the silent stick game

On a recent meditation-related internet wander, I found this very cool website with all kinds of creative ideas for practicing yoga and mindfulness with kids. I ended up drawing from this activity for a meditation blog I write for work, and then trying it out at home with Frances and Gabriel.

 

I called it the silent stick game, and we played it with toothpicks I found in the back of the pantry (last used in the creation of paper helicopters). Each person playing silently places one stick on the table when it is her turn. With every turn, another stick is added, and a collaborative picture slowly forms.

As I might have guessed, this was a challenge for both kids. Gabriel is still too young to abide by rules like no talking and waiting for turns, but Frances and I gave him a pile of toothpicks to work with on his own, which kept him happily employed. Frances was initially disturbed by the fact that she would not have ultimate control over the image we were creating, and by the absence of discussion. My daughter undertakes very little in life without talking about it at great length before, during, and after the endeavor in question. I knew this would be on the growing edge for her.

But the rolling pile of rainbow colored toothpicks on the table proved so enticing that she endured the discomfort and tried out the game in earnest. Success! It was a pleasure to surprise each other, to discover something unexpected, and to watch Frances relax and enjoy being creative in a quiet, collaborative way. I must confess, we were far from silent, but we didn't direct each other either.

 

We played a couple of rounds that resulted in an angular flower and a wacky-haired dancing person, then both kids enjoyed making their own stick pictures for awhile. I loved the quiet, charged air of focused energy in the house - while it lasted. In the future, I don't think I will try this on a tabletop that hovers over a green shag rug made of countless toothpick-sized lengths of wool. Nor will I get over-confident and leave the kids playing with hundreds of pointy toothpicks while I start dinner. (Hopefully I will remember a certain two year old's proclivity to throwing things when frustration hits.) But don't be deterred; I am sure all of you are wiser and more cautious than I am in these sorts of circumstances. Try the silent stick game for yourself and tell me how it goes!