Bored? Board game ?

27/03 -  With my legs propped up on my study desk and my back slid half way down the chair in a posture I knew my father would have clearly disapproved of, I was reading ‘The Weather of the Future' when I noticed my laptop acting funny and then just like that it crashed. As I kept staring into the screen and simultaneously messaging Archie in a state of panic, my eyes welled up. I wasn't sure if I would recover all my work related data, pictures of Skip and of our holidays together. I also thought of our blog and that made me sadder.

07/04 - I decided that I might as well start typing out the posts on my phone. I have enough typing practice thanks to WhatsApp. 

When we began with self-isolation, Skip and I made our own board game which Skip declared to be his most favourite game in the whole world. Inspired by Snakes and Ladders, this game will keep you occupied for long hours. It took us three days to complete a game, with Skip winning it. 

Materials required: sheet of paper, pencil, ruler, dice and pawns depending on the number of players. 

      

1. Choose a sheet/chart paper of any size. The bigger the sheet, the longer the game will go on for, keeping the little ones occupied. ;) 

• I didn't have chart paper, so I took two colourful pages from Skip's art book and taped them together. 

2. Draw squares on the chart paper and mark them with numbers as shown in the image above. We got 120 squares. Remember, more the number of squares, the longer the game goes on for. ;);) 

3.The goal is to reach the end of the game by crossing hurdles on the way. The roll of the dice determines the number of moves you can make. We have some standard instructions on the chart such as skip a turn, move up to a higher digit and slide down to a lower digit. 

• Let your creative juices flow now. On other random squares, you can write fun instructions and also instructions that will get you your much needed 10 min break. You can also get your children to help around with household chores, exercise, read books etc.  Involve your child and let them scribble instructions as well. You could zoom in onto our board and copy those instructions as is. 

4. We used a pencil to write on the board so that we could make changes as and when required. Feel free to "beautify" your board game by cutting out the sheet in any shape you like or using stickers/glitter or other artsy bits on it. 

5. Have fun creating your own game and playing it! 

When it's safe to step out of the house and if we happen to bump into each other, do not fail to notice my well-toned arms. Somehow, my pawn always ends up on 53 and 56, much to Skip's delight. 

Skip and I have been watching Ramayana. As Skip doesn't understand Hindi, I have to be his "tour guide" (I've explained to him it's a translator but he insists on calling me that).Sita has been abducted by Raavan and as she lay crying drenched in her own tears and the rains, Skip asked me why Raavan had captured her? I replied saying he wants her to be his Queen.  

Skip: Sita should agree to be his Queen instead of just crying all the time. 

Lulu: Why should she do that? 

Skip: Once she becomes the Queen, she can start giving orders and everyone will have to listen to her. She can then order to be taken back to Rama.  

Hmm…