Idaho Springs siftings., 1902-11-22
SOME AErsR.pIMNEa GAMES.
Arusements to Please the Youngsters
of the Family.


After the thanksgiving dinner Is eat
en- and everyone quits the dining room
OF parlor as the case may be, dis.
quieting query is suggested to the
head of the family, What shall we do
to amuse the children?"
No quiet, sitting-down games; no
sentimental piano adagios, no intel
lectual programs will do at all 1t
must be a genuine, rollicking carnival
of merriment and fun. AT the same
time the games must be so simple and
easily understood that the youngest
children may join and thoroughly un-
derstand them.
Sometimes they make a cage of the
bear by setting four chairs around
him. Then they feed him through the
openings in the chair backs. They of
Ter him nice Jumps of sugar, nuts and
other sweetmeats. At first he is slow
about seizing their sweets, yet all the
while he is waiting not only to catch
the sweets, but also to capture their
hands. Then bear may devour his
prey and growl to his hearts content
over his meal, and prey becomes bear,
and the fun goes on.
For a parlor game it is better to
suspend soft but not too lightweight
ball from the gas fixture, and set the
tenpins upon the floor underneath it.
The game can be played just as de-
scribed above; or, let the players
stand in a circle around the suspend
ed ball, and whomever the ball strikes
let him send it back softly again and
again, much like the swinging of a
pendulum. This makes a good go-to-
bed game, the players starting for
bed as soon as they are struck.
Another excellent. go-to-bed game
one that gives plenty of exercises
go-to-bed hop. All form ring or cir
Gle. Some one plays lively air. One
person is made leader, and begins by
shaking the right hand in time with
the music, then after a while the left
hand ditto, then both hands, then hop
upon the right foot, then upon the
left, then upon both feet around the
circle to right, then ditto left, then a
last hop away to bed. The leader may
prolong or diminish the time of each
movement, making the exercise more
or less fatiguing.
The game of handkerchief bear"
just fits this requirement, and is a
good starter Bear selects a spot
on the carpet or rug, and in no case is
he allowed to get out of his cage"
The children of all ages approach him
and f1irt their handkerchiefs at him
just beyond his reach. He tries with
all his might and main to catch some
one, and in his eagerness sometimes
be gets beyond the limit of his cage.
In that case he must catch two chill
dren or more-one for each offense.
When he succeeds in catching his prey
he roars and pretends to chew vora-
ciously and swallow. Then the prey
what is left of him-becomes bear"
and so the game goes on. The game
pleases particularly the younger chill
dren.
Kegelspiel is pretty German game
really an easy way of playing ten
pins and far more interesting to young
players. For out-of-door sport they
suspend a rope from the limb of tree
and attach to it a wooden ball about
the size of an ordinary croquet ball.
Ten pins are set up on a small level
platform directly underneath this ball
as it hangs at just the right angle, so
that when the ball drops properly il
will strike the front tenpin exactly in
the center and make sweep-that is,
clear the board as effectually as does