ChristusG Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 The kids had a dentist appointment this morning and as a reward for doing well (okay, okay, a bribe) they got to choose a toy. DD7 found some Mazin' Hamsters (part of Webkinz) on clearance at Hallmark and got 4 of them. Since we got home both of us have been playing with them online. :001_huh: I keep trying to find something educational about it...but I just can't LOL. Someone tell me there is! :D Okay, I guess we'd better get off and actually do some school work before dinner time. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Just curious, but why does it need to be? There isn't anything wrong with just plain fun activities! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 There is some economic decisions to make as far as earning and spending points-but it's iffy. I have the same problem with Neopets, which my DD LOVES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 There are a few (very few) games that use math or spelling skills. They can be pretty challenging for my 5 year old, maybe not so much for an older kid. You could always look at it as computer and mouse skills. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanda7 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 There is a trivia quiz they can take in the games area to earn Webkinz cash. My daughter came running to me yesterday saying, "Mommy, your training has paid off. They asked how many millimeters in a meter, and I knew the answer!" LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 My daughter correctly got a bizarre social studies question on the ITBS right because of Webkinz! (My husband didn't know the right answer!!) Mostly, it's not, but it's good clean fun and one of the handful of websites I allow. Maybe the hamsters build 3-D skills? The mazes are cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Like Club Penguin it teaches the skills of modern multi-player world games. There's an economic element. Games. Trivia. Building. Direction/Movement. Writing. Lots of choices (what to buy, earning, saving, making choices and living with them). Socialization (you can visit others homes and send them things). Think of it as a step to more complex games. My kids played that first. It kept them in touch with their cousins who live a state away. Now they're into Roblox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burger Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Webkinz has some games in the arcarde that are (imo) educational. Quizzy's Word Challenge (my favorite) Booger Gets an A 11 Solitaire Typing (can't remember the name...the janitor mops the floor with letters as they fall) There's also jobs that you can do and each one is a memory/typing type skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I know of a kid who has a lot of them and seems to have learned a lot about the various animals as a result... but... no, not really educational. But so what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 Just curious, but why does it need to be? There isn't anything wrong with just plain fun activities! Oh I don't mind my kids playing it....we have lot of just plain fun activities. But when we've been gone all day and we really need to be doing school, playing Webkinz would need to be considered educational in order for us to be skipping school work to play LOL. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The online subscription expires after one year....unless you buy more Webkinz! :D Whatever you do don't play Smoothie Moves. My dd and I got addicted to that game, but we had a lot of fun trying to do better than the other one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burger Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The online subscription expires after one year....unless you buy more Webkinz! :D Whatever you do don't play Smoothie Moves. My dd and I got addicted to that game, but we had a lot of fun trying to do better than the other one! I did this with smoothie moves and goober's lab. Very addicting :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 My daughter correctly got a bizarre social studies question on the ITBS right because of Webkinz! Ok this begs to be asked. What was the question?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Ok this begs to be asked. What was the question?? You are not supposed to release specific details of the tests. It was about a holiday my husband had not heard of, they had something about it on Webkinz, they like to celebrate any holiday they can find, even little known ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlugbill Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Here is a rationalization for the educational use of Webkinz. My dd is now 13 and doesn't play with Webkinz much now, but she used to. She has about 20 of them. She would play with them in a very elaborate way. They all have different names and ages. They each have different personalities. They each had a different voice and she would talk for each of them. She had them all sitting in her little school at their desks, and she would teach them. It was her own one-room school. They were at all different levels for different subjects. As homeschooled kids know, they weren't necessarily working at their grade levels and the level they were working at in various subjects often varied. She had appropriate conversations with her students. So, it was a complex environment. Many different variables and personalities. Sort of like the complex social environment we deal with in various settings- work, school, church, etc. Dealing with complexity is a very important skill. For me, that is vital. The ability to deal effectively with a complex environment is much more important than memorizing specific facts. Learning specific facts is simple- not complex. So, I considered this to be a great educational activity for her. She also made elaborate towns with blocks, dolls, etc. There were houses, stores, school, library, etc. and people would travel around and interact in her little town. This is another example of complexity in play. If I just sat her down and we did flash cards and learned the names of the states or something, that would be simple. It wouldn't build the brain in the same complex way- to learn to deal with lots of variable and people. Anway, her Webkinz play started with a few Webkinz and then on the internet, but progressed to the complex sort of play I described above. I also appreciated the fact that there was a lot of care-taking involved with the Webkinz. I think we have lost sight of this to some extent in our culture. Taking care of others is important for children to learn. Life is not all about individual achievement. We have to serve others. Children need to learn to serve others- it's not all about them. I think we often do our children a disservice because we unwittingly teach them that it is all about them. It's all about their grades. It's all about what college they get into. It's all about what job they get. We are creating self-centered people and then we complain they are self-centered. We need to give them opportunities to serve others, IMHO. When they are young, they can pretend to serve others through play. Then, they can start serving others as soon as they are able. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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