Watch the Webkinz!

The gift from my mother-in-law certainly made sense. After all, we collect toy lions for Judah, and this toy lion was very cute. I read on the tag that a person could register this toy online and gain access to various games and activities online for the next year. Well, no doubt this was a lame attempt at entertainment, but I’m a sucker for a web address, so I sat down and typed it in. After entering our code, choosing a name for our creature and establishing a password, we were in. And that’s where the kids took over. They sat down and started playing around and having a blast! I could hardly tear them away from it! The games were cool. The site was totally kid safe. The activities caught their attention.

Now the kids ask every day if they can play on the Webkinz site. They work to earn “Kinzcash” to buy things for their internet pal. They feed him, play with him, decorate his room, and argue over who’s turn it is next to play on the site. I knew it was getting out of hand when my own dear hubby sat down to play some of the arcade games. He actually looks pretty cute playing the Webkinz games.

Now each of the children want their own Webkinz pal. One pal just doesn’t spread thin enough to keep everyone happy.

Laura wants the unicorn.

Isaac wants the tiger.

Luke wants the gold & white cat.
Amelia wants the pegasus.

Mike wants the frog.

Judah has yet to play on his cool Webkinz site, but he seems to like the stuffed toy that gets tossed to him now and then.

I’m not sure yet if I like the affect the Webkinz toys have on my kids. So far there’s been nothing objectionable, other than the addictive nature of them. But maybe I can use that to my advantage, requiring various responsibilities to be done before playtime is allowed.

I’d be interested to hear about your experience with Webkinz!

P.S.  (update)  Guess what???  When Michael returned home from his trip to Virginia earlier this week, he brought a Webkinz pal to each of the children.  What fun!  The kids have had a blast playing online, and I’ve used that desire of theirs to my fullest advantage.  You’d be amazed how quickly chores get done when computer time is at stake!