The Rock Game
May. 27th, 2019 12:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lenora_roseThe rules of the rock game are, like most kids' games, both simple and complex. From the mother's perspective, it is a meditation of sorts, involving as it does repetition and the picking out visually of fine details. From the Joseph's, it is a game, an entertainment - and possibly also a meditation. There is comfort in numbers, in their reliability.
The rock game is not played every time there is a visit to a play structure - it depends on having a low number of children specifically interested in that precise slide. However, it does provide structure and direction on those days where there are few other children, and is a reliable go-to for calming. Mom will generally scope out the playground's current set up for suitability, and pick up potential rocks before the request is made, but wait for the request before beginning.
Requires:
TOOLS:
- A collection of Big Rocks.*
- A playground with a play structure containing a flat surface within parental reach and a slide, and a low number of other children on that slide/that structure.
PLAYERS:
- A Mommy Lenora (Very rarely replaced by a Daddy Colin or by another child trying to figure out how to play with Joseph.)
- A Joseph, ages 3.5 through 7.5 (assumed to be suited Josephs of greater ages, but upper limit remains to be seen.)
* A Big Rock is a rock of sufficient size, and of colour/material, to be easily distinguishable from the regular gravel in a children's playground and/or the wood chips, whichever is in use. Generally this means about an inch, and ideally left rough (though not sharp), not tumbled, as gravel is tumbled, and the edges are more visible at smaller sizes. (Tumbled) river rock of adequately different size or material CAN be options, if more readily available. Quartz is fabulous as it stands out well, but also tends to vanish between uses, as other kids take them home. Fancy rocks or rocks one has any interest in keeping should not be used, as too often there is not an opportunity to retrieve them.
(Big rocks, despite their name, should ALSO not be more than about 2 inches, in case of other kids at the bottom of the slide, or possible damage to the slide. Truly big rocks are not suitable as Big Rocks.)
RULES (Original):
Mom scours area for potential Big Rocks, building up an initial collection sufficient to start the game. (So far, there have been almost no suitable playgrounds, at all, where no Big Rocks can be found nearby, though there are ones where it is easier and harder).
Upon Joseph's expressed interest in the game (Or, more rarely, as an overture) Mom takes one Big rock* from wherever in the vicinity big rocks can be found, or from collection already in hand/pocket. She places it on a flat surface on the play structure, ideally suitably near the slide.
Joseph takes the rock, and slides it down the slide, and slides himself down the slide.
While Joseph is climbing the play structure again, usually via a Standard Route, Mom places two Big Rocks on the same flat surface of the play structure.
The two Big Rocks and the Joseph go down the slide, in that order.
Repeat all steps, increasing the number of Big Rocks by one each time, generally in a rough line. Generally the rocks will be slid down one at a time, though sometimes they go in very rapid succession, or in handfuls.
Game ends when the available Big Rocks are exhausted (rare), Mom gets tired (fairly common once we get past 15), we reach the number Joseph has designated for this given day as the end (Also common; at one point it started at 15 and also increased by one per day, but that reset long ago, and he defaults to 20 as his baseline), Joseph gets bored (Very rare, though interrupting the game for a short term distraction may occur before he asks to resume), or something else happens to derail the game (moderately rare unless his younger brother is also in the playground or the number of unrelated children on the playground is over 5-6 total; then it's common.)
Mom periodically retrieves the Big Rocks at the base of the slide to ensure the number of Big Rocks is sufficient, and periodically scours the ground for more. breaks for such hunts are tolerated, just as breaks for other-sibling control are.
Other children should not touch the rocks, or slide the rocks, and the times this occurs do not count towards the sequence. (unless taking the place of Mom and following the rules closely; this is rare enough it is a noteable change when it happens. Other kids want more input into rules or activities most of the time). Other children MAY use the slide between sets.
VARIANTS:
Variants have come up more as Joseph ages, but he also specifically requests sticking to the original rules at times.
1) As well as setting up the rocks, Mom and Joseph alternate sending them down the slide. When Joseph sends them down, Joseph slides. When Mom sends them down, Mom and Joseph usually slide. Generally if Mom has a say, Mom takes the Even numbers.
1a) If the slide is of a style that permits. When Mom slides the rocks down, Joseph is balanced on the slide such that the rocks can pass under him. When Mom slides down, she is expected to slide to him, scoop him up, and slide down with him.
1b) When Mom slides down, Joseph climbs on her and is held in an embrace the whole way down. This is also called an "I love you", as in "The I Love You goes down the slide". (1a may or may not count as an I Love You. Specific reasoning why is unclear but is assumed to be about the length of the slide left to go.)
2) CAN be done with the 1 variants but tends not to be. If the surface is low enough to see, with rock totals 3 or higher, rocks are places in basic and equally-sided geometric shapes before being retrieved and slid. This has included shapes up to decagons, or simpler shapes side by side or one inside another (Eg, a 13 sided shape, a heptagon inside a hexagon, or 2 squares and a pentagon side by side are ways to express 13.) Joseph will usually dictate the shapes, but not necessarily. He will also occasionally forbid this variant.
3) Can be done simultaneous with variant 2. Mom places the rocks on the play structure, and in a relatively small area so they can be visually totaled easily, but not necessarily next to the slide, requiring Joseph to roam the structure more, and to do the planning needed to carry the larger numbers of rocks. Usually Mom will dictate their placement, but occasionally Joseph will.
