Rhyme Time

Have you ever seen the movie Private Eyes (1980)? It was a favorite of ours growing up. Starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway, these two dim-witted investigators are out to solve a murder, Sherlock Holmes-style. They keep getting clues from the killer in the form of rhyming couplets:

In this house, it's hard to survive.
Some'll be dead, who are now alive.
Mr. Uwatsum is gone, 'cause he knew too much.
Bye for now, but rest assured we'll keep in constant contact with each other.

We've got a couple of favorite games we play when we are in the car or walking somewhere. They are called, "I'm thinking of something" and "Does that rhyme?" I know, really clever names, right? In case you are unfamiliar with them, I'll explain.

"I'm Thinking of Something" - One player thinks of something and gives us the starting letter. The rest of the players try to guess what the player is thinking of. After approximately three guesses, one of the small players usually says (exasperatingly), "Give us a clue." A clue is issued, and the answer is given. Turns are taken around, Diddles usually takes a turn as well (with the help of a sibling), and her clues are usually "bottle, crib, blanket, etc".



Yaks will inevitably start off thinking one thing, and then end up thinking of something else. This wouldn't be a big deal, but he never tells us that he's switched letters! Here's an example from last night's walk:



Yaks: "I'm finking of somefing dat starts wiff duh letter....(sigh) G."
Amy & Boo: "Grapes? Goat? Gate? "
Boo: "Yaks, give us a clue."
Yaks: "It's someone who comes home from work."
Amy: "Grandpa?" (Grandpa starts with a G)
Boo: "Daddy?"
Yaks: "Yes, Daddy!"
Boo: "Yaks!? Daddy doesn't start with a G, it starts with a D! You're a Linselot."

Oh, gosh.

"Does That Rhyme" - This game requires a bit more work on my part. The kids barrage me with word pairs, and I give them a "yes" or a "no" as to whether or not they rhyme. It's exhausting. Boo's almost got it down, but she gives a lot of nonsense Dr.Seuss words.

Boo: "Does Fox and Mox rhyme?"
Amy: "Uh...Yes."

Yaks occassionally gets one right, but more often than not, he thinks of a word, then looks at his surroundings and then just says whatever word comes to mind. Here are some classic examples:

Fox and Cat?
Mot and Dog?
Mutt and Soak? (love it)
Block and Slam? (errrr)
Man and Cat?

Then he sometimes takes some time and thoughtfully will say, "Mom? What about...Swim and Swimming Pool. Do they rhyme?" Too cute.

I said when I died, that I'd come back.
If you believe in ghosts, you're on the right track.
I'm out of the grave, and roaming the moores.
If you want to be safe, you better lock all the windows and screens.

Good times! Long live games!