Book Games

Apparently when your kids get to a certain age it is increasingly less cool to take pictures with/of them.  However KC was ok with me taking a picture of a game he worked hard to create.  He assists with our library boys book club every month.  When he started helping he decided that cooler games had to be introduced because the kids were sick of trivia games. 

He did Jeopardy, a board game of his own creation, a matching game, a home made Headbans knock off and a couple others.  However the final game of the season should be, in his words, so amazing that they would all want to return in the fall.  He decided to create Book Opoly. 

KC is creative and really good with the big picture concept stuff. The how to get it done stuff?  That usually still needs a fair amount of my help.  However he had a really clear vision of how to turn Monopoly into a book themed game.  We found blank property cards in a fillable pdf on line and made them the titles of books.  We renamed EVERYTHING on the board. We made cards.  It was a big job.

However he saw it through and it was honestly fun working on it with him.  Best of all, his group LOVED it.  So much so that 10 minutes after they were supposed to be done they were all still playing the game.  As the librarian said when she came out to talk with me--this age group (8 to 12 year old boys) is pretty unforgiving. If they don't like something you will know it.  The fact that they were still playing when they were supposed to be going home spoke volumes.

I could tell KC knew it too because when he finally came out he was positively glowing.  I don't have a picture of the giant grin on his face as he came through the door but I think it is imprinted on my heart forever.

American Girl

The flood of catalogs has begun.  I try to get them into the recycling before the kids see most of them. But inevitably, some squeak by me.  The kids pore over them and wishes and dreams are voiced.  Yesterday, the American Girl catalog came.

Lissa could care less.  KC kept trying to show them to her.  She kept on ignoring him. Finally when she was in bed, he sat down and pored over it for himself.  He wants an American Girl doll in the worst way.  He read the stories of each doll aloud to me.

And you know what rots?  I don't care one whit that he wants an American Girl doll. But the only way to get a boy American Girl doll (OK I fully realize how weird that part of the sentence looks) is to buy the Bitty Twins shown above.  I can't have the only kid who wants a boy doll.  Can't we have American Boys?  Sigh. I see Itty Bitty Twins in our future.