Catan Kids

We went over to my sister-in-law's house for dinner last night, which gave Matthew and Nathaniel the opportunity to introduce their older cousins (ages nine and thirteen) to Catan Junior. Matthew jumped out to a big early lead by buying up lots of parrots -- sounds weird if you haven't played the game, but a lot of people consider it to be an optimal strategy -- although his progress stalled when he didn't have enough resources to buy the ships and forts needed in order to win the game. It was four-year-old Nathaniel who earned the victory, defeating the three older kids to the astonishment of everyone but himself. He may be the youngest of the bunch, but he can hold his own in board games.