The Corn Game

I spent the last few days in Seattle making myself useful. I figured that was a good way to start off my summer--being useful and being in Seattle. Amidst everything, my niece and I invented a new game. The Corn Game, as we call it, is quite simple.

How to Play:

Step One: Take a bowl of mixed white and yellow popcorn kernels.

Step Two: Put a handful of popcorn in a bowl or on a plate and pick out all the yellow ones.

Step Three: Dispose of the now separated corn in any appropriate manner. We threw out the white ones (too old for anything) and kept the yellow ones.

History:

My sister's grinder had recently broken and she thought it might have been because of the old white popcorn she had been grinding for cornbread. And, as we are Brodericks, we couldn't let all the newer yellow corn go to waste just because we wanted to throw out the old white stuff.

My niece had strapped herself into her booster seat because . . . well why do two-year-olds do half the things they do? Who knows. I thought it would be great to get her to help sort the popcorn; it would keep her occupied while my sister worked on dinner and would get the job done. We just weren't sure if she could do it. Well she could and we called it The Corn Game.

Accessorizing The Corn Game:

1. Shout for joy every time you pick out a yellow kernel.

2. Put the yellow kernels in another container before dumping them in with the rest. The more often you dump, the better. You can even dump after one kernel.

3. Allow everyone a chance to get one handful at a time from the mixed kernels to pick through.

4. Occasionally drop a kernel and the person not strapped into a booster seat gets to pick it up.

5. Shout to Mommy that you are playing "The Corn Game," or that you are helping.

Warnings:

1. Let the two-year-old get the last of the mixed kernels from the container.

2. Discourage the swallowing of kernels.


So, does anyone else have "games" you've made up to keep kids occupied?


Co-author of "The Corn Game"