It's snowing here...again. That means yet another day where we spend most of our time indoors. Sure, the girls will get their obligatory play outside time, but that's it. Otherwise, we're stuck inside. So we do crafts, bake, clean, and play games. I have to admit I am a fan of board games. People call me "The Original Gamer" or "O.G." because I like board games so much! Ok, you got me. No one calls me that, but it would be kinda cool, right? As my hubby rolls his eyes, I'll get back on point.
We like playing board games. We play as a family, as a couple and even have grown-up game nights. There is something to be said for all sitting around a table playing a game and having fun and good conversations. It is one of my favorite activities because of it's simplicity. There are so many types to choose from- card, timer-based, board, imaginative. There are no costs for "updates"- I still have board games I had as a child. They are relatively inexpensive new (around $15-$20) and even cheaper second hand- every thrift store and yard sale will have at least one for sale.
What I don't like about board games is how much space they take up. The packaging seems to encompass so many things I dislike. The graphics are usually of fake people having fake fun with items that don't even resemble the game or it's pieces. That "Hungry Hippo" will never actually growl to life so why show my girls that he will? Rampant consumerism, that's why. I mean, really, why don't they show Checkers pieces wearing capes and soaring over the board, taking each other out? Because that's not marketed toward young, impressionable children. It's for educated, older adults who like to sit in the park, evidently. Not only that, but there is so much of the packagining itself! Do you mean to tell me that a small pile of cards and a board (like in Candy Land) really needs a giant cardboard box? There are those boxes, too, that have yet another piece of cardboard or plastic packaging inside, safely cradling the pieces you are going to rip from their bags and throw back in the box with reckless abandon when you're done. Great.
I had the entire underside of a giant TV stand full of these game boxes and still didn't have enough space for all of them. During one of our many moves a friend of mine said casually (while trying to manuever a HUGE box of games), "You've got a ton of games, I'm surprised you haven't figured out a way to downsize.", genius. I did need to downsize but not in number of games, in the amount of packaging alone. I was on a mission.
I separated the games into kid games and adult games (or games with LOTS of pieces). Then I took the pieces from each game and put them into plastic bags, put the instructions into a pile, and put any boards into another pile. Then I recycled the cardboard. Even after breaking it down I had more than would fit in my standard bin. I had pink and green canvass boxes that had been used in my youngest's nursery and were sitting in storage, so I pulled those out. Pink was for the girls, green for the adults. I had so many games!
Kids Games Shown:
5 Little Monkeys Jumping on The Bed
Spanish/English Opposites Matching Game
Disney Trivia
Twister
Dora The Explorer Matching Game
Goodnight Moon
Candy Land
The Cat in The Hat
Dr. Seuss Matching Game
Checkers
Barrel of Monkeys
Canvas Bag (for imaginative play games, like Charades)
Grown-Ups Games Shown:
Clue
Monopoly
Disney Monopoly
Yahtzee
Scattegories
Apples to Apples
Playing Cards (of multiple sizes)
Battleship
Bag of pens and scrap paper for scoring
Then I packed them up neatly in their new boxes, stacking boards and large items to the side. I also binder clipped together all the instructions so none would be lost.
Of course, there were a few that had too many pieces to consolidate, or were already in small cases, like our Chess set, Cranium, and Backgammon. No matter, I had just cut my board game space by more than 75%. I had my hubby install a shelf high in the living room closet (ours is an open, recessed closet) and stacked everything up there. It was out of reach from the kids, compact, organized, and accessible. All things I truly love!
It was an extremely simple solution that cost us absolutely nothing! For us, living in a city apartment, space is limited and needs to be used smartly. I have done that with this conversion and am thrilled!
And good news, unnamed-friend, moving these games will be much easier next time...probably only one box!
Simple City Sam
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