I’ve never been big on coming up with interesting stuff to do. It’s one of my greatest weaknesses. So providing interesting diversions for the kids while we’re driving them around is just not something I do well, if at all. I’ve typically left that up to my wife, claiming that I need to concentrate on my driving (which is true to an extent).

But recently I did score a hit with a creative new car game that Michael likes to play. We took two of our favorite shows and mashed them up. It’s “SpongeBob Cash Cab”, in which we ask Michael questions about his favorite show, in the style of Cash Cab. If you haven’t seen this show, it’s on the Discovery Channel weekday evenings.

Of course, we must start out the proper way as soon as the doors are shut: “You’re in the Cash Cab, a TV game show that takes place right here in my taxi. So whaddaya say, you wanna play?”

Michael invariably says yes, with a big grin on his face.

“Okay, we’re on our way to Ms K’s, about ten blocks. That’ll give you time to win some big money!”

Then I start tossing out the questions.

“Who is SpongeBob’s best friend?”
“What kind of house does Sandy have?”
“Where does SpongeBob work?”

The first few times we played this game, Michael would just give goofy, nonsensical answers.
“Speega!”
“Uh, flower!”
“Boo dah!”

Part of this was that he just wanted me to make the “wrong answer” buzzer noise and then start to pull over like I was going to kick him out of the van. That never failed to make him giggle.

But I also think he really didn’t grasp the idea of understanding a complex question given out of context, and then providing an answer that fits that question.

Then, just in the last week or so, he’s been giving me straight answers, and doing really well. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that Michael can officially kick butt on SpongeBob trivia.

Like this morning’s trip:

“What do SpongeBob and Patrick like to catch with nets?”
“Jellyfish!”
“That’s right! Ding ding ding ding! You win fifty dollars!”
“Yay!”
“Okay, what kind of house does Patrick live in?”
“A rock!”
“You got it! Ding ding ding ding! You’re up to a hundred dollars. Now, what does SpongeBob make at the Krusty Krab?”
“Kraddy paddies!”
“That’s correct! Also acceptable, Krabby Patties.”

We continue on all the way to Ms K’s, stopping only once (which triggered a RED LIGHT CHALLENGE!)

Now, I know he’s saturated with SpongeBob, watching it during his TV choice time every day, so it’s no surprise that he knows the characters and their behavior inside and out. What amazes me is how quickly Michael has developed the ability to hear a question, analyze it, and in a relatively short time spit out a cogent answer. I think quizzing him like this has helped his intellectual growth to some degree.

After today’s game, he said the wisest thing of all as we pulled up in front of Ms K’s:

“The money is just pretend, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s just pretend money,” I said, unbuckling him.
“I don’t get a hundred dollars. You’re just teasing. But it’s fun!”
“Yes, it’s definitely fun, for real.”