Inky Binky Bonkey

Inky Binky Bonkey

Daddy had a donkey
Donkey died.
Daddy cried.
Inky Binky Bonkey

My son on the far right with the first half of the kids to join in the play.

This is the latest in Eeeny Meeney Miney Mo and is what my children learned while playing with all the other children while we waited in line at the National Archives. Ah! To think, so much to learn in such a place and this is what they took away!

I learned a bit myself, watching my children. The line went half way around the archives building and at the corner, was a large grassy area. When we arrived for our two hour wait, very far back in the line, no one was on the grass. After checking for a "stay off the grass" sign, my children began playing together on the grass. They chased each other, rolled on the ground and laughed!

Daughter did check in with us a bit to make sure we weren't leaving!

It wasn't long before just about every child in the line had joined in!

My son, again on the right; daughter in the way back.

I watched eagerly, and a bit nervously (particularly for how my little one would do with the bigger kids and that they wouldn't fall on the light boxes sticking up out of the ground--such a mother!). My son, a natural born take-charge leader, (and whom we've had to encourage to "ask" and not "tell" when playing with others; diplomacy!) had soon organized a game of freeze tag. He was the oldest, and tallest for quite a while. Amazingly, as soon as a couple of bigger boys joined in, he relinquished his position and began following their lead, still with his own impression over the little ones he'd been playing with. It is from them that the "Inky Binky Bonkey" was learned!

My son in the foreground.

Soon, many of the children began climbing the concrete pedestal of the very large flag pole; running in circles. Memories of the 4th of July surfaced. My son and another boy, engaged in this same activity, circling in opposite directions collided. Son's teeth jammed into the boys head leaving a gushy bloody mess and loose front teeth! So, I quietly told my children not to get on the pedestal...then I watched. After a bit, I watched my daughter climb up. She took a couple of steps...stopped to think it over, and climbed down. I was proud watching her work that through. I asked her about it later and she just looked at me funny! Oh well.

There's my little one in the center; full stride. She had no trouble making friends either!

I guess if they had socialization issues, they would have cowered in the line. They would have been afraid to speak to any other person, let alone another child, and they would possibly have been too uppity to get dirty or sweaty. I do wonder if any children would have played if it weren't for mine! They ended up playing for a good hour and were very sad when the line continued indoors. Play for them all, from what we could tell, did seem to pretty much break off at that point.

It wasn't long after that, that a conversation with the two ladies in front of us revealed how impressed they were with our children. Especially their patient waiting while indoors. Their children would have been basket cases, they said. One was a high school teacher. Being there on a Friday, she said she had come from Maine for a little break and that her school and her own children would be attending school that SATurday because of snow days! Hmmm. I'm usually happy to share with people that we homeschool, but this time I didn't. It would not have been productive.

Anyhoo...if I can now get my children to stop singing the "Inky Binky Bonkey" rhyme, even for awhile, I'll be happy! It does get old!!