Do you ever say to yourself, "Why didn't I think of this or that- I could be a multimillionaire..?" This past weekend I was kid-sitting my 7 and 9 year old niece and nephew, Alena & Nicholas. Along with all the usual junk they bring when they stay overnight, they brought two cute stuffed animals that they informed me are Webkinz and proceeded to introduce me to the incredible Webkinz online world in which they adopt and name their animal and bring it to life! Each Webkinz come with a code that can be used to enter the online world where they can buy food or toys for their pet, take their pet to the vet, decorate their pet’s room, build things, interact with each other, or play educational games to earn Kinzcash to buy more things or save in their virtual bank.
The target group are boys and girls aged 6 to 13, kids who are digital natives; growing up used to computers and the Internet. Monitored by the Canadian parent company, Ganz Inc., the site combines popular online trends such as social networking and instant messaging using preset phrases. However, it is safe for kids, free from advertising and no personal information is required to register with strict limits on how much time kids can spend on any activity.
The value of the exact market hasn't yet been tallied, but a report by Packaged Facts counted 29 million U.S. kids ages 8 to 14, with a combined annual purchasing power of $40 billion are interacting in this clever virtual world.
"In less than two years, Webkinz has become must-have, just by word of mouth. In 18 months over a million and a half users are registered on the site. The past Christmas period resulted in a growth to 2.3 million visitors. To put that growth rate in perspective, it took Second Life three years to attract the first million residents to its virtual universe. Between April 2006 and January 2007 kids spent an average of two hours per visit on Webkinz. YouTube, by contrast, averaged 32 minutes per visit during the same period, while Club Penguin averaged 54." (From Science & Strategy, April 4, 2007)
Children at 5 and 6 years old are interacting in virtual social networks, learning skills such as money management, responsibility, and appropriate social interactions. They are seamlessly using technology in ways that we never dreamed possible.
As administrators, we may never create clever online social networks like Webkinz and become millionaires. But we can impact children in very significant ways by ensuring that our schools are providing an exciting educational environment with technology rich lessons to match what kids are doing at home. We can become knowledgeable enough to provide the leadership in schools and classrooms to educate this generation of Webkidz. If not, we are going to continue to see high drop-out rates and at even younger ages.
<Cross posted on the MI-LIFE blog>
My oldest two children are also addicted to Webkinz...but I have to say SO AM I. I even went and got my own animal to log in. It is a little embarrassing, but I don't have many guilty pleasures, so...
I have told several teachers in my school that it would make a GREAT classroom pet (low maintenance). Someone in class could have the daily job of feeding it and playing with it. :)
Posted by: Melanie Holtsman | October 04, 2007 at 07:02 AM
For those of you who are familiar with Build-A-Bear workshop, your bears are going to be able to come to life in December or after Christmas. We just picked up Big Bird and got a certificate that he will be "born again" online!!! Cracks me up! I have a 2 year old and I like these things more than she does right now.
Posted by: Melinda Miller | October 04, 2007 at 12:20 PM
These websites for kids are really amazing! Shortly after discovering webkinz with my kids, I found out about TyGirlz. I work with Ty Inc., so I bought my daughter the Punky Penny doll and she fell in love! The dolls come with a code to unlock an interactive virtual world and let me tell you: we are hooked! See it at www.tygirlz.com, I have a feeling this is going to be a big Christmas favorite...
Posted by: Carolyn | October 04, 2007 at 03:36 PM
OK now that we're in to "True Confessions", I have to admit that I, too, went and bought my own Webkinz and logged in!
I love the TyGirlz site, Carolyn. Thanks for sharing that.
Posted by: Marion Ginopolis | October 04, 2007 at 06:26 PM
http://teachingwithwebkinz.com/
Within the world of Webkinz™ there are an amazing number of
opportunities for learning! On the pages of this book you will find
activities and resources that encourage learning while using your
students’ enthusiasm for their Webkinz™ pets! You will find the
reproducibles and lessons based on the world of Webkinz™ that will
not only engage children in a place where they are enthusiastic, but
cause them to evaluate what they are doing, learn key concepts, and
increase their brain power!
This resource will be available as an ebook download soon. Written by
The Original Gadget Girl, Kathy Cothran.
Visit the website and sign up for updates for the release of this
book!
http://teachingwithwebkinz.com/
http://theoriginalgadgetgirl.com
Posted by: Kathy | February 10, 2008 at 10:08 PM
As a followup to my last message, the Using Webkinz in the Classroom and My Webkinz Companion Guide (a kid version that is a paperback workbook that the child writes in) are now available either from Amazon or in ebook format.
Visit: http://turningtoysintotools.com for more information!
The response to the book has been great! Even have some schools using the Webkinz curriculum for their summer school program!
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Cothran | April 29, 2008 at 10:38 PM
As a followup to my last message, the Using Webkinz in the Classroom and My Webkinz Companion Guide (a kid version that is a paperback workbook that the child writes in) are now available either from Amazon or in ebook format.
Visit: http://turningtoysintotools.com for more information!
The response to the book has been great! Even have some schools using the Webkinz curriculum for their summer school program!
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Cothran | April 29, 2008 at 10:38 PM