Mad Libs

I remember when I was a kid, my friends having these little pads called "Mad Libs" and everybody cracking up at the silly little stories that they would create. I never got them. I didn't think they were funny. I still don't get them, but my kids LOVE them.
Surprisingly, I have also come to enjoy them. Not because I think they are funny, but because my kidos are "doing English" and don't even know it. Their writing skills are improving and they are unaware that their dear sweet mama is teaching them anything.
In case you have never experienced a "Mad Lib" story, here is how it works. Inside the pad are a bunch of stories with key words removed. Before you read the story there is a list of words you need to complete. They ask for nouns, verbs, adverbs, place, verbs ending in ing, numbers, plural nouns, etc. Then you read through the story adding in the list of words you just created, making the story nonsensical.
We started out with simple choices, like red for adjectives and quickly for adverbs. But since we done a bunch of them, now they are getting more creative like daintily and exuberant.
While watching the snow fall yesterday, they pulled out the "School House Rock" DVD and watched all the English themed ones so they would be ready for more "Mad Libs".
This is pretty cool for me. My little one, while reading out loud for me said, "That's a good word, I need to remember that." YES!
Now, I still don't get the humor of these. We have about 10 now and there subject matter runs from Star Wars, to outer space, to survival scenarios. There have been stories that they want to go figure out what the real answers should be. BONUS! And it has been a great family activity. Everyone sits together and we go from youngest to oldest or inside out or in alphabetical order, filling out the list. Then they giggle their heads off and say "Can we do just one more Mom, ppppppleeeeeeeeeeeassssse?" And I will say, "No more fun today, go pull out your math books." and they never even know what I have done. Hee hee hee.