All players form a ring, joining hands, except one called the Mouse, whom they enclose within the circle, and one who is on the outside who represents the cat. They then dance around, raising their arms at intervals. The cat watches the chance to spring into the circle at one side, and the mouse dashes out at the other – public sympathy being with the mouse, his or her movements are aided when possible. When the cat is in the circle, the players lower their arms so as to keep the enemy prisoner. The cat goes around meekly, crying “mew,” while the rest dance around her. With a sudden “miaou!” she tries to break through any weak place in the chain of hands.

As soon as she escapes she tries to catch the mouse, who runs for safety into the ring again, hotly pursued. If the cat is so near as to follow the mouse into the ring, before her entrance can be prevented, or if she catches the mouse outside the circle, the mouse must pay a forfeit. Two more players are then named by the cat and mouse to succeed them.

Games for All Occasions by Mary E. Blain

Image © said&done @ Flickr, Attribution

How’s everyone dealing with the mountains of candy?

Ivy over at Home Ec 101 gives some quick tips on Controlling the Sugar Rush.

And Megan Jeffrey has some fun finger puppets on her site, if you’re into crafting.

One more thing, Does anyone have any good resources for putting on a Shadow Puppet play? I was looking around today and couldn’t find anything.

Frog in the Middle

One child is seated on the ground with his legs under him and the other players form a ring round him. They then pull him about and give him little pushes, and he must try and catch one without rising from the floor.

The child who is caught takes the middle, and the frog joins the circle.

Games for All Occasions by Mary E. Blain

Image © pope24 @ Flickr, Attribution

A take on todays “Duck Duck Goose”.

The book also attaches a nursery rhyme to this game that I only remember hearing as part of a jingle selling kids toys on the television. Never thought that it might have really been part of a game at one point.

Also, The Tulane University Ornithological Society is attempting to break the current Guinness World Record for Duck Duck Goose.

The attempt will be made on April 21, 2007 and will be used to raise proceeds for the Audubon Nature Institute.

Drop the Handkerchief

A ring is formed by the players joining hands, whilst one child, who is to “drop the handkerchief,” is left outside. He walks round the ring, touching each one with the handkerchief, saying the following words:

A tisket, a tasket
A green and yellow basket,
I wrote a letter to my love,
But on my way, I dropped it;
A little child picked it up
And put it in his pocket.

He must drop the handkerchief behind one of the players, who picks it up and tries to catch him before he can run around the ring and jump into the vacant place. As soon as this happens, the first player joins the ring, whilst it is now the turn of the second to “Drop the handkerchief.”

Games for All Occasions by Mary E. Blain

Image © dpade @ Flickr, ShareAlike