The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down!

Fine...here's a few turkey songs for you:

"T" is for turkey, that's good enough for me.
Oh, turkey, turkey, turkey starts with "T".


(to the tune of Oh, Clementine)
Oh my turkey,
Oh my turkey,
Oh my turkey on my plate!
It is sitting there
Beside my taters
Oh my tukey on my plate!


There once was a turkey named Phil,
Who I took out back to kill.
He said, "You're a putz,
I'm far from prime cuts.
So just take me back inside and chill."


Hey diddle, diddle
The turkey has a fiddle
And he played such a lively ol' tune.
My inlaws are wierd
I just shaved my beard
So stop taunting me about not being able to come up with a turkey song and just go make one up yourselves! :P

Because I Can't Think of a Good Turkey Song

"C"...that's the way it begins
"H"...is the next letter in
"I"...that is the third
"C"...you've already heard
"K"...that ol' letter's my friend
"E"...now we're nearing the end
C-H-I-C-K-E-N, that is the way to spell "chicken"

Pre-Tweens

(A Gleemax Post)

I’m going to group 10- and 11-year olds together mostly because, since my oldest is only nine, I have very little experience here. I have worked with Cub Scouts of this age before, so there is some things to pass along. This will be the final age group that I will specifically look at, so I can start moving into other areas.

May be experiencing rapid growth. Enjoys sports that require strength, speed, and skill. Has periods of playing, pushing, wrestling, poking, and giggling. Is restless, active, and impatient. May differ from peers in physical size and coordination. Does not like to be treated like a child. Is concerned about physical appearance.

Enjoys abstract concepts and ideas. Makes conclusions based on prior learning. Likes to be challenged in mental tasks. Is decisive and reasonable. Enjoys memorization. Likes to set goals. Thinks more logically. Enjoys learning. Has a good attention span. Understands more precisely the meaning of words, and can define abstract terms. Has humor that may seem ridiculous to adults.

Is social and competitive. Possesses strong loyalty to groups. Has much positive and negative interaction with peers. Has friendships that are more complex and intense. Relies on best friends. Values peers’ opinions and standards more highly than those of adults. Is sometimes critical of adults’ judgments and of others’ feelings. Likes to tease or play roughly. Is sometimes rude and uncooperative, and at other times is friendly and cooperative.

Is critical of self and resentful of others’ criticism. May feel that everything he or she does is wrong, especially if criticized. Has worries and fears about school and friends. Is very sensitive, especially about self. Has doubts and insecurities. Is sometimes touchy and irritable, and is very conscious of being treated fairly. Is able to be polite, serious, honest, and sincere. Desires to be independent and have responsibilities.

Suggestions for gaming:

Recognize that he or she is growing and maturing. Do not force interaction with the opposite sex. Provide opportunities for him or her to participate in physical activities that provide outlets for his or her energy. Teach fairness and the value of social and competitive gaming.

Stimulate thinking by using questions, memorization, and problem-solving games. Allow him or her to make decisions and set their own strategy and goals.

Respond to the need to belong to groups and be influenced by them – helping them run their own gaming group can provide a great feeling of belonging. It provides an activity that allows interaction with peers. Encourage group planning and group work. Teach him or her to be sensitive to those who are not accepted by others – there is value in inviting others to play. Give responsibilities and assignments, and help ensure follow-through.

From what little I’ve dealt with before, I am looking forward to working with my own kids to continue developing their gaming skills, to include organizing their own group (which may just end up growing beyond their own little group of friends) and the confidence to try the more grown-up strategy and role-playing games. I can also see it as a bit of a sad time as my children move from being “kids” to being “youths”. They grow up fast and I have to take the time to enjoy who they are now. They will be surly teenagers before I realize it; p

Cloud Nine

(A Gleemax Post)

Being nine must be rough at times. Social pressures are really starting to bear down on kids this age. Not to say that social pressures weren’t there before, but by the time 3rd and 4th grades (in the USA) roll around, social hierarchies are starting to really take shape. Kids are trying to figure out where they fit in the pecking order of school. Gaming can help a child feel like a part of a group if that might be missing elsewhere in life. Or, if they are already part of a group (or a leader of one) gaming can help them socialize with others from different social circles. So here we go with the general characteristics of nine-year olds:

Enjoys team games. Has good body control. Is interested in developing strength, skill, and speed. Likes more complicated crafts and handwork.

Is able to remain interested in subjects or activities for a longer period of time. Seeks facts. Likes memorization. Has definite interests and curiosity. Likes reading, writing, and keeping records. Is interested in the community and other cultures and peoples. Enjoys learning about the past and the present. Likes to collect things.

Enjoys being with groups of people of the same gender. Likes group adventures and cooperative play, but also likes competition. Tests authority and exercises independence. Spends much time with friends.

Has some behavior problems, especially if he or she is not accepted by others. Is becoming very independent, dependable, and trustworthy. Is concerned about being fair, and argues over fairness. Is better able to accept his or her own failures and mistakes and take responsibility for personal actions. Is sometimes silly.

Is well aware of right and wrong. Wants to do right, but sometimes rebels. Is greatly influenced by others.

Suggestions:

Provide a variety of activities, including team games, to sustain interest and help the child develop skills.

Give specific information and facts about the rules. They want to understand how the game WORKS, not necessarily just how to play.

Do not give all the answers and strategies; allow the child time to think about and discuss answers.

Playing games about other peoples and cultures and about history can really spark their interest.

Recognize the child’s need for peer acceptance. Establish and maintain reasonable limits, but allow for independence. Teach the child how to be gracious, even when the child feels that he or she has not won. No one is ever too old to learn good sportsmanship.

Mary is our nine-year old and our oldest child. Although I had worked with younger kids prior to her birth, she was the first real experience I had with being involved with a kid on a daily basis. It was a learning experience for both of us.

Mary is a very “take charge” type of person who loves to lead games and activities. She can usually be found leading her younger siblings in a play they made up for us adults, or gathering everyone together for a board game. Then again, I often find my D&D miniatures and maps spread out across the floor (and sometimes into the hallway) so she can play “house” with them. It is quite strange to see Meepo the Dragonlord wandering across the landscape with the Warden of the Woods to go visit their friends Celestial Pegasus and Bluespawn Godslayer (with an occasional side trek to tell the various undead figures to play nice).

Although she is a gamer at heart, Mary is a lot like me when it comes to actually playing. She would rather play a game to socialize than to be completely intent on winning. Sure, she likes to win, but no longer feels emotionally devastated when she loses – as long as everyone has fun, she is having fun. Of course, there are those times when she is overly bossy during games…reminds me of the Paranoid RPG: “Happiness is Mandatory!”

It is a little hard for me to pick out Mary’s favorite games. I think it would be safe to say that her favorite is whichever one she is currently playing. Be that as it may, she loves to play D&D (role-playing and minis) and, having recently developed a love of horses, the “game” of Bella Sara (which is mostly about trading card collecting). Other than that, she loves to play just about anything else – to the point of making something up if there is nothing else around.

Great to Be Eight

(A Gleemax Blog)

Eight-year olds are great. In my culture, this is the age of accountability – the age when a child is fully aware of knowing right from wrong. They are no longer “little kids”; they have become “big kids.” It’s an amazing time of life. Here are some brief characteristics:

Is becoming more coordinated. Wiggles and squirms. Has nervous habits. Plays organized games that require physical skill. Has a good attention span. Wants to be included.

Wants to know the reason for things. Is anxious to share his or her knowledge. Thinks he or she knows a lot, but is beginning to recognize that others may know even more. Is judgmental. Has heroes. Enjoys writing, reading, and pretending.

Enjoys group play with simple rules. Prefers to be with own gender in group play. Is more cooperative and less insistent on having his or her own way. Wants to have a best friend. Has a strong need for independence, but also relies on adults for guidance and security.

Is usually affectionate, helpful, cheerful, outgoing, and curious, but can also be rude, selfish, bossy, and demanding. Is sensitive to criticism. Criticizes self and others. Is sometimes giggly and silly. Experiences guilt and shame.

Suggestions:

Use games that require coordination and allow the child to use his or her energy. Be patient with clumsiness, unpleasant habits, and squirming. Alternate quiet and active periods.

Use games, stores, pictures, and problem-solving activities to encourage learning. Use reading, writing, and role-playing. Help the child set realistic goals. Encourage the child to be more concerned about his or her own behavior than that of others. Provide the child with appropriate heroes.

Provide opportunities for group interaction, cooperation, and sharing. Recognize that his or her friendships can be intense. Help the child become part of the group if he or she does not have close friends. Let the child work with other children and with you to make group rules and other decisions. Allow him or her to work independently.

Help the child recognize and deal constructively with negative emotions. Show interest and enthusiasm. Praise and build self-confidence; do not criticize or compare the child with other children. Recognize the child’s efforts and accomplishments. Let the child enjoy humor when appropriate, and be patient with giggling. Teach him or her that others make mistakes.

There is a lot to be said about unstructured playtime. As an experiment, let the child make up his or her own game rules and just see what happens. Honestly, it most likely won’t be balanced or fair, but it helps stretch their imaginations and creativity. I am constantly seeing my kids making up their own rules. Perhaps you could work with your child to develop some rules together…just don’t dominate the conversation.

Therapeutic Shower Singing

Yesterday was a bad day. Nothing specific, but I just woke up mad and kept up a low-level irritation all day long. Well, almost all day. When I got home, I started listening to some Bobs music and started to mellow out a little. Finally, I decided to take a shower.

Many years ago, I used to sing in the shower. I'm not talking about generally mumbling out a tune, I'm talking about singing at the absolute top of my lungs. I haven't done that in many years, but today... Perhaps it should come as no surprise that every one of my kids (even Benjamin) was huddled around the door listening to me, giggling, and occasionally shouting out requests. What did come as a surprise is that none of them are old enough to have heard me sing in the shower before. Leslie told them that I used to do it all the time and they thought it was pretty funny.

It really kinda shocked me to realize that I really DON'T sing as much as I used to. I really should do it more. It does wonders for my kids, my mood, and (perhaps most importantly) it makes my wife smile.