Computer Games

I've been considering a computer for Amelia for a while, especially since my other laptop was such a dog and I knew a change was coming. I thought about a desktop that we would share but I ultimately went with a laptop. For the purposes of sharing it with Amelia I decided to go with a raised platform (which turned out to be an upside down wire mesh in-box) to avoid unseen sticky spots on the kitchen table with a mouse so she could play computer games (Disney and Nick Jr. type) without touching the actual laptop more than necessary.

Amelia gets computer time on Tuesdays at pre-school and sometimes Meme lets her play Disney games on Wednesday afternoons. I told Amelia she could play computer games on my new computer with the mouse that was coming in the mail (brand new on eBay for $3.25 including shipping direct from China - couldn't beat that deal at Wal-mart!). She found this news very exciting and would ask about every other day if the mouse had arrived. When it did, she was very, very excited.

I am amazed at how well she can maneuver around the Disney site and find all kinds of games and activities that require absolutely no assistance from me. Thirty minutes can pass without her or me noticing, so I have to watch the clock so she's not on there too long. I like that she can be amused in the kitchen with me while I'm cleaning or sorting mail. She is a little baffled as to why we don't have a printer for the "print now" features, but she'll get over it. (Trying to explain that it would invite too many more pieces of paper into the house isn't a concept she can grasp yet. At least I don't think so.)

I made her a shortcut on the desktop so she can go to the game site herself and she also knows how to shut it down. In fact, I discovered that there aren't fights about stopping if I tell her to close it out and shut it down. I guess she likