Sometimes, the simplest games are the sweetest. Yesterday afternoon, Karma and I took a trip — not across town, not through forests — but right into a cheerful little orchard laid out on our table. The game? Hi Ho! Cherry-O.

At first, Karma was more fascinated by the tiny red fruit pieces than the rules. “Can I eat them?” she asked. I smiled and shook my head, and she settled for lining them up carefully on her tiny fingers before plopping them into her basket with a proud flourish.

The rules are beautifully simple — perfect for little hands and curious minds. Spin the spinner, and if luck is on your side, you get to pick 1, 2, 3, or even 4 cherries from your tree. Your goal is to fill your basket before the other players. But this orchard has a few surprises… A sneaky bird, a deer, or even a clumsy spill might send some fruit tumbling right back onto your tree.

Karma loved the tension of that spinner — one little flick, and her whole face would light up in excitement or twist in playful dread. “Oh no! The bird!” she’d cry, then solemnly place cherries back on her tree, as if honoring an ancient orchard rule.

She wasn’t concerned about winning. She was building her own little cherry story. Sometimes she gave her tree a name. Sometimes she cheered for me to catch up. And sometimes she just played with the fruit pieces like they were little friends on a picnic.

Hi Ho! Cherry-O is more than a game. It’s a counting adventure, a moment of patience, a lesson in taking turns, and a reason to celebrate every tiny harvest. It’s quiet, colorful fun that turns any afternoon into something sweet.

When the final cherry dropped into her basket, Karma whispered, “I did it,” with the solemn pride of a champion farmer. And then she asked, “Can we play again?”

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