Check!

Do you what is very hard to find? Cheap chess boards! I have been looking to replace our old library chess club boards for a while. but let me tell you, they don't make 'em like they used to. I searched Toys R Us, Target, Christmas Tree Shop, all the other usual suspects and all I found were board that were $20 and up! Or marble. Or Simpson's. Or Magnetic/146 Game Combo/Travel Extravaganza! We finally found a decent one in an online board game store, but that was after looking at online chess board stores who wanted to sell me weird vinyl roll up boards that looked like they wouldn't hold up or store very well. Also added a few chess/checkers combos. I did this because I have had several requests to play checkers, which we don't have. I have tried to improvise by giving them chess boards and Connect Four game pieces, but they kept eventually playing Connect Four which is actually a very loud and annoying game to have in the library.

Anywho, the kids will be very pleased with the new boards. We have a long standing Chess Club for Grades 4-8 which is nice group of mostly boys. I thought I would not really like working with middle school boys, but it turns out we have a pretty good relationship after all. It's really very similar to working with 2 year olds, which I love to do. Same silly behavior, same listening issues, same want for all type of attention, good or bad. I do like them though, they are generally very nice group of kids. Watch out when the competition gets fierce though!! Who knew chess could turn into a very loud spectator sport?

On a similar note, these kids are such good kids that I recruited them to teach younger kids how to play. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade chess club (called 1-2-3 Chess!) was the first time we had tried a chess club for a younger set, but I had gotten requests for it so I thought I would give it a try. It was a huge success! The older kids are really good teachers and some of the kids who had never played before we playing each other by the 2nd week! I was actually really impressed by the teaching skills of a few of the kids. It's amazing to watch. They are so patient and have great strategy in teaching them step by step and making sure they are really learning. I don't really know how to play chess (I know, I know, how can I run the clubs if I don't know how to play. Shut it!) so I wouldn't know how to teach it, That's why having these kids volunteer was so crucial. But they all come every week and I had more kids asking to help teach every week. I was up to a one-to-one ratio pretty quickly! It's also a great mentor program, as some kids asked to work with the same child every week. You could see them really bonding and talking as they played. I'm going to get a bit teary now lol So I must now try to find a way to reward all my volunteers, so I'm off to the store! Checkmate!