family time – Mom Read It

Dot Unplugged, by Randi Zuckerberg/Illustrated by The Jim Henson Company, (Feb. 2020, Candlewick Press), $22.99, ISBN: 9781536209839

Ages 4-7

Wow, do we need this book now. Dot and her family are addicted to their screens, to the point where Scratch, the family dog, is feeling pretty neglected. A power outage reminds Mom that it’s the National day of Unplugging, so the family has to get creative in finding ways to have fun sans electricity. And boy, do they! They search their basement and find a spin game that encourages them to do something fun with each spin of the wheel: sing a song, craft something, the possibilities are pretty endless.

The National Day of Unplugging was March 6th, but Dot Unplugged is pretty relevant these days, too. Many of us are at home with our kids, and we’re going to need a break from screens. Dot Unplugged is a great way to show kids the fun and importance of family time, and how creative thinking makes things even better. Play a tabletop game; bust out some Lincoln Logs and some Legos; make up a game to play together. Family time is a great time to connect, laugh, and enjoy each other.

The digital, cartoony illustrations are fun, bright, and bold, really attracting the reader’s eye. There’s a list of 50 unplugged activities at the end of the book to give you a jumping off point. This one’s a fun add and a helpful one.

I may have mentioned once or twice that I’ve developed a bit of a tabletop addiction. Since my last post about gaming in the library, I’ve Kickstarted… well, lot; and I’ve discovered great games by going to the Boston Festival of Indie Games every September. This past time around, we discovered yet another game that provides for laughs, smack talk, and great family time.

Jason Wiser created Monsters in the Elevator with his 7 year-old daughter, and the premise is simple and hilarious: there’s an elevator going up and down in a building. Monsters are getting on and off the elevator. Elevators have weight limits, right? Each monster has its weight listed on a card, and you have to work together to keep that elevator from getting overloaded and crashing! There’s help along the way – certain monsters get off at certain floors; some monsters get sick and have to leave the elevator, or even better, some monsters let loose some gas that clears the elevator pretty darned fast (there is no end to the joy a card like that brings when my family plays).

It’s a math game, and it’s FUN. The fact that it’s cooperative makes it a great game for younger kids; my 4 year-old is even able to play with our help. We all work together to keep the elevator from falling. My husband got to meet Jason Wiser at BFIG last year and had nothing but great things to say, and I love that he created a family game with his own kid. It’s kid-tested, parent-approved, and now, librarian approved: my Corona Kids and I had some intense gaming sessions with my deck, and I’ll be introducing it to the Elmhurst kids very soon.

Monsters in the Elevator is available for the next five days through IndieGogo, where there are some nice backer gifts, including stickers (because seriously, monster stickers, who doesn’t love that?), and it’s also one of the five games featured on Hasbro’s Next Great Family Game Challenge. If you enjoy and want to support indie gaming, this is a fun, educational one to add to your game pile.

Tag: family time

Unplug with Dot and her Family!

Tabletop Gaming: Monsters in the Elevator