And speaking of Webkinz, has anyone seen these suckers?
Once I caught wind of them, I swore them off. I swore I'd never buy them for my kids. After all, why do my kids need stuffed animals that need to be "fed" online in their Webkin world, when we are up to our eyeballs with real animals?
Now I'm eating my words. I've sucumbed for social reasons for my kids. So many of their friends have them, so I had to investigate. It's actually okay. You buy a poorly made, not that cute, stuffed animal that comes with a code. You join Webkins online.
The good part is that they can actually learn something - mainly about how to earn money (by playing trivia or pac-man-like games) so they can buy virtual food, clothing, couches, beds, and other stuff for their pet's room. You must feed them, exercise them, and take them to the doctor. But it's pretty low maintenance which is key. The shopping is actually set up very much like a real online shopping experience - you place things in cart, view cart, etc. Your bank account is always visible.
There's also a limited version chatting with your friends and having their Webkin over for a play date. Very cute! It's set up to be very safe - as safe as one can be online. A person also cannot write anything to another person, you must choose a stock comment from a list. I like that!
