A ring we make round Summer sweet, Oh Summer, Summer, thee we greet: [All bow.]

For bright and happy is our play All through the livelong Summer day.

The 'Flowers' then dance round 'Summer.'

31. _THE THREE BEARS_

This game may be played either in the home, schoolroom or cla.s.sroom. The words should be learnt previously as a recitation.

_Materials required._--Three mugs or basins of various sizes, with a spoon in each; three stools or chairs of various sizes, and three beds.

The latter may be made by laying shawls or coats on the forms or floor.

The 'beds' should vary in size, the first being the largest, the next smaller, the third smaller still.

Three boys or girls should be chosen to represent the Three Bears, and these also should vary in size. The 'Bears' go outside the room.

The child who represents the little girl should know the rhymes well.

When all is ready she comes in and, standing near the open door, says:--

What a funny house I see!

Surely I may step inside, All is quiet as can be, And the door is open wide.

[Walks slowly towards the mugs.]

Pots of food are near the fire.

I must taste them, one [tastes the first], two [tastes the second], three [tastes the third]; Oh, how good, I'll eat it all, For my breakfast it shall be.

[Puts the mug down and turns to stools.]

Three stools! first [sits on first] and next [sits on it] too high, Tiny one is just for me.

[Sits on third.]

Oh, 'tis broken [tumbles off], off I go, What else is there yet to see?

[Walks towards beds.]

Beds, a large one [lies down], that is hard, [Rises.]

This one [pointing to middle bed] is too long, I fear, Oh, how soft [lies down in little bed], I'll take a rest, In the little bed just here.

[Pretends to sleep.]

The three bears come tramping in. The big one takes up his mug and says, 'Who has been at my porridge?' The second bear says the same; and then the little bear takes up his mug and says, 'Who has been at my porridge and eaten it all up?'

They proceed in the same way with the stools, the little bear finishing with 'Who has been sitting on my stool, and broken it?'

Then they go to the beds in order, asking one after the other, 'Who has been at my bed?' until it comes to the little bear's turn, when he says, 'Who has been at my bed? and here she is still!'

The little girl now opens her eyes, and, seeing the bears, jumps up quickly and runs off.

32. _IMITATING CRIES OF ANIMALS_

(A simple game for the very smallest children.)

One child comes out to stand in front of the cla.s.s and says:--

Listen to the cry I make, Then, if you the trouble take, You may guess my name.

He then imitates the cry of some animal, the 'bark' of a dog, the 'mew'

of a cat, or the 'crowing' of the c.o.c.k, and the children who wish to answer hold out the hand. The child who is allowed to give the name of the animal represented by the cry comes out (if the answer is correct) and makes the cry of another animal, first repeating the lines as before. The following are some of the cries that the children may be able to imitate, 'cluck, cluck' (hen), 'quacking' (duck), 'hissing'

(goose), 'neighing' (horse), 'braying' (donkey), 'grunting' (pig), 'chirping' (bird) or talking like the parrot.

33. _CHARADES_

_Preliminary._--Everyone knows how fond children are of representing ideas by action. It is for this reason that charades are recommended here. It will, of course, be necessary for the teacher to a.s.sist and suggest, but the children soon acquire confidence, and their acting, being perfectly natural, is often remarkably good.

A very simple little charade is given as an example.

The children who are to take part go out of the room for a few minutes with the teacher. We will suppose the word chosen is

TEA-CAKE

ACT I.--The teacher is to be the 'mother' and the rest are children. The 'mother' enters and sits down; presently the children come trooping in from school and gather round her. She asks what they have been doing at school, each one tells her something about its work or play, and then one child asks, 'May we have tea, mother, please?' 'Yes,' says the mother, 'go and take off your hats and we will get it ready.' (End of Act I.)

ACT II.--The tea-table is prepared (see Game No. 1, which is similar) and the children sit down to tea. (The 'guessing' children should be told to listen carefully to what is said during tea.) One child asks for the _cake_ to be pa.s.sed, another for bread and b.u.t.ter, and so on. (End of Act II.)

ACT III.--In the last act the whole word is to be given. The children pretend to have a baker's shop (see 'Shopping Game,' No. 6), one child keeps the shop, and the rest come to buy. One asks for a loaf, another for rolls, a third buys a _tea-cake_, and so on.

Bricks and tablets may be used for the loaves and cakes, or they may be made in the clay-modelling lesson and kept for this game.

_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. _Pa.s.sING 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]pa.s.s 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 pa.s.s 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.

[1] Tap floor.

[2] Pa.s.s stick from right hand to left.

[3] Give it to neighbour.