The Games We Play

Everyone has been playing games in our house. A whole lot of games. We play them settled into the middle of the family room floor spread out with plenty of room. We play them on the couch under blankets or at the dining room table surrounded by art supplies and paper. There are times we play them outside on a huge quilt surrounded by sun and sky. No matter where we are, our family is all about games.

Some of the favorite standbys have been making an appearance this week. Mancala and Mastermind are two of these games. Aine is still considered the resident Mancala expert. Yesterday she gave her older brother some lessons on strategy. She played several games with each of us, always looking for a new partner. We have an official gameboard, but you can easily make the game with two small cups or bowls, an egg carton and 48 stones. You place 4 stones into each section of the egg cartoon and use the two bowls as your mancala scoring pits. There are directions all over the internet, so learn, play, and be ready for Miss Aine!

Our other long time favorite is Mastermind. The other day four of us set up a game center outside playing Mastermind for Kids. Aine and I began playing and were quickly joined by Eamon and Benton. Everyone loves taking a turn playing code maker and code breaker. Our version is a bit easier than the standard, since there are only three pieces used to make the code. We also like the whimsical animal pieces. A regular set is on our shelves too, but for now we like this one. I love this game and can remember playing it in 5th grade. My teacher set up a station in the back of the room where people could challenge and play each other.

In addition to the old standbys, we have two new games in the rotation. Ticket To Ride is probably our favorite new game. I read many great things about this game, so I decided to buy it a month or so ago. It has been a huge hit. Eamon particularly loves this board game. He held the record for longest route for quite a few games until his mama tied him in a brilliant move (or so I say). The three of us play often during the day. Benton usually teams up with one of us and enjoys placing the train pieces around the board. Whenever anyone visits they usually are asked to play. The whole family really likes this game and finds the premise quite fun. Despite a pricier cost, I would recommend it.

Our other new game has been on our shelves untouched for a couple years. That is actually quite embarrassing to say, but the kiddos never seemed interested in the game. I think my sister bought it for us when she saw it at the thrift shop, thinking we would love it. We just never tried it. Finally this week that changed when Eamon and Aine pulled Cranium Cadoo out to play. They really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. Both of them had an area they liked better than the others. Eamon preferred solo play while Aine liked the group cards. We molded clay, drew pictures, decoded puns, acted out words, and laughed a whole lot! It is really a good game.

What games do you enjoy? Are there any lurking on your shelves waiting to be discovered? Does your family enjoy games as much as ours?

Playing Games

As a family we love games. We play board games, card games, video games and dice games. Everyone has their favorites, but we will play just about anything.  I get many ideas for new games from my favorite blogs as well as from our homeschooling friends.

Recently I heard about the game, Blink. Aine loves it and is quite good at the fast paced game. We decided to share it with our homeschooling group. We are fortunate to have a vibrant homeschooling group with which we share our love of games on a weekly basis. The children range in age, but everyone plays together. The kids loved Blink. Each could play on their own level. We decided we need a few decks, so more kids and adults can play at one time.

Other favorite games for the group are: Sequence, Sorry, Twister, Bananagrams, Dice games, Apples to Apples, various card games, Connect Four and Blokus. Each week new games are brought as well as old favorites. The games are shared and some even find new favorites. One of our friends loved our Blokus game so much that his mom bought him his own.

I love sharing new games with the group and hearing what games they love. Do you have any favorite games for us to play?

A Crazy New Game

Aine loves to play games. Recently her aunt and uncle gave her Pass the Pigs. Her aunt thought she would love it, however she was not particularly impressed with the game at first. She used the pigs mostly in her play. I would find them scattered around the house. She used the small stub of a pencil to draw or write notes. The game as packaged was not played.

Today this all changed. I pulled out the game and asked if she wanted to play. I read the directions to her, and we laughed our way through several rounds. It was such fun to gamble on each roll deciding when to quit and when to roll again. We would moan when we lost all our points or laugh at the crazy pig positions. Aine was also quite pleased with herself as she added up her scores. She quickly mastered the different scoring options based on pig landings. Her infectious laughter lured her brothers as well. She chortled that it was the best game EVER. I would say it is definitely a winning game despite her initial misgivings about it

Poké What?

Eamon loves all things Pokémon. It started when he began reading a few of the comics. His interest grew as the library acquired more comics. He read all the books again and again. He would talk about the characters endlessly. 

Then we went camping with a group of friends. A few of the boys his age played Pokémon video games and had a Pokédex. Eamon had not known about this world as he doesn't have a Nintendo DS. All his play came from what he read and his imagination. The group talked and reenacted Pokémon for the duration of our trip. They discussed levels and did a bit of card trading. One of the kids forgot his Pokédex when he left, giving Eamon extra time to peruse it. He studied each page carefully committing it all to memory.

Eamon recently decided he wanted to buy a trading cards. A few weeks ago he used his spending money to buy a set. He read them all, memorizing the various attributes. He could tell you about each Pokémon, how it evolves, its power, its speed and anything else you might need to know. At any given moment he would spout information about Pokémon combining his knowledge from the Pokédex and his cards.

 

With all this passion, we decided to check out the Pokémon group in our homeschooling community. Armed with his paying cards and little knowledge of the game, we met at a local park. First everyone did a bit of trading. A few games were set up and the battles began. Eamon watched at first, and then one of the veteran players showed him how to play. One of the moms explained the basic rules to me as well. She also gave me information on sets and trading. Eamon set up his bench, used his energy cards and worked his way through a game. He had so much fun.

When you are passionate about something, you want others to be. Eamon always wants to play Pokémon. He now has a group that meets once a month that can speak his language. For a long time, I had no idea what this language entailed. I listened, watched, and now I think I understand. This description from Wikipedia sums up my knowledge:

Players of the games are designated as Pokémon Trainers, and the two general goals (in most Pokémon games) for such Trainers are: to complete the Pokédex by collecting all of the available Pokémon species found in the fictional region where that game takes place; and to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers, and eventually become the strongest Trainer, the Pokémon Master. wikipedia.com

You can now find us all running around outside capturing invisible Pokémon. Eamon is the leader. He orchestrate battles between the characters and creates fantastic role-playing games. He has his sister and brother on board with the play. They also are becoming experts. We work together trying to gather as much knowledge as Eamon. He likes his role as teacher and will tell anyone who listens all about his current passion.

Obsession

I read about Minecraft on a several blogs I read regularly.  When I read about it on freeplaylife, I mentioned it to Dave in the hopes that he would check it out for the kiddos.  He did, and the rest is history.

It is a sandbox game where you create your world and are limited only by your own creativity.  Everyone in our house loves it.  Dave especially.  He plays a lot utilizing online resources and his own wit to create an elaborate world.  He will play jointly with Eamon and Aine as well as by himself.  Talk in our house centers around creepers, spiders, elaborate world enhancements, ways to avoid danger, and new ore/tool finds.  For a low price, it has provided hours of enjoyment.  Just be warned, your family may become obsessed and unable to do much else.

Games

Everyone loves to play board games in our house. Today we played a bit of Hi-Ho Cherry-o and Battleship.

Eggs Galore

We received eggs at a recent craft swap I participated in. The eggs were blown and filled with sparkles and confetti. Eamon, Aine, Benton and I set out to enjoy them on the back patio. The kids loved cracking them on their heads and spreading the confetti around the yard. The fun went on for quite awhile. Here is a bit of the aftermath that made its way inside.

RRRR Ribbit

I made two frogs and some lily pads for the kids. It is a game that has many applications - gross motor, counting, and just plain old fun.