The Daring Book for Girls
Page 5
In Toss-and-Reach Hopscotch, a player throws her marker into the center square, then hops to each square in order. From each square, she must reach in to pick up her marker without losing her balance or stepping on any lines.
In Agility Hopscotch, the player must hop back and forth across the center line without touching any lines or losing her balance. She must hop on her left foot in squares marked L and on her right foot in squares marked R. She may rest with both feet down where the L and R are marked opposite each other.
Agility Hopscotch
Tetherball
TETHERBALL requires a fast mind and equally fast hands to send the ball spiraling around the pole for a win. This was our favorite game growing up and we’d love to see more tetherball courts—and maybe someday tetherball as an Olympic event.
At its most basic, tetherball involves a ball—similar to a volleyball but somewhat squishier—tied to the top of a 10-foot pole by a rope. Two players try to hit the ball in one direction so that the rope winds completely around the pole. (But tetherball is also fun to play by yourself—in your backyard when no one’s around. You can practice and make up games for yourself, too. Like trying to duck before the ball hits you in the head.) Actual tetherball courts have a circle drawn on the ground around the pole and are divided in half. A drawn circle isn’t necessary, but you should expect to need about 8-10 feet of space all around the pole, and each player should stay on her own side of the circle.
RULES
The rules of tetherball are deceptively simple: two people stand opposite each other, one person serves by hitting the ball in one direction around the pole, and the other tries to hit the ball in the opposite direction around the pole. The first player to get the rope wrapped completely around the pole is the winner.
Because the server has a big advantage (she gets to hit the ball first), players can decide to play matches instead of single games. The total number of games comprising the entire match is up to the players to decide, but the winner must win by at least two games. Another way to decrease the serving advantage is to have the player who doesn’t serve choose which side of the circle she is on and which direction she is hitting.
FOULS AND VIOLATIONS
How seriously you take fouls is something that needs to be decided before the game. Fouls include:
♦ Stepping across the center line.
♦ Server hitting the ball twice at the beginning before the opponent hits it once.
♦ Hitting the ball twice while it is still on your side of the circle.
♦ Hitting the ball with any part of the body other than the hand or forearm.
♦ Reaching around the pole and hitting the ball.
♦ Catching or holding the ball.
♦ Throwing the ball.
♦ Touching the pole with any part of your body.
♦ Hitting the rope with any part of your body.
If you only have a few players, you can treat these fouls as mere violations and resume the game by stopping the ball and returning it to where it was wrapped when the violation occurred. The non-violating player gets to serve, and then either player can hit the ball. If a player racks up three violations, the opponent automatically wins.
If the two players commit a violation at the same time, they must do a pole drop to start the game again. Both players hold the ball with one hand, lifting it about three feet away from the pole, directly over the line dividing their two halves of the circle, and then let go of the ball at the same time. The ball should hit the pole, and then either player can hit it to continue the game.
No matter how you decide to play, the only absolute game-ender is grabbing the pole. If a player does that, she immediately loses the game.
EQUIPMENT
The Ball
A tetherball is the only piece of equipment that you must purchase specifically for the game and is similar to a volleyball, but softer. It will have either a loop sticking out of the surface or a recessed spot on the surface of the ball to attach the rope.
The Pole
The best pole for the job is a 10 to 12-foot long, 2-inch diameter steel pipe sunk 2 feet into the ground, with an eyebolt run through the pole about 4 inches from the top for attaching the rope. This may be a good time to take a field trip to your local hardware store. But with a good eye you might be able to spot a likely pole around town that will serve nicely for the game. Just remember to untie the ball and take it home with you when you are done.
MAKING A TETHERBALL COURT IN YOUR YARD
Here’s your shopping list:
♦ 10 to 12′ long, 2″ diameter steel pipe
♦ 2′ long, slightly wider than 2″ diameter, steel pipe
♦ Eyebolt with nut (for attaching the rope to the top of the pole)
♦ Drill and bit capable of drilling through metal
♦ Concrete mix
♦ Tetherball
♦ Rope (if not included with the tetherball)
Making the court
Drill a hole through the pole about 4 inches from the top for the eyebolt, and put the eyebolt in place.
Dig a hole in your lawn, gravel driveway, or backyard about 2½ feet deep, with a 2-foot diameter.
Pour in 6 inches of concrete and let it set.
Stand the 2-foot long pipe in the hole and add concrete around the pipe to fill the hole (it’s a good idea to have something to keep the pipe in place while the surrounding concrete sets; also, the pipe should be level with the ground and should protrude just above ground level, but not so much that it sticks up enough to get nicked by a lawn mower).
Once the concrete is set, slide the pole into your concrete-and-pole base (this should be a solid, tight fit, but the long pole is removable).
Attach the rope and ball.
Jump Rope
IT’S SURPRISING to us now, since jump rope is often thought of as a girl’s game, but skipping rope actually began as a boys-only activity, prohibited for females. Nowadays, though, jumping rope is for everyone. It’s even a competitive sport.
Jumping rope has been a favorite game through the ages. Medieval European paintings depict children rolling hoops and jumping rope along cobblestone streets. In 1600 AD Egypt, children used vines for jump rope play. In England, jumping rope was particularly popular around Easter, when skipping took place in Cambridge and in several Sussex villages. Even today, every Good Friday in the East Sussex village of Alciston, children gather to jump rope.
TEN CLASSIC JUMP ROPE RHYMES
From the streets of Philadelphia to the schoolyards of Beverly Hills these rhymes have been passed down and around for generations. As with handclap games, you may know different versions of these. Here are some of our favorites.
1. Blue Bells, Cockle Shells
(swing rope from side to side)
Blue bells, cockle shells
Easy ivy over
(on “over,” swing rope overhead and begin
normal jump rope swing)
Here comes the teacher with a big fat stick
Now its time for arithmetic
One plus one is?
(jumper responds) Two
Two plus two is?
(jumper responds) Four
Four plus four is?
(jumper responds) Eight
Eight plus eight is?
(jumper responds) Sixteen
Now its time for spelling
Spell cat.
(jumper responds) C-A-T
Spell dog.
(jumper responds) D-O-G
Spell hot.
(jumper responds) H-O-T
(when the jumper finishes spelling hot, swing the rope as fast as possible until the jumper misses)
2. Cinderella
Cinderella, dressed in yella
Went upstairs to kiss a fella
Made a mistake
And kissed a snake
How many doctors
Did it take?
(start counting jumps until the jumper misses)
>
3. Help
H - E - L - P
(The jumper jumps once for each letter as the word help is spelled out, and the girls turn the ropes turn faster and faster until she misses. The letter they are on when she misses determines what kind of jumping the jumper must then do.)
H—Highwaters
(rope doesn’t touch the ground)
E—Eyes closed
(jumping with eyes closed)
or
E—Easy over
(rope goes over slower than usual)
L—Leapfrog
(jump like a frog: crouch down,
then jump high)
P—Peppers (rope twirls quickly)
(The jumper then jumps in that style until she misses.)
4. Ice Cream Soda
Ice cream soda,
cherry on the top,
Who’s your boyfriend (or best friend)
I forgot
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, etc.
(When the jumper misses, the other players name a boy or best friend whose name begins with that letter.)
5. Miss Brown
I went down town, to see Miss Brown.
She gave me a nickel, to buy a pickle.
The pickle was sour so she gave me a flower.
The flower was black so she gave me a smack.
The smack was hard so she gave me a card.
And on the card it said:
Little Spanish dancer turn around.
(turn while jumping)
Little Spanish dancer, touch the ground.
(touch ground)
Little Spanish dancer tie your shoe.
(jump on one leg, pretend to tie shoe)
Little Spanish dancer, 64-skidoo.
(jump/exit rope area)
6. Not Last Night But The Night Before
Not last night b ut the night before, 24 robbers came knocking at my door, As I ran out, (jumper jumps out of rope) They ran in, (jumper jumps back in) Knocked me on the head with a rolling pin.
I asked them what they wanted And this is what they said:
Chinese dancers do the splits, (the jumper does commands after each one)
Chinese dancers do high kicks,
Chinese dancers turn around,
Chinese dancers touch the ground,
Chinese dancers get out of town.
(the jumper runs out of the rope, end of turn)
7. School
School, school, the golden rule, spell your name and go to school
(The jumper spells name and then runs out without touching the rope. Each subsequent turn, the jumper jumps through the grades.)
Kindergarten (jumper just runs through)
First Grade (jumper jumps once, saying “first grade” then runs out)
Second Grade (jumper jumps twice, saying “second grade” then runs out)
And so on, through 12th grade
(The jumper’s turn ends when she misses or once she’s jumped all the way through the 12th grade.)
8. Down in the Valley
Down in the valley where the green grass grows,
There sat (jumper’s name) pretty as a rose.
Up came (a boy)
And kissed her on the cheek,
How many kisses did she get this week?
(jumper jumps and counts until she misses)
9. Policeman
Policeman, Policeman do your duty
Here comes (jumper’s name), an American beauty.
She can wiggle, she can wobble,
she can do the splits.
But I bet you five dollars that she can’t do this.
(Jumper’s name) jumps on one foot, one foot,
one foot, (jumper jumps on one foot)
(Jumper’s name) jumps on two foot, two foot, two foot (jumper jumps on two feet)
(Jumper’s name) jumps on three foot, three foot, three foot (jumper jumps on two feet with one hand to the ground)
(Jumper’s name) jumps on four foot, four foot, four foot (jumper jumps on two feet with both hands to the ground)
(Jumper’s name), jump out!
10. Apples on a Stick
Apples on a stick
Make me sick,
Make my heart go
Two-forty-six.
Not because I’m dirty,
Not because I’m clean,
Not because I kissed a boy
Behind a magazine.
Close your eyes and count to ten.
If you mess up, then that’s the end.
(jumper jumps and counts to 10)
Queens of the Ancient World I
Wise Artemisia
IT IS A MYSTERY what Queen Artemisia, who lived during the fifth century BC, looked like; no depictions of her survive. But the tales we know of her from the world’s first historian, Herodotus, portray Artemisia as an intelligent and clever queen who bravely spoke her mind, even when no one else agreed with her. We also know she was a skillful and courageous sailor, who protected the Persian fleet during the ancient Greco-Persian Wars.
In the fifth century BC, Artemisia ruled Halicarnassus (today called Bodrum), a city nestled along a cove on the southeastern coast of Turkey’s Aegean Sea. Artemisia’s father and her husband had ruled the city before her. When her husband died, she became queen, as their son was too young to rule.
At this time, in 480 BC, the Persian Empire was at its zenith. Xerxes (pronounced Zerksi), the fourth of the great Persian kings, was in power. He had already conquered much of Asia and turned his sights toward the Greek city states and isles.
Xerxes narrowly won the battle of Thermopylae, capturing the pass to the Greek mainland, and then burned down its capital, Athens. He next headed south to take the island of Salamis, moving his battle to sea and relying heavily on the boats in his navy. He asked his allies around the Aegean Sea to send reinforcements. Loyal to Persia, Artemisia loaned five ships to Xerxes’ war effort, large triremes, each with a grand sail, and powered by men from Halicarnassus rowing long oars out the sides. She herself took command.
Yet Artemisia was different from many ancient queens (and kings), whom we are told wanted only to battle. When Xerxes asked his general Mardonius to gather the commanders for counsel before storming Salamis, they all encouraged him to go ahead with the sea battle and assured him of victory. Except Artemisia. She warned Xerxes that the Greek ships were stronger than their own. She reminded him that he already held Greece’s mainland with Athens and had lost many troops at Thermopylae. She contradicted all the other commanders in advising him to quit while he was ahead.
Xerxes admired Artemisia, but he decided, fatefully, to go with the opinion of the majority. The battle went wrong—terribly wrong—as Artemisia had predicted. Battle’s end found the Persians watching from shore as their ships burned. Still, Artemisia kept her word to Xerxes and commanded her ship. She came under pursuit by an Athenian ship and faced a terrible decision either to be captured or to run into the Persian ships that were ahead of her.
Artemisia made the decision to save her crew, ramming one her allies’ ships and sinking it in the effort to escape from the Greek ship. Some have said that she had a longstanding grudge against its commander, King Damasithymos of Calyndia. The commander of the Greek vessel chasing her turned away, assuming perhaps she was a sister Greek ship, or even a deserter from the Persian navy. The Persians lost the battle at Salamis, all the men on the Calyndian ship died, but Artemisia and her crew escaped unharmed.
After that battle, Herodotus tells us, King Xerxes again sought advice from his commanders. And again all the commanders wanted to stay and fight for the Grecian islands, except Artemisia. Disagreeing with the group once more, the level-headed queen counseled Xerxes to consider another option: leave 300,000 soldiers behind to hold the mainland and return to Persia himself with the rest of his navy.
Artemisia reminded Xerxes for a second time that he had already torched Athens and taken the Greek city-states. It was enough. The king took Artemisia’s wisdom m
ore seriously this time, knowing she had been right before. This time, he listened to the wise woman over the majority, choosing to leave a contingent of troops in Greece and turn toward home instead of battling.
And after that? Herodotus makes a brief mention of Artemisia ushering Xerxes’ sons from Greece to safety in the city of Ephesus, on the Turkish mainland. After that, we have no further information about Artemisia’s life. Herodotus concerns himself with describing the next battle, and the next, and because Artemisia declines to fight, she disappears from his pages.
A small vase provides our last evidence of Artemisia: a white jar, made of calcite, that is now at the British Museum. Xerxes gave the jar to Artemisia, a gift for her loyalty and service, and he inscribed it with his royal signature. Artemesia must have bequeathed the jar to her son, and from there, it stayed a family treasure for generations. One hundred years later, another member of her royal line, also named Artemisia, built a burial monument to her husband—the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. There, in the 1850s, the British archaeologist Charles Newton excavated Xerxes’ gift to the first Artemisia and uncovered the final trace of the wise queen.
Knots and Stitches
A GOOD KNOT assures that your boat will be there when you return, your tire swing will hold, and your dog won’t run into traffic. Here are a few useful knots with many everyday uses, and a few words on stitches, which come in handy for small repairs.
A piece of rope is all you need to begin. In each of our directions, “rope” means the stable or standing part of the rope. “End” refers to the part you are working with to make the knot, the working end. Make sure it’s always long enough to do the job. “Bight” is another word worth knowing; it’s the part of the rope that becomes the knot.
1. Stoppers
A stopper knot keeps a rope from slipping through a hole; it is the bulge at the end of a line. The most ordinary kind is called the overhand knot, or half knot. It’s the knot you use to keep a thread in place when you start to sew.