Learning Chess, Poolsharking, Wooden Knives

Learning Chess

I am trying to teach my sons chess. Teddy received a wooden chess board for Christmas and he’s been asking about it more and more. I originally took it with us to spring break but it never rained there so we never had a condo day to sit down just the of us and work through it. Interestingly enough both boys picked up on it fairly quickly after a quick introduction of the rules. They play a bunch together as well although I think their interest is waning. I try to teach them and make sure they don’t get discouraged. It is of course hard not to just demolish them after they make a foolish move. Believe it or not I am not the best chess player in this house, Leslie is a million times better than me and wins against me regularly. We did sign T up for a local chess camp, with B as well, so we’ll see how enthused they get over the game in the future.

Pool Sharks

Part of my son’s birthday gift included a trip to Field and Stream where we purchased a folding knife for him. He loves to “whittle” so we went out to the club for some time together and find some wood. We did end up fishing also for a bit but the duckweed on the lake made that kind of a pain. Inside we played pool together and that was a lot of fun playing with my sons. I tried teaching them the game. Perhaps they’ll remember that of me when they are older. We are so lucky to be members at Dutchman’s. I should also add he wanted this coyote cap and he wore it all over the place. The looks he get is so funny, and a lot of the older people tell him how cool it is which he appreciates.

Wooden Knives

My other son and I put together a wooden knife kit. He’s too young for a steel blade, and I will only give them knives after they pass their wood chip at Cub Scouts, so this had to be an alternative. He does like his wooden knife though and pretends it is real. It is a pretty cool kit. It is a CRKT type knife and has a few parts inside of it that let you build the tensioner and the lock. I honestly didn’t know how a folder worked until I saw this in action. Note – make sure to use wood glue on it or it will fall apart!