Monopoly

Several weeks ago, Eli's mom pulled her Junior Monopoly game to teach Jonah how to play. We're frequently realizing that this boy is g.r.o.w.i.n.g. up right before our eyes. Candy Land is still fun at times, but he is ready for bigger boy games. Battleship. Monopoly. Cribbage. Crazy Eights. And I know there are many more ... we're still figuring it all out! He caught on quick, and it was right before Christmas, so we didn't let him borrow it just yet. No more "extras" in the house right before big family celebrations! But, he often asked about playing it over there, and commented MANY times on how he wished he had one at our house.

I don't even remember how it came up, but I must have mentioned it offhand during a training session at the gym. And a client who is turning into a friend offered to let us borrow hers. Her son is around 10 years of age, and she has so generously been giving me hand-me-down clothing the last couple months. She has no idea how much we appreciate this! Garage sale-ing for bigger boy clothing is almost pointless. Most of what I find is worn out, just how my boys wear out their clothes! And that's only if I find some ... garage sales are great for infant and toddler clothes! Before the knees get worn through and stains completely take over = ) So, she brought it a few weeks later, and that game is getting used!

At first, Reuben just wanted to sit and be the "banker" for whoever was playing. But, then we realized he was smart enough to play as well. The kid possess a math brain like his brother (thank you, Mom, for good genes!), and picked up on it, no problem.

And now? That means that two brothers have probably played at least two games a day together, straight for the last week. I'm not assuming this trend will continue, but it is so fun to watch and hear them play. And miraculously, there haven't been any meltdowns over winner vs. loser.

There are a couple other boardgames that specifically focus on math skills that I have been eyeing, but haven't bought yet. Perhaps for a birthday gift or a special homeschool achievement we could get it. Yes, my kids do get some time to play video games or watch a show each day, but I would much MUCH rather they just sit down and play a board or card game together. Or spend time with Legos, like they did for an hour this morning before we got down to the business of school.