At last week’s Playground Pop-up, the kids seemed interested in taking some time to play a card game and drinking some water instead of running around on the playground, so that is just what we did.
It’s not the kind of card game that has us all in our heads to work a strategy to get rid of our cards the fastest, or even one that we need to be able to read, which makes it a really good game for engaging the kids and grownups on equal footing. Its a game of slowing down enough to notice.
The game is called Ouisi. The game’s pieces is a set of 200+ cards. On the front of each card, there are pictures of things from nature; sometimes zoomed in real close to get the fine details of a creature. On the back is a thumbnail of the same picture zoomed out, and a QR code to provide information about the subject of the picture, the photographer, and where in the world this natural thing can be found. The cards can be used for all sorts of games and conversation starters. This time around, we decided to play picture-dominoes with them: each player randomly draws a set of cards from the pile, one card is offered as the starting card and the person who plays it says what they notice about the picture. Each player then takes their turn to put down one card at a time, placing it near cards that share similar characteristics.
With this particular game, we had lots of bug loving kiddos. You can see, the longest stretch of cards near the top of the photo is bug, after bug, after bug, after bug, after bug. We split from the regular flow of bug cards to notice the similar shade of green, the spiral shapes, the “cool vibes”, and the camouflage.
What I love most about the experience of playing this game with Playground Pop-up grownups and kiddos, is that there are no wrong answers, no strategy, no pressure to perform a certain way. We spend time together, and we slow down long enough to ask one another, what do you notice? The conversation and curiosity flows as we build this collection of images of the natural world together.
As if the experience of playing this game together wasn’t enough, this round got wild.
During game play, one of the kids played the card below the one of the spiny praying mantis, and beside the camouflaged lizard tail, and chose its placement for those similarities it had to each. The group remembers one of the kids asking, “What is THAT?” So we scanned the QR code and found out that it is a Wheel Bug (photo by Joseph Saunders, taken in Oklahoma). Wheel bugs are assassin bugs that eat other insects, like aphids and stink bugs! Good for them. They look weird and they have a purpose; reason enough for the bug lovers and those who would rather not have close encounters with bugs, to appreciate them just the same.
We went along with our game; getting curious about the cards being placed, researching a few, and enjoying the conversation and giving each player their space to share with the group.
Fast forward 10 minutes: we’re growing pleased with our photo-domino collection (or losing interest in adding more cards… who’s to say?) and we are about ready to call it quits and clean it up.
A few of the kids get up from their seats at the table and turn toward the playground when they notice something flying through the air, crossing their path, and landing on the recently vacated bench. After the quick passing startle, they looked closer to get a better look. It was none other than a PAIR of WHEEL BUGS.
I couldn’t have planned that if I tried. The kids’ minds were blown! The grown ups were shook!
“How did that happen?!” They shouted. “We had you on a card and now you’re here!”
“Greatest magic trick ever!”
Throughout the rest of the time at the Pop-up, the kids would echo the chorus of awe filled questions, “How did that happen? We had the card and then it showed up? How?!”
So how did it happen? I don’t know, and I really don’t have an interest in trying to explain it.
Instead, I hold onto the awe in their questions and our willingness to slow down enough to notice the bugs, together.
