Author Topic: Indoctrinating others and more... (Read 6388 times)

SpaZ_88 · « **on:** June 21, 2017, 04:23:54 AM »

Something great happened today and I have to tell someone who will appreciate it as much as me (well, besides my Dad, I rang him to tell him.)

I teach a grade four/five class and early in the year I told them about my love for board games and made sure we had a few in the class. Every Friday afternoon we have time for board games before the end of the day (because it's the best way to encourage problem solving skills and positive social interaction at that time of the week! Or so I tell my boss...) and at the start of the year I had them watch a video of how to play Carcassonne and taught them all to play. Every week there are a good handful that want to play and some who beg me to play with them, which is great.

Today, however, I got the best news yet. One of the boys in my class had his birthday this week and got Carcassonne for his birthday! A few have said they want it but this was the first one that came to fruition!

Also, today I made a copy of Die Stadttore, which is exciting.

And, does anyone else have a name for their count or other meeple pieces? Tonight my sister decided that my count's name is Vlad.

Thanks for reading my stories of you made it this far!!

SpaZ

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=3425.0

danisthirty · « **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2017, 04:30:02 AM »

What a great post! Congratulations SpaZ_88 and thanks for sharing it with us!

+1 merit from me for your efforts. Looking forward to hearing about more of your class buying the game!

Decar · « **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2017, 04:43:51 AM »

Merit from me too - It's great hearing about the encouragement you're bringing to future gamers! Who know one of them might be the future world champion, all thanks to you

SpaZ_88 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 21, 2017, 05:12:19 AM »

Haha thanks!

I have one boy who is absolutely dying to have Star Wars Carcassonne. When I got my copy in the mail, I took it to school and took it out of the shrink wrap with the kids (most of them have never had the experience of punching tiles before!) He was so excited and asks me to bring it every week without fail because he loves it so much.

I work in a low socioeconomic area, I just think it's good to expose the kids to more complex board games (as well as classical music and older literature and I apologise for nothing!)

Squiffything · « **Reply #4 on:** June 21, 2017, 05:22:16 AM »

Hmm naming ones meeples.....

Hadn't thought of that but how does Count Squiffalot sound?

Well done on the gaming for kids. It's important for them to multiplay and getting them away from the "in the bedroom video game loneliness" that is modern life these days has to be commended.

As a teacher you should maybe think about approaching a few of the smaller games manufacturers and offer yourself up as a games demo volunteer. Some will offer games to you to trial/demo for them and having a ready made audience to demo to/play with has to be a benefit to the companies.

It's certainly worth a few emails being sent out.

Chooselife · « **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2017, 08:04:34 AM »

Merit for you.
Keep up the good work.

Just a Bill · « **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2017, 11:07:31 AM »

You are bringing learning, culture, history, fun, and wonder into the lives of children, and it's hard to think of much that's more worthy of merit than that. +1 for you!

SpaZ_88 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 21, 2017, 12:55:14 PM »

Quote from: Squiffything on June 21, 2017, 05:22:16 AM

Hmm naming ones meeples.....

Hadn't thought of that but how does Count Squiffalot sound?

I like it! I have a mental image of a Count-village made from carc tiles in which Count Squiffalot has a large field next to his city in which he plays with his countless fluffy bunnies, whilst Count Vlad lives across the river and is a bit more of a loner because there are rumours in the village that Vlad's family were all vampires, but they actually weren't. I think your Count sounds like just the eccentric type to befriend mine when one day, a league of bunnies inflitrates Count Vlad's home...

(Can you tell I've been teaching creative writing lately? I can't wait to tell the kids this story - sorry if it's not quite the image you had in mind for Count Squiffalot!)

Thanks also for the demo game idea - I will definitely look into it!!

What a nice forum to be a part of - I teach the way I do because I love my job and the opportunities it affords, but it's nice that other people appreciate what you do. Thanks for the encouragement

SpaZ

Squiffything · « **Reply #8 on:** June 21, 2017, 01:57:28 PM »

Hee hee hee I like the thought of my bunnies running free over the fields of Carcassonne.

Enter the Watership Down expansion

Then the horror hits and the fluffy white bunnies turn into killer bunnies and in a cold damp foggy backdrop of rocks and craggy heathland a Month Python holy grail killer rabbit scene ensues.....

"It's only a rabbit!"

Decar · « **Reply #9 on:** June 21, 2017, 02:14:06 PM »

Bright eyes, how can you close and fail?

wolnic · « **Reply #10 on:** June 21, 2017, 02:56:29 PM »

Bunnies and Burrows (*) anyone?

(*) Wikipedia link

It came out a few years after the original Dungeons and Dragons - I think someone in our Wargames group got hold of a copy ... although we never actually played it. I seem to recall "vorpal bunnies" ...

SpaZ_88 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 22, 2017, 05:03:59 AM »

Oh dear, Squiffything, the story took an unexpected turn! Luckily, Vlad has magical powers that he has kept hidden all his life and can turn the rampant, killer bunnies into pianos (he seldom uses his magical ability, so it's a bit rusty!) However, now he is effectively trapped inside his house due all available space being taken up by said pianos.

Whatever will he do next??

PS. wolnic - how funny!! I literally laughed aloud reading the title and description of that book!

SpaZ_88 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 29, 2017, 05:14:42 AM »

Today's Carcassonne-related adventure in my classroom involved baking meeple cookies! We had a morning of baking for our end-of-term reward and I just couldn't help myself...

PS. Can't wait to make meeple gingerbread to eat when my copy of Die Lebkuchenmann arrives!

PPS. I do have photos but apparently my phone doesn't want to load them so I may have to wait until when I am next on my computer...

Decar · « **Reply #13 on:** June 29, 2017, 08:51:39 AM »

What could take better than a Gingerbread Meeple!

Looking forward to seeing those photos!

ARabidMeerkat · « **Reply #14 on:** June 29, 2017, 09:38:03 AM »

Quote from: SpaZ_88 on June 21, 2017, 04:23:54 AM

Every Friday afternoon we have time for board games before the end of the day (because it's the best way to encourage problem solving skills and positive social interaction at that time of the week! Or so I tell my boss...)

It's so funny to think what those of us in education can use in lessons if we word things correctly!