Chutes and Ladders

For Christmas my daughter recieved a Sesame Street version of the game Chutes and Ladders. I am thrilled. Chutes and Ladders was my favorite childhood game. I owned the classic version, and I relished counting the little boxes on the game board, moving my little piece up toward the top. I loved the different ladders propped up across the board, angles skewed. I outwardly dispaired when I landed at the top of a slide, but secretly delighted at the prospect of sliding my piece down a long, curvy chute, even though it meant I might loose my lead in the game to my parents, or even worse, my sticky, mucky little brother. And the best part about the game is all the little pictures inside the squares: good kids/Sesame characters who do something nice and climb up ladders, unfortunate kids/Sesame characters who run into trouble and find themselves fallen in a heap at the bottom of the board after a tumultuous ride down a slide. For the imaginative, each picture is a story starter, details left to the mind. (In fact, If I were still teaching I think I'd write a lesson plan for creative writing based on the Chutes and Ladders board).

My daughter loves her Sesame Street version of this classic game. She adores the little game pieces, and often switches which character represents her on the board half way through the game. Unfortunately they did not include an Oscar the Grouch game piece, so I have to settle for Cookie Monster. He's a good guy though, and I don't mind. Her favorite part of the game? The spinner, of course! Who can resist the allure of a good cardboard spinner? In fact, she usually spins three or four times for each of her turns before I catch her an remind her that she only should spin one time. Maybe we should change the rules and take the best spin out of three. It would be more appropriate for her age, I think. We play daily, but neither of us has been fortunate enough to climb the tallest ladder yet.