to think this Pokemon obsession has become ridiculous

[manicinsomniac]

What on earth is it with these Pokémon games? This is lighthearted I guess because I'm sure it's great for children to have passions but I'm sitting here marking yet another load of 'stories' from school that all wind up being about Pokémon and thinking it's all bordering on the obsessive.

I'm not sure how they work because I only have girls so I haven't seen any of the games/tv programmes or whatever.

But the impact they're starting to have in my classroom is insane. It seems to be particularly Yeas 5 and 6. Whatever I'm doing in Drama the boys manage to twist their plays to be about Pokémon. Whenever they have free rein to write in English they twist the titles and write terrible, descriptionless rubbish about Pokémon fights and a character that seems to be called Baby Jesus?! When I talk to them in tutor time it seems their interests have become centred around Pokémon and nothing else. They do 'Pokémon stuff' at weekends (I don't know exactly what that entails), draw Pokémon, print Pokémon pictures off the computers and (possibly) pretend to be Pokémon at times.

It was one boy's birthday the other day and I asked him if he was doing anything special. The other boys were all very excited and said they're going to London. I said that sounded really fun and asked what they were going to do. The answer - Pokémon!?!

Have I been living under a rock? What are these special and amazing things and why are they taking over our children's lives?

Surprised you are surprised OP.

I am so glad we got past that phase.

But I do have a LOT of Pokemon cards to get rid of.

My OH just changed out of pyjamas because he saw a local Pokémon gym being attacked and he's driven over to help...
Rushed out the door with the statement "yes, I'm a giant child"...
Now sat here wondering what I'm getting myself into hehe!

I have to say your post has inspired my DS and I to have a game of pokemon charades....

I like it because it is something we enjoy together a wayof getting his bum off the sofa...

Next year it will be something else.

Pokemon go is brilliant. It's got me and DP out the house and walking pretty much every night since July when we started.

Give it a go for a few days OP, you'll understand

Your post is a bit oddish. I don't understand the point in making digletts at things others find fun, just because you don't. I understand all the different names might make you feel drowzee but might I suggest making a rapidash to your nearest games store and tell them you are seaking to learn more?

Oh dear, I'm currently sat here on my 3DS playing the latest game! I'm 30, I must be pathetic! Sorry WLF My husband and some of my friends like it too.

I didn't play Pokemon Go, thats not real Pokemon! Only the full games for me

Work with it. Set up a maths project or a science experiment using Pokemon somehow. Think how engaged the kids will be!

I still remember at secondary school we spent six weeks doing a paper aeroplane project in maths. So designing different designs and flying hem, measuring the distance flown and then doing stats and graphs, and bar charts, working out means and mediums, etc. Bell chart curves or something. It was the best six weeks of maths ever!

at making digletts.

OrangeFluff did you get Sun or Moon? I have the latter, v unhappy to find you can't get that awesome Exeggutor until much later in the game!

Pokemon go is new, came out in July. Half the teachers in my kids school are in to it, they use it as rewards. Ds's teacher is on level 23 he informs me, which means she has spent an awful lot of time playing Pokemon go. We play it on my phone when out and about, so far we've walked over 60km!
Bottle flipping OTOH is just annoying and banned in our house.

Dd wants Sun for xmas but currently out of stock on amazon so hoping it gets restocked soon.

Edmund I've got Sun, I've only started today. Yes I love that stupidly tall Exeggutor, but I've got my eye on an Alolan Ninetails.

My partner wants Alolan Sandshrew, which is only in my version. Some blackmail may be in order

by the way flip the bottle is on an app.. much less annoying than the real thing.

I don't see why you have a problem with it. It's a craze. There's always something. At least this one gets the players outside, visiting new places (searching for monsters) and walking (clocking up miles lets you hatch new creatures and various other things). I don't think it's a bad thing at all. I'm 40 and female - I'm playing (but starting to get a bit bored of it now).

Ds actually asked if we could walk 10km today.. prior to getting Pokémon go I'd have needed a rocket launcher to extract him from the house. I took him for a 5k run with me yesterday too with a promise we'd look for monsters on the way. There are benefits.

Children are obsessive, though. As a child I LOVED horses and shoehorned them into my work wherever I could - I think my teachers were probably fed up of reading stories about horses and seeing my paintings of horses to be honest

Teacher here! Youve found an interest for your older primary aged boys - why the hell aren't you tapping in to that to make lessons appealing and engaging for them? Won't do you/them any harm...

I cant believe none of you know this.
The way to stop a craze is for the Mums to go bats about it. I was flinging bottles for a day or 2 with huge enthusiasm, no one in my house would be seen dead doing it now.

The way to stop a craze is for the Mums to go bats about it

That wouldn't help in my house where DC2 encourages me to join her crazes and attempts to emulate my hobbies and work.

She was utterly delighted when my boss let her sit in the staff room during my shift one teacher training day. She appointed herself the position of staff room monitor and gleefully declared that she now worked in the same place as me.

Fortunately I also write for a living. This is what she wants to be when she grows up not a barmaid down the local.

Back in the year 2000 when my son was in reception his teacher despaired because she couldn't get him to write. I suggested she tap into his Pokemon interest and hallelujah he became obsessed with writing about them. He soon grew out of it and started doing other things. Until this year when he started walking for miles to catch virtual Pokemon on his phone

The adults play pokemon here too. Mostly the card game but DP does the ds game and pokemon go too. Hasn't put the kids off yet.....

But the card game is helping DS(9) with SN learn 2 and 10 times tables, reading and concentration.

Im another one who would say if you are a teacher tap into it.

@ DrQuinzel. Fantastic post

Drquinzel - brilliant!!!

Not true, JelliBelly. My 14 year old DD was trying to teach me how to catch Pokemon.