3a) The rocks will be slid down a slide, but which of the available slides may vary. (All rocks in a given number will go down the same slide. Eg., 6 Big Rocks will go down the blue slide and 7 Big Rocks down the left-hand Red Slide).
The rock game is not played every time there is a visit to a play structure - it depends on having a low number of children specifically interested in that precise slide. However, it does provide structure and direction on those days where there are few other children, and is a reliable go-to for calming. Mom will generally scope out the playground's current set up for suitability, and pick up potential rocks before the request is made, but wait for the request before beginning.
Requires:
TOOLS:
- A collection of Big Rocks.*
- A playground with a play structure containing a flat surface within parental reach and a slide, and a low number of other children on that slide/that structure.
PLAYERS:
- A Mommy Lenora (Very rarely replaced by a Daddy Colin or by another child trying to figure out how to play with Joseph.)
- A Joseph, ages 3.5 through 7.5 (assumed to be suited Josephs of greater ages, but upper limit remains to be seen.)
* A Big Rock is a rock of sufficient size, and of colour/material, to be easily distinguishable from the regular gravel in a children's playground and/or the wood chips, whichever is in use. Generally this means about an inch, and ideally left rough (though not sharp), not tumbled, as gravel is tumbled, and the edges are more visible at smaller sizes. (Tumbled) river rock of adequately different size or material CAN be options, if more readily available. Quartz is fabulous as it stands out well, but also tends to vanish between uses, as other kids take them home. Fancy rocks or rocks one has any interest in keeping should not be used, as too often there is not an opportunity to retrieve them.
(Big rocks, despite their name, should ALSO not be more than about 2 inches, in case of other kids at the bottom of the slide, or possible damage to the slide. Truly big rocks are not suitable as Big Rocks.)
RULES (Original):
Mom scours area for potential Big Rocks, building up an initial collection sufficient to start the game. (So far, there have been almost no suitable playgrounds, at all, where no Big Rocks can be found nearby, though there are ones where it is easier and harder).
Upon Joseph's expressed interest in the game (Or, more rarely, as an overture) Mom takes one Big rock* from wherever in the vicinity big rocks can be found, or from collection already in hand/pocket. She places it on a flat surface on the play structure, ideally suitably near the slide.
Joseph takes the rock, and slides it down the slide, and slides himself down the slide.
While Joseph is climbing the play structure again, usually via a Standard Route, Mom places two Big Rocks on the same flat surface of the play structure.
The two Big Rocks and the Joseph go down the slide, in that order.
Repeat all steps, increasing the number of Big Rocks by one each time, generally in a rough line. Generally the rocks will be slid down one at a time, though sometimes they go in very rapid succession, or in handfuls.
Game ends when the available Big Rocks are exhausted (rare), Mom gets tired (fairly common once we get past 15), we reach the number Joseph has designated for this given day as the end (Also common; at one point it started at 15 and also increased by one per day, but that reset long ago, and he defaults to 20 as his baseline), Joseph gets bored (Very rare, though interrupting the game for a short term distraction may occur before he asks to resume), or something else happens to derail the game (moderately rare unless his younger brother is also in the playground or the number of unrelated children on the playground is over 5-6 total; then it's common.)
Mom periodically retrieves the Big Rocks at the base of the slide to ensure the number of Big Rocks is sufficient, and periodically scours the ground for more. breaks for such hunts are tolerated, just as breaks for other-sibling control are.
Other children should not touch the rocks, or slide the rocks, and the times this occurs do not count towards the sequence. (unless taking the place of Mom and following the rules closely; this is rare enough it is a noteable change when it happens. Other kids want more input into rules or activities most of the time). Other children MAY use the slide between sets.
VARIANTS:
Variants have come up more as Joseph ages, but he also specifically requests sticking to the original rules at times.
1) As well as setting up the rocks, Mom and Joseph alternate sending them down the slide. When Joseph sends them down, Joseph slides. When Mom sends them down, Mom and Joseph usually slide. Generally if Mom has a say, Mom takes the Even numbers.
1a) If the slide is of a style that permits. When Mom slides the rocks down, Joseph is balanced on the slide such that the rocks can pass under him. When Mom slides down, she is expected to slide to him, scoop him up, and slide down with him.
1b) When Mom slides down, Joseph climbs on her and is held in an embrace the whole way down. This is also called an "I love you", as in "The I Love You goes down the slide". (1a may or may not count as an I Love You. Specific reasoning why is unclear but is assumed to be about the length of the slide left to go.)
2) CAN be done with the 1 variants but tends not to be. If the surface is low enough to see, with rock totals 3 or higher, rocks are places in basic and equally-sided geometric shapes before being retrieved and slid. This has included shapes up to decagons, or simpler shapes side by side or one inside another (Eg, a 13 sided shape, a heptagon inside a hexagon, or 2 squares and a pentagon side by side are ways to express 13.) Joseph will usually dictate the shapes, but not necessarily. He will also occasionally forbid this variant.
3) Can be done simultaneous with variant 2. Mom places the rocks on the play structure, and in a relatively small area so they can be visually totaled easily, but not necessarily next to the slide, requiring Joseph to roam the structure more, and to do the planning needed to carry the larger numbers of rocks. Usually Mom will dictate their placement, but occasionally Joseph will.
3a) The rocks will be slid down a slide, but which of the available slides may vary. (All rocks in a given number will go down the same slide. Eg., 6 Big Rocks will go down the blue slide and 7 Big Rocks down the left-hand Red Slide).
