DH recently had an interesting conversation with his relatives.
He says, and I paraphrase:
Hey, I was just wondering what you thought about “must-play” games…meaning games I really have to play with DC, or really anything I “have to” help DC experience?
I’m planning on playing role-playing games with hir…probably starting when ze’s ~7. The Descent boardgame seems pretty obvious. DW has nixed Magic: the Gathering. I’m sure we’ll play some miniatures game like Warmachine or Hordes.
I can’t think of any other game ze “needs” to play except maybe Magic Realm and Star Fleet Battles. See, except for really old games, I think things are just getting better. This goes for video games too…I’ll probably try to break out some Wizardry (Werdna) sometime, and maybe Nethack…but there’s no reason to go back and play Super Mario Bros I don’t think.
I’m sure I’ll show hir the Firefly tv show when ze’s old enough. We’ve already started watching Dr Who together.
I don’t have any must-read books until ze’s probably 10+…even then I prefer just reading a lot to anything specific.
What do you guys think?
Is there anything you think kids today should experience that you liked as a kid/teenager…or that you wished you’d done when you had time back then?
(Disclaimer: Yes, I married a nerd… but if you looked at my “must do with kid” list you would realize he is actually the less nerdy of the two of us! I’m all about the math and the books.)
May 8, 2012 at 6:47 am
I’m terribly afraid that by the time I have kids, Diana Wynne Jones books won’t be around anymore, so I’ve been building up a collection of them…
May 8, 2012 at 6:53 am
I’m only missing 2 right now I think… Well, there are a few I know I own but are in my parents’ house somewhere (like the Tough Guide to Fantasyland), and hopefully will be reunited with someday.
I wish I had a larger collection of Ruth Chews! Those are harder to come by than they were in my youth. And I’m very glad that my parents kept the Miss Know it All (and other Good Day School for Girls) books since they’re no longer in print. DC has been enjoying them.
May 8, 2012 at 7:00 am
I don’t actually own very many Diana Wynne Joneses… I’ve just checked them out of the library so often that part of my brain thinks that they are lying around somewhere. I’ve noticed that the libraries in Atlanta have very few of them though, compared to the library of my childhood, which is what makes me nervous.
I’ve started to collect Ruth Chews though, since I remember loving those as a kid, but harder to be enthusiastic about since they are not as fun to grown-up me as Diana Wynne Jones is…
May 8, 2012 at 7:06 am
They’re (Ruth Chews are) really great for beginning readers though! But yes, they don’t have that additional level that adults appreciate. No underlying satire of adult culture(s). Also not so much with the mind-flips. They’re for younger kids.
Though I still enjoy What the Witch Left and The Wednesday Witch.
May 8, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Ruth Chew looks like a fab choice for my beginning readers. Sadly our public library doesn’t have a single one of her books. Looks like I’ll have to start my own collection. Which one is your favorite?
I am also working on adding to my personal DWJ library with purchases from the Half Price Bookstore.
May 8, 2012 at 5:29 pm
See above (generally if the word “witch” is in the title, it’s a good one!)
May 8, 2012 at 8:17 am
No DnD? I don’t know if we’ve thought of musts for games. Books yes, but that’s largely the ones we already own and really loved. Speaking of books, I wish I had more reading time with my parents, which I would make sure happens if I had kids. Any child of ours will likely learn pictionary (a family event at Thanksgiving), and Dutch Blitz because it’s my most favorite game, even though I often lose. Most of our big do’s are circled around travel and life experiences. (I often went to group homes and other activities that exposed me to people different than me. I didn’t realize how much I learned until later.) I didn’t travel as a kid, and I enjoy it now, I wouldn’t want my child to not have those opportunities or to be afraid of travelling, as so many of my students are. You learn a lot about life, other people, and yourself at those times.
May 8, 2012 at 8:24 am
DH is more into GURPS.
May 8, 2012 at 7:36 pm
Roleplaying games are cool. I think everyone should check them out once, but I think any RPG can be fun…these days they’re moving to be more like computer RPGs or they’re less “crunchy” more “story”. And kids roleplay all the time anyway.
May 8, 2012 at 10:07 am
There are zillions of books I want to share with my kidlet. My kid took to brown bear and the other eric carle books in a big way, which is probably because I loved them so. Seriously, it’s one of the most fun parts about parenting.
