Board Game Evolution

lIt's amazing sometimes how much these kids change in a short amount of time...

Today we played Clue Jr. - an exercise in patience for me. Can they be any slower as they look at the clue, check the list, color the clue/check it off the list? Oh my gosh! Almost as painful as having to sit still to watch the grass grow. Add to it the fact that we all had to cover our eyes every time so that no one was peeking at the clues since none of them is capable of hiding their list while marking it. Ay yi yi! BUT - all 3 were playing. Felisa and I were on a team so that I could help her figure out what to do each time but she was able to be a contributing player so that's an advancement in game playing skills.

Next we played Monopoly Jr. I have to say that I LOVE this game. So much simpler and faster than regular Monopoly. Here's where I saw some big evolution (and some regression!). This time Felisa played her own spot and I sat in as the banker/supervisor but did not have a game piece in the game. Ryan was compiling different combinations of money to get the amounts he needed to pay. When we played last spring, I was helping him each and every time to come up with the correct amount. This time not only did he know how to come up with the correct amount, he was also exercising some creative combinations. Instead of just handing me a $5 bill, he would give me a $2 and 3 $1 bills on time and the next time he would give me a $4 bill and a $1 bill. How fun to see how far he has come in his addition and subtraction skills! Now for the regression... this was our second game. In a row. At one point, Felisa got excited about something and did about 10 laps around the living room. Before that (and throughout the game) both girls were wiggling like crazy in their seats. Guess the ability to sit still for long periods just isn't there yet!

All in all, a pretty positive family experience. :) Now I am working on bringing order to the board games and puzzles chaos that is currently Ryan's room. Purging a few items, bagging up small pieces within games, and stacking them vertically (a little hint I found online yesterday). By vertically I mean on their sides like books instead of piled flat on top of each other. It is supposed to make it easier for the kids to get them in and out and is less wear on the boxes. I have to admit that so far it also looks nicer! I guess time will tell...

In other news, Ron changed the beds around in the girls' room. Now I just have to get in there and impose order on all those little pieces of little toys!