 part of the game table
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RANDOM MUSINGS on the fin-de-millénaire games scene . . .
1 Feb 2011 . . .
Last
Friday evening instead of the usual sort of game night I spent
the evening teaching games to kids, not just a few, but dozens of them.
All of this happens because the wise leaders of the city of San
Carlos, California, have chosen to every year hold a
Week of the Family.
The goals of this entire week of events are as follows:
In addition, many of the children arrive for a special event: a
tournament of Rochambeau, aka Rock-Paper-Scissors.
In the weeks prior to the event tournaments are held among all
interested students at the various city schools. The winners at each
of the schools then appear at Family Game Night for the final
competition. The game goes very quickly; the children are very smart
and savvy, knowing exactly what they are doing. The final match is a
first to 10 wins competition so there is plenty of thinking and
outguessing, but it goes by in the wink of an eye. And what do the
winners receive? Their choice from of a set of games, of course.
Some gaming friends have questioned how it's possible to have the patience
to spend an entire evening teaching games to kids, especially kids who
are not relatives at all (because probably most of us have done some
of this sort of teaching around the
holidays).
But over the five years that I have done this, I have been
consistently impressed by the intelligence and maturity of the
children that show up for this event. They show up curious and eager
to learn and they always have fun, often asking me how they can find
out more about the games and where to acquire their own.
So I am putting out this post as a challenge to you, if you are a game
lover. Perhaps your municipality has a similar program. If so,
consider being the leader of such an effort in your own city, town or
burg. Not only will you find it fun, you'll get the great feeling that
only giving back can bring, as well as helping to ensure the future
health and growth of our wonderful hobby.
See also: Recommended Games for Kids
If you check these carefully, most of them fit hand-in-glove with
board games. Accordingly Kevin O'Hare bravely spearheads the Family
Game Night event, provisioning it entirely with his own very
impressive collection of games for kids. From 5:30 to 9:30 in the
evening children arrive at the local community center, with their parents,
pick out a game from the
table and learn it, either by reading the rules on their own or by
having it explained by an experienced volunteer. After playing many
return to the table again and again to try out other new games.
Starting this year a helpful sheet breaking down the games by age
groups has helped the selection process. In addition, the friendly
local game store has provided coupons which families can use should
they wish to get copies of the games for themselves.
by Rick Heli
the four
finalists
the
champion
