Virtual Playtime
I didn't think it was possible to entice little girls to play dress-up dolls on the Internet, but traditional play, it seems, is slipping into the ether.
The New York Times wrote an article on the popularity of Web sites for children and what several of those interactive play sites have to offer. One of those sites is Cartoon Doll Emporium, which allows users to dress up virtual dolls and have online chat with friends.
I thought little girls liked the feel of the different fabrics, the ability to hold their favorite Barbie while mixing and matching outfits, and the intimacy of smoothing her long blond silky hair.
A few weeks ago, our babysitter's 8-year-old son tried to show me the Webkinz Web site, which offers virtual games with cuddly stuffed animals. I quickly lost interest.
Perhaps I should have paid attention. I didn't realize what a phenomenon this has become with the millennium generation.
Those of us with babies and toddlers don't really have to think about this yet, but it makes me even more committed to ensuring my son learns to play the old fashioned way - with other kids who are sitting next to him, not through a network that virtually connects them.
Here is the link to The New York Times story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/technology/06doll.html?hp
The New York Times wrote an article on the popularity of Web sites for children and what several of those interactive play sites have to offer. One of those sites is Cartoon Doll Emporium, which allows users to dress up virtual dolls and have online chat with friends.
I thought little girls liked the feel of the different fabrics, the ability to hold their favorite Barbie while mixing and matching outfits, and the intimacy of smoothing her long blond silky hair.
A few weeks ago, our babysitter's 8-year-old son tried to show me the Webkinz Web site, which offers virtual games with cuddly stuffed animals. I quickly lost interest.
Perhaps I should have paid attention. I didn't realize what a phenomenon this has become with the millennium generation.
Those of us with babies and toddlers don't really have to think about this yet, but it makes me even more committed to ensuring my son learns to play the old fashioned way - with other kids who are sitting next to him, not through a network that virtually connects them.
Here is the link to The New York Times story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/technology/06doll.html?hp
Also, here is a link to an Asbury Park Press story on Webkinz:
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