The first few illustrations in the new picture book Mitchell Goes Bowling depict a young boy reaching for a glass of milk while reading a book (knocking over the glass in the process), followed by the same child kicking a stack of lettered blocks, running through a stack of papers under the glare of the hard-at-work mama sitting at a table, and ramming head first into the legs of his dad.
Mitchell ALWAYS knocked things down. That’s just how he rolled.
Author Hallie Durand and illustrator Tony Fucile have teamed up again to bring us another adventure with energetic Mitchell and his fast-thinking father. If your kids loved Mitchell’s License, then they’ll surely want to check out this one.
One Saturday, Mitchell’s dad literally scoops him up in the middle of a jump to knock into him and brings him on a surprise adventure. Mitchell may not have known what a bowling alley was before, but he immediately knows this is his kind of place. As he and his father begin to play, Mitchell is curious about how the place works– where does his ball go, and how does it pop back up? He might be a newbie, but his father is clearly a bowling expert, and he shows him how the game works, including what an X means on the score sheet, since that’s what his dad keeps on getting.
Mitchell wants to get an X. He needs to get an X. He is determined to get that X.
Uh-oh… will Mitchell get too frustrated to go on after lots of turns and no strikes? No need to worry. Remember how Mitchell’s dad is a pretty good fast-thinker? He has a great idea to help Mitchell feel better and to keep going after that elusive X.
As a parent, there was much in this book to relate to, for my own kids do enjoy going bowling, though there are sometimes bad feelings when scores get compared. This is a fun reminder to parents about the importance of helping kids through their frustrations, and Mitchell’s dad continues to be a calm and fun parental character. So often children’s literature presents a mom/child combination, and when dads are present, they sometimes are depicted as inept or just plain goofy. That’s one reason I love Durand’s books with Mitchell and his dad, because they show a competent and compassionate father who genuinely knows what works best for his son, and he can parent effectively in a fun and playful manner.
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A fun activity that spans our kids’ ages is a game of charades. We’ve also done a group scavenger or treasure hunt. Geocaching can be fun, too.
Every Columbus Day, we hold our annual boat competition/races. Each child builds a boat with specified materials (e.g., square foot of aluminum foil, hot glue, q-tips, etc.) and then competes in a number of categories — appearance, creativity or innovative design, speed, holds most cargo (pennies), sea-worthiness, etc. The competition is challenging and fun.
Each of the above activities have their frustrating moments, but are good opportunities for learning, laughing, and bonding as a family.
Skating is special for all of us.
We enjoy playing volleyball!
Thanks, Cindi
A FUN ACTIVITY WE ENJOY IS BOWLING
We love getting on the water and canoeing and kayaking but fighting always happens when deciding on who gets to ride by themselves
We enjoy family board games.
Minature golf causes issues sometimes