Check mate and the Bible

The girls are reveling in the attention of their grandparents. None more so than Tova who thrives with one on one attention. When we play games as a family Tova often loses patience very quickly. She will play with the meeples or claim boredom and wander off to find other more worthy entertainment. But, when Peter taught her chess, she took to it right away. I think part of it is Peter himself and his method of teaching. But sometimes she just sits and plays chess by herself on the iPad. And I wonder if she is that same child I was raising when she sits quietly and listens to Peter read chess problems from Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess and then discusses the solutions with him. But maybe she also just likes chess because it is a two player game that she generally plays against adults. She probably liked that Sophia didn't know how to play chess (though now she does). But really I think she also likes the game because it appeals to her fighter instincts and creative side.  Each piece has a different special power and the pieces use their powers to slowly destroy their enemy. This is an appealing premise for Tova. Even more appealing is her power over the pieces. She can decide if a piece is to be spared or slain. She can decide that if she is not up for battle she will just parade around the board. She can decide that if her kingdom is getting dull she will make her aim to get seven queens (honestly she did this a few times). I am glad she likes chess and I hope she can continue to use the game to suit her needs and maybe even destroy her sisters' kingdoms every once in a while.

The other interest Tova has picked up is the Bible. This one was all her own generated enthusiasm. Jakob found a book of Bible stories in the house and Tova became devout overnight. Over the course of a week we slowly read her two volumes of Bible stories for Jewish children. Despite my home education efforts, she doesn't really have a strong Jew identity. Jewish holidays are a blur in her mind and overshadowed by her slightly misplaced love for Santa Claus. So I was pleased with her newfound devotion to the Jewish holy book. But, I also was intrigued. What about the stories appeal so deeply to Tova? and to all other people? And when I started paying more attention to each story I was also appalled. Of course Tova adores these stories. These stories have it all. Also, these stories are full of action and strife. I actually started to feel a little ashamed at how battle and conflict heavy the Bible stories get. There are lots of really great miracles but also so much death and violence. Though, the byproduct of our action packed history is that now Tova is proud of her religion and her new hero is Moses. 

Chess- the ultimate choose your own adventure game

Tova insisted that her Aussie school sweater was what she needed to travel