Internet-Connected Toys
March 27, 2007 by Lei
Filed under Computer Games for Kids, Internet for Kids
My son came home the other day full of envy because his buddy at school said his family had gotten a new computer.
“That’s nice, honey, but don’t forget you have your own computer.”
Oh, yeah. D’oh. He had completely forgotten that he has ready access to his own computer without having to share. The allure of a new computer superceded all else. And the lucky boy is due to get an upgrade soon. His current laptop is a 7-year-old hand-me-down from his aunt which will soon be replaced with a 3-year-old Fujitsu that was his dad’s. Considering he does nothing but play online children’s games and watch LEGO stop motion YouTube videos, that’s plenty good enough.
Instead of giving their kids actual computers, some families are buying special toys with Internet connectivity. Some of the latest ones include:
- Oregon Scientific SmartGlobe
- Webkinz
- Power Rangers Mega Mission Helmet
- Hasbro Net Jet
- LeapFrog ClickStart
- Fisher-Price Easy-Link Internet Launchpad
- Tamagotchi Town
What about your family? How many computers do you have in the home? Please take the poll below!
More on internet-connected toys from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tags: computers, kids, children, internet, toys, games, tamagotchi, webkinz, power rangers, leapfrog, fisher price, hasbro, parenting, family
I have 2 desktops and one laptop. Then we have an older iMac for my two oldest girls. Online, they just play on nickjr.com, disney.com, and groovygirls.com. My oldest has an email address, but it’s just for fun so grandparents can send the stuff.
What’s scary is they know how to use itunes to rip their CD’s! They are only 6 and 4!
I have 1 of each, both are mine so far. Perfect for when hubby is on one I can get on the other.
Quick question…. next week’s blog carnival is there a particular theme?
Steve: You are obviously bringing your girls up right!
Eliza: I still can’t believe that just over a year ago, we didn’t have wifi and were mostly operating off one laptop. Crazee!!
As for the blog carnival, Kerri hasn’t said anything about a theme so just send your favorite post along and we’ll include it.
I am almost embarrassed to share this. I have a PC, iMac and a laptop. Hubby has a PC and a laptop. Each child has their own PC and there is one spare laptop. Yikes!! The kids PCs are all in the playroom and look like a mini office – complete with kid sized office chairs.
I said “one for everyone” but that’s sort of half true. *In* the house we have…1 for mom, 1 for dad, 2 for the 4 kids to share (one desktop, one old laptop to prevent squabbling) and one home based server in what we lovingly call our “network closet.” That’s not really one for everyone but it’s close! We also have an off site server for all our web stuff. Also, 2 of my kids go to schools where each child has his or her own, personal, touch screen, tablet PC for use in school. It’s funny, a few years ago we were really in the minority, letting the kids have their own computer, now it’s almost commonplace!
10 years ago, when my oldest was a toddler, we set him up with one of our old PCs. We set it to run a couple of hard to find baby-ware games and hubby scrounged the net (remember Archie and ftp?) for shareware kids games and ‘keyboard smash’ type programs. There was very, very little out there! We had it set on a low table where it was the perfect height for a toddler. When people would come over for playdates or birthday parties, someone would always scream “Oh no, the kids are touching your computer!!” When we said it was ok, it was there for the kids, they’d look at us like we were from another planet!
Char: Your kids’ set-up is to die for!
Joan: lolol You always have the best stories. OH NO! YOUR KID IS TOUCHING A COMPUTER!!!