Every year toy manufacturers converge on NYC in February to show off their latest and greatest. This year that fair seems to be driven by one very startling fact: Kids create more than 100,000 avatars each day in virtual communities such as Habbo and Club Penguin. What that means is that when kids say they are going out to play, more and more often they are going online to do it. Now toy manufacturers are scrambling even faster to be part of that action. Of course with all of this there are pros and cons. For example, online there is no lead paint to worry about. But how about getting kids away from the screen? Using a pedometer, IToy's ME2 keeps track of a kid's daily steps and transfers points to an avatar's power levels. This pushes kids to ride a bike, run or walk to earn points to buy a virtual vehicle. Or how about this? Tired of yelling at the kids to get them off the computer? Try Meet Bob, an $80 device that controls the electrical power for a TV or computer monitor. By requiring users to punch in a code number, Bob silently enforces parents' viewing rules, counting down the amount of viewing time available and turning off the screen during designated homework hours and at bedtime. Fisher Price even has the Smart Bounce Spin Pony based on the classic springy playground ride. But this one, for ages 12 to 36 months, is connected to the TV via a wireless device. The more baby bounces, the better the onscreen educational play. At age 3, the child can continue the move-and-play process on the Smart Cycle, celebrated last weekend as the Toy Industry of America's innovative toy of the year. All that makes me wonder. Will kids expect teachers to move faster the more they bounce when they go off to school? Maybe the old adage "they don't have to be sitting quietly in their seats to be learning" will finally get some playing time. (Sorry for the pun.) (The link from this article is to the Washington Post that you can read for free, but you'll have to register.)
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