In the rainy day quickie of the old fishing favorite, the lid of a shallow cardboard box like a dress box makes the pond, with eleven wide-angled V-cuts as shown in A of Figure 6.11. Draw the fish (B) on light cardboard or heavy notepaper, cut it out, and use it as a templet for cutting the other ten fishes. Punch a good clean hole in each one for the eye. If the game catches on, the fish can be colored green and crayoned scales added at some later date.

Number each fish tail successively from 1 to 11, then bend it in half lengthwise, just enough so that it will fit loosely in the V-slots, head up, with numbered tail concealed. It should be cut long enough to rest on the floor or table top in an erect position. When placing the fish in their pond, mix the numbers up so that none of the players can guess which fish to try for.

The hook is a bent pin at the end of a string tied to a stick, ruler, or pencil. Each player in turn is allowed to angle until he hooks one fish. When all are caught, the numbers on each player's fish are totaled to determine the winner.

When the observant parent notes symptoms of boredom becalming the fishermen and women, the principle of rewards and penalties can be introduced without disarranging the game and will be greeted with hilarious enthusiasm. All that is necessary, after the fishes' tails are safely concealed in the pond, is to show the young Izaak Waltons a suitable list of rewards (and penalties), such as those shown on the following pages.

Fig. 6.1 1. Fish pond.

1. Three (or insert number of players) cookies

2. Ditto number of pieces of fudge or jellybeans

3. A lollipop

4. A chocolate milk shake

5. Hang up clothes

6. Brush your teeth now (if at home)

7. Wash your hands now

8. Wash your face now

9. Sweep the porch

10. Set the table

11. Shine (somebody's) shoes.

If most of the players are guests, the penalties will of course have to be divorced from home duties and follow the routine of forfeits, as for example:

1. Say six nice things about yourself

2. Scramble like an egg

3. This pillow is your baby; rock it to sleep

4. Say the alphabet backward

5. Smile (or laugh, or snore) five ways

6. Make a salestalk to a girl (or boy) about a cornplaster

7. Make a speech telling how wonderful you are

8. Walk around the room holding one ankle in your hand

9. Yawn until you make someone else yawn

10. Say "mixed biscuits" rapidly ten times

11. Lie on the floor with a dime on your nose. Wriggle it off by moving your nose only.