But I like the wheelbarrow!

Something very important is about to happen and you probably don’t know about it. The makers of Monopoly are in the process of eliminating one of the pieces in the classic board game. Yes, using a Facebook app, the makers of Monopoly are allowing people to vote on their favourite game tokens everyday, and choose a new token for the 21st century. And so far, the loser is the wheelbarrow.

The makers of Monopoly, Hasbro, are offering up several choices for the new tokens, such as: an anthropomorphic robot, a diamond ring, a guitar, a cat with a sparkly collar, and a helicopter. The original tokens are all symbolic of the working class, which is the theme of the Monopoly game, if you think about it. Everyone starts from the bottom and must make shrewd business moves in order to buy those houses and hotels and take over the board. The new tokens are slightly strange, if you look at it with respect to the whole game. But change is eventual in all things, and so Monopoly will evolve, too.

If you feel strongly about keeping your favourite token (even if it’s been years since you played the game), make sure you download the app and start voting today. Of course, if you already own the board game, you can play to your heart’s content with the original pieces until you choose to purchase a new version, so for the most part, this won’t really affect a lot of us. Even so, the wheelbarrow will always be my choice.

It’s time for Storytime!

We’ve had a great summer filled with many different types of programs, including storytime for the little ones.  After this week, we’ll take a short break so that everyone can get settled into their new schedules, and then we’ll start again.

Once again, storytime will take place on Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 10 – 11am.  You may sign up your child for ONE session a week, as they are the same both days. There will be stories, games, songs and crafts. This is a literacy-based program, but we have plenty of fun at the same time.

The program is for children aged 2 – 5, but parents are welcome to bring younger siblings along. If a child is fussy, we ask that you leave the room for a short period so that you don’t disturb everyone else.  There is plenty of space to sit and read and we’ll make sure everyone has time to choose books to take home.  Come a few minutes early so that your child is settled and ready to start when we are!

This is a VERY, VERY popular program and we have limited spaces each day (we need room to move), so please be aware that you MUST register in advance or you might be turned away at the door (and that can be very upsetting to children). Registration begins today for September 13th and 14th, so call us at 613-257-2702 or drop by and register in person.  We can’t wait to see everyone in September!!

Why should we only have fun on Friday?

Seeing as it’s a long weekend coming up, I think we should have a Trivial Tuesday post! How about doing something creative with a few minutes of your time? Draw A Stickman is the wackiest little site I’ve come across in a while.  Choose an episode, draw a stickman in the box provided and then follow the instructions.  I swear, I giggled all the way through the animation! Have fun and be creative!

Transformation Decks

My mother-in-law is an avid card player so this made me think of her right away. There is an artform out there called transformation decks that I’d never heard of, but might consider for an upcoming craft night.

Transformation artists use decks of cards to create original works of art.  Presumably, only new cards are used, and they are designed with the standard front of each card (the hearts, clubs, etc) changed so that they use the shape to form something new.

The standard rule is that the symbols (or Pips, as they are known), should remain in their original form and the artwork designed around them.  Originality and humour play a big part in this type of artwork, and the challenge is to create something that has never been seen before. You can see more about this type of artform and read its history here.

So, the next time you sit down to play a game of cards, instead of ignoring the simple hearts or spades, take a moment to imagine what they might become given the right design.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

On a special day like today (yes, it’s Valentine’s Day for those of you who forgot!), you might want to skip the fancy dinner and roses and stay home for a special games night. Why not break out the old Scrabble Board and try something new?

I came across this interesting board game remix from the wacky people at Hide-and-Seek.  They take traditional games and spin them out into something brand new…and it’s as easy as just fashioning some new rules.  They’ve taken Scrabble and made it into a group effort game where you must use popular acronyms to earn points.  (The version they suggest might be a little risque for some, but you could even make this into a family version, getting the kids involved using texting lingo!). Or try their version of Monopoly (which is called Divorce….not especially aimed at Valentine’s Day, but probably fun.)

You can download the .PDF version of all the game remixes right here.

Have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

Puzzles!

I’m always looking for puzzles for craft nights.  Usually, I’ll search the web and come up with a few good ones for the kids at various levels that relate to the theme of that evening, but sometimes, there just aren’t any new ones out there.  So, I came across a great site that allows you to create your own puzzles….mazes, word searches, number games….the works!  And all you have to do is enter a bit of information to come up with something as simple as this:

Discovery Education’ s Puzzlemaker is a wonderful resource for parents, teachers, librarians and anyone who just enjoys doing puzzles.  Print off a bunch to take to the cottage or make a few special ones for a baby shower or wedding shower, or just print a few to keep the kids going during the March Break! Have fun!