Papa Knew It Would Be Good For School...

Heroscape, that is. Mama didn't really bother to have an opinion either way. Imagine my unschooling delight to not only see my boys playing a "grown-up" (kind of) game together without help and without fighting...

They used to randomly pick their armies. One day I mentioned that each character has points and you usually make sure each player has the same number of points. Then I continued washing dishes... The next day Brannon was counting up points to make sure they had about the same. I asked him how he knew he had the right number of points. "Well," he said, "if my card has 170 points and Joshua's card has 120 points I just find the difference between 7 and 2 which is 5. Then I know I need to find Joshua a guy with 50 points." Upon further inquiry I discovered he'd asked Papa to help him count points and Nate had explained to him that counting by hundreds and tens is no different than counting by ones. The information sank in and stuck.

Brannon will often make up character cards writing 'moov' 'utack' 'range' and 'defense' and assigning point values. He is learning to make a balanced character that works realistically within the game.

They are both learning to add up how many dice they need for each turn and the simple addition and subtraction needed to carry out their "attack" and "defense"

I've been asked a couple of times to read out a character's "special attack" or some other information they only need once in a while. I think they'll start trying to read them themselves pretty soon.


I suppose we'll be back to science experiments and easy reader books in a week or so, when the heroscape craze wears off, or maybe it will be on to something new. Who knows. My suggestions and thoughts on what will interest them and get them learning are wrong at least as often as they are right. I just keep searching and suggesting and grabbing opportunities (carefully! It's so easy to go overboard and start pushing...) to teach through what they are doing day to day.

It's possible Brannon will need a lot more structure next year, or will want it. I don't know. I've never done this before, so for now it's one day at a time. And lots of prayers for wisdom! ;-)