season stands up or if the students who are the correct season do not stand up, those children do not get a point. If the correct students stand up, they each get a point. This is a game for younger children and should be short in duration. The game ends when the first team gets 5 points.
Forcing the City Gates
This outdoor game requires 10 or more players. Make two lines 10 to 15 feet apart, with an equal number of players in each line. Players in each line hold hands. A player from the opposite team runs to the other side and tries to burst through the team's line. If he breaks through, that player joins that side. The game ends when all the players are on one side.
Throwing the Squares
This is a game for two to four players. Draw a 12-by-24-inch rectangle on the ground and divide it into two halves. One player places a counter---a coin or rock---on one of the squares. The other player stands on a line 8 to 10 feet away from the rectangle. From behind this line, the second player throws his counter at the squares. If the counter lands in the opponent's square, the second player scores two points. If the counter lands in the vacant square, the player gets one point. If the counter lands outside the rectangle, no points are gained. This is an open-ended game children can continue playing until the player with the highest score wins, or they may set a certain score, such as 10, to be reached.
Tsoo Tsoo
Tsoo Tsoo needs at least four players and is played outdoors. Blindfold one player. This player shouts "Tsoo! Tsoo!" The other players---called "chickens"---try to touch the blindfolded player without getting tagged. If a chicken gets tagged, it is her turn to wear the blindfold.