Sunday, January 29, 2012

What beats technology? Don't Break The Ice, of course!

My kids love technology. They could stay online for hours, love playing x-box games, even create their own videos. It's just part of their culture - I get it.

Sometimes I have to actually push them outside to go play in the real world.

I like technology, too - but I'm not quite so enamored. In fact, I even walk a fine line with cell phones. I have one, of course, But I can't stand to see people walking down the hallway, bumping into walls with their heads buried in their screens, or lunch with someone constantly multi-tasking with their iPhone.

I know - hopelessly old-fashioned. So speaking of which, my husband and I were cleaning out a closet the other night when we came upon a box of board games. The kids were engaged in a Mario battle downstairs, so we decided to play a game of Yahtzee, just for fun.

Lured by the rattle of the dice, the kids wandered upstairs. The game held little appeal. But rifling through the game box, they found something else.

"What's this?" my son said, holding up a blue frame and some white cubes.

I looked at it. "Um ... I think it's 'Don't Break the Ice,'" I said. "We used to play it when you guys were really little."

If you don't remember that game, it's the one where you have little plastic hammers and try to hammer out little cubes without knocking down the main ice cube - which holds a little man.

I couldn't believe it - the kids were fascinated. My son even found a plastic shark to put under the cubes to add to the tension.

We played all night - and then the next afternoon.

Of all the things to push technology to second-place: mom, dad, kids and some fake ice.

4 comments:

  1. Love it! I can't wait until our 2 yearold is old enough for game night. Stopping by from BloggyMoms.

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  2. Thank you! I have to say I was surprised that such a "low-tech" game would hold so much appeal! Hmmm .... maybe I'll have to dig out some of my old favorites like Ker-plunk or Jenga!!

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  3. I agree. I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Over the summer, we had a week without power due to a hurricane and while it was a pain to be without a hair dryer, the hours of playing outside with the kids during the day and teaching them some wicked poker skills at night were priceless. I was almost sad when the power came back on :/

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  4. Completely understand! There just has to be that techno-balance, I think .... tonight my son and I are sitting down and starting the first Harry Potter book. I think he'll really like it. (I know I did!!)

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