Strollerderby : children's games

Game Time! Coolest Kid's Room Ever

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:01:00 GMT

I've recently begun steering my daughter away from the toy section whenever we enter a thrift store, because as soon as she spots a board game she's all over it like grime on used dice. It's not that I don't want her to play -- it's that I don't want to get stuck playing Candy Land for three and a half hours.

After seeing this fantastic kid's room display using abandoned board games, I may have to reconsider the toy section. Erin over at Buddy Rooster sent in these photos to Ohdeedoh and I have to say: This is the best kid's room decorating idea I have ever seen. It's worth playing Candy Land on the walls, all day, for this look.

[Photo: Ohdeedoh]

My Very First Avatar

Kelly Mills — Mon, 07 May 2007 15:23:00 GMT

I guess there's this new thing called online communities that all the kids are into. Apparently they even have virtual worlds where you can adopt a persona called an avatar and do everything from slay demons with a broadsword to buy art using virtual money. What will they think of next?

Some very smart people realized that there's a market in creating virtual worlds for preschoolers. If you haven't heard, Webkinz are stuffed animals that come with a registration code, so you can log into the site and play with your stuffed animal in cyberspace. You earn virtual dollars by playing online games, which you can then use to buy things for your Webkinz doll. Think Sims for kindergarteners, with less of the frustration. You know, the kind you felt when your Sim was completely unable to score with any potential mates (I'm still bitter).

I am fairly anti-marketing for children, to the point where my child has seen maybe three commercials in her life and I think she believes her eyeballs will melt if she watches one all the way through. However, I'm not that freaked about this new development in kid consumerism. Because I recognize that toys are generally marketed to, well, kids, and my child is growing up in an age where virtual reality will be part of her life. We always try and practice critical thinking with advertising, pointing out marketing ploys, asking "Do you think the toy will do all that?" and having conversations about it. If Ganz is going to try and build brand loyalty, we'll discuss that, but with the current fickle climate at our house, I wish them luck in that endeavor. And I'm not particularly bothered by the fact that my child can play with her animal online, as long as we do it the way we do television and cake: in moderation. In fact, when my sister brought home a Webkinz animal, she and my child spent a nice hour poking around the site. Then my kid got bored and wanted to draw instead, while my sister spent the next three hours playing preschool games to earn enough money to buy a swimming pool. (Note to self: daughter is fine, but do not allow sister to play World of War-crack.)

Just so you know, I'm the permissive parent in the house, and if you think the Webkinz site is the devil's playground, feel free to share.

Kids Bored? Play Squish Thatcher

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 13:49:00 GMT

Are your kids bored? Are you sick of Candyland? Have you considered squishing Margaret Thatcher?

I wish I was making this up, but I'm not. I found it on Kerron Cross - The Voice of the Delectable Left. All you need is a pen, two hands and a voice box. First you draw (or have your child draw) Margaret Thatcher on your child's palm. The author suggests a stick person, I guess to keep it simple. Next you have your child smash their palms together and teach them this lovely little song:

Here's Maggie Thatcher,
Throw her up and catch her,
Squish her! Squash her!
Look at her now!

The idea is that the pen will smear and you will end up with a squished Thatcher! It's fun for the whole 1980's politically active UK family. You could also think of it as kitschy for the kids.