Family game night
Friday, November 6, 2009Milton Bradley would love us. I remember back when they started their "family game night" ad campaign on T.V.
Yesterday Calvin and met, for the first time, with the Ann Arbor Unschooling group for an afternoon of games and fun. It was definitely fun. It also reminded me that games, board games, card games, dance around the room acting like a ninny games, have long been an ingredient of the family institution. At least for some. When we got home I dug around the in the basement, but the majority of our games (except perhaps for Twister) are mainly for the college age crowd and up (I'm thinking Calvin wouldn't do so hot with Trivial Pursuit, which we own five editions of). So today I dug around in my childhood basement, the basement of parents' home, but most of those games were just a tad too old also (Connect Four was a hit at the gathering, but more as a construct/deconstruct activity, not a game). So, as sad as it is, we resorted to buying new. In the future we'll watch yard sales and resale shops, but I just didn't want to miss the moment in this case.
Hi-Ho Cherry-O. Remember the 80s? Or even the 70s? It goes back even further than that, and has continued to change with the times. It's not the same game, and I'm struggling with a real feeling of remorse, having found a number of old ones, even the 1960s true original, on ebay.
This is the game I remember, or at least something close to it
The new game is a tad more colorful. It also comes with an optional variation for cooperative play, which is a great idea for family game night, but I'm pretty sure we could have come up with it on our own.
I think it's just nostalgia that is disappointing me. Who cares what color the cherries are? It's the same plastic (I think), and the same cardboard (really, it didn't get flimsier!), and probably the same amount fun. My real comfort lies in the hour of pure joy we enjoyed as a family; Friday night, picnic on the floor in the sitting room, family game play—I think we have a new tradition.
Did you know family game night came with its own ninja?
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