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Going to school and back again
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A true story of a boardgame addict that is a father also!!
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Posted Tue Nov 13, 2007 4:20 pm
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Board Game: Tsuro
[Average Rating:6.49 Overall Rank:652]
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My kid is now 9 years old, and for some time that I play with him. Some games he likes a lot, another games he likes but are to much time for his attention span (more than 1 hour for a game and he starts flitting about, but I think that's normal for his age).
This photo was taken last June at LeiriaCon, when he played by himself against all adults, and come first!! He was really happy that day.
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So on the start of this schoolar year I attended as normal the local PTA meeting, my kid's teacher was talking about the possibility for the parents to bring to school something about the hobbies, and the like, and about how there where games out there that are completely different from the past, that help the kids to learn, etc.
Several days latter I talked with my wife and my kid about doing some kind of games workshop. My kid loved the idea so much that the very next day he spoke with the teacher. Long story short, in no time I was engaged to provide a workshop of gamming to a full class of 26 boys and girls!!!!
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In a blink of an eye, I contacted my friend Vasco Chita (tiger) who prompty accepted my invitation to help me out.
Vasco is a great guy, who loves eurogames a lot and we are constantly picking each other across the field, I'm the AT-Random Dice lover, where he is the Non-thematic all mechanics gamer. But both our love for games brings us together.
This is my big THANKS to you Vasco!!! I hope we still have too many sleepless nights gaming in front of us!!
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Than I remembered one guy that is constantly putting sessions of a sort of class of students that he coaches in boardgames: Merric Blackman (MerricB). And out of nowhere here I was pestering Merric with a lot of questions. He was really helpfull, answering my questions and giving some advices. For all this Merric my big THANKS!!!
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Than the big day come. My wife joined us and there we where, three adults looking to 26 students!!! But then we just put ourselves to work.
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6.
Board Game: Tsuro
[Average Rating:6.49 Overall Rank:652]
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One of the tables was occupied with 8 kids to learn and play Tsuro. For 2 hours the kids were allways rotating in and out of this table.
My wife was the one supervising this one.
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7.
Board Game: Blokus
[Average Rating:7.29 Overall Rank:115]
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Blokus was another game with full occupation for 2 hours.
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Another game that took the kids to play and play again was Hey! That's My Fish!
Here's Vasco teaching it.
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One game that took a long time but the kids where able to learn it and play to the end was Ingenious. My kid was also playing this one so the other kids where working hard to not be beyind.
This one I was closely watching at the start but after that I let my kid do the honors for the rest of the game.
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My friend Vasco also come with this one that once it got the attention of the kids never more was alone.
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I just remembered, this one also got at least two full rounds with 4 students each time!!
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and for those kids with less attention, I grabbed this and put them to play one of the dextery games that are possible to play in it.
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And we all make it back all in one piece!!!
After all this was a great afternoon, and already the other teachers of the other classes are asking if I can arrange for other workshops.
My big thanks specially to my wife and Vasco!!! I'm just sorry to not have more photos but you may have guessed it: I forgot to bring the camera!!
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Posted Tue Nov 13, 2007 3:34 pm
I wasn't expecting for this one. And even picked my favorite game...
I won't pretend to speak portuguese, nor will I make an effort in Portuñol (a horrible mix of Spanish and Portuguese) but I had to congratulate you for your list and your experience. Keep the Iberian gamers coming!!
I've also done some school demos but would never thought on DdW (TTD) which in fact is a great idea.
Starting up with Jungle Speed or Halli Galli and finishing withDancing Eggs its an advice.
Crazy Circus, Rat-a-Tat Cat and Carcassonne shouldn't be forgotten.