I’m not as focused on games. Though I can’t wait until he’s old enough for Fluxx and Apples to Apples. I was sad the library computer had a game called “math blaster” that was nothing like what I remembered. But I gotta say, the idea of someday sharing nethack with my kid amuses me. I hadn’t thought about that, but it’s not a bad idea (though maybe it won’t appeal, given the lack of graphics. *grumblegrumbleoffamylawn*)…
May 8, 2012 at 10:17 am
DC enjoys Fluxx, so you don’t have to wait too much longer. We haven’t tried Apples to Apples yet (possibly because mommy and daddy are still bored with it… I suppose we could get the jr. version or an expansion).
May 8, 2012 at 10:23 am
I’ve always kind of wished I’d learned to play chess. Never too late of course, but we all know we learn most easily when we’re young! I don’t “get” role-playing games. Would rather do community theatre ANY day.
May 8, 2012 at 10:33 am
Maybe you would enjoy LARPing… combine role-playing and theater!
(though many role-players make fun of LARPers…)
May 8, 2012 at 10:42 am
Watch Lost when they’re much much older. And play Risk and Guess Who. Guess Who because it’s blatantly fun and easy. Risk because it’s challenging and teaches you how to be a good sport even when someone royally screws your alliance over. We’ll also be building living room tents out of chairs and sheets.
May 8, 2012 at 10:55 am
My choices are so conventional: Risk, Stratego, Monopoly. And lots of living room tents and houses made out of refrigerator boxes, if you can find them.
May 8, 2012 at 11:12 am
I too have been hoarding books for my kids, but moreover, I just want to make sure to make lots and lots of time to just play with my kids–my parents were good parents, but I wish we would have just hung out more…
May 8, 2012 at 11:16 am
Any child of mine will have to endure watching the original “Star Trek” series with me, especially the following 3 episodes: “The Trouble With Tribbles,” “Devil in the Dark” and “The Doomsday Machine.” {DH is rolling his eyes in the background.} Oh, and they’re going to ski a lot. That’s about it for the mandatory fun & games.
May 12, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Just bought the boss a pile of Tribbles so he can intro his kids to The Trouble with Tribbles! I, of course, have my own that the Dog has been lovingly trying to cuddle.
May 8, 2012 at 12:12 pm
I’m surprised that watching Star Wars didn’t make your list. Other favorite movies I want my girls to experience include The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, and Mary Poppins.
May 8, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Star Wars is currently #4 on the Netflix queue. We tried it last year but it was too scary, so this year DC has a pact with DH to watch it together. (But only the original. If DC wants to watch ep “1-3″ ze will have to do that by hirself.)
May 8, 2012 at 2:47 pm
It’s funny reading these because it’s making me recognize where my priorities are: outdoors. So — camping (check, mostly in a camper), tent camping (check), backpacking (when he’s old enough to carry his own backpack!). Building a campfire (check), roasting s’mores (oh, check). I’m ambivalent on the riding a horse thing just because it’s such a commitment but I guess I’d like him to learn to walk-trot-canter in the ring safely, which is sort of what I consider the threshold for being able to go out to ride on a short (1 hour) trail ride on a quiet horse. Assorted travel — though no absolute must-dos. I am looking forward to taking him to the Smithsonian (Air & Space, etc.) when he’s a bit older. Games and such, no strong commitment, though I was huge on backgammon as an early teen and might enjoy that again.
May 8, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Man I sure could go for a s’more right now!
The Smithsonian is(are?) AWESOME. I remember going the first time during a conference trip and thinking how awesome it would be to bring a kid there. (So on another conference trip years later DH and DC tagged along and wore DH out with all the museum going… DC still had plenty of energy.)
May 9, 2012 at 12:46 pm
I like to share old movies I liked with my 7 year old daughter. I wouldn’t mind teaching her what life was like before DVR (she only knows DVR). I think older books are important too, because I don’t want her to miss out on certain cultural references.
May 9, 2012 at 1:58 pm
What specific movies and books?
May 13, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Hm, I would be all over the Star Trek, Star Wars, comics (a variety of indie/the Big Two), all sorts of books because I read ANYthing I could get my hands on with a special affinity for detective and fantasy/scifi because they tended to be series which meant volume. I wasn’t good at anything imaginative/creative myself that required self-starting but that was my sibling’s domain. PiC is fantastic at that sort of thing: give him and the kid a set of blocks and off they go. And outside stuff is good, more him than me these days but I’m more into things like horseback riding and strength training for the sake of self improvement and intrinsically motivated sort of sports – had been since I was about 4. He’s into team things and such. Will be interesting to see what the kid(s) trends towards.
May 14, 2012 at 1:30 pm
We’re watching Dr. Who with the kids too! Some times they get too scared. Does yours? There was one episode we saw that had some kid walking around going “Mummy? Are you my mummy?” and the kids FREAKED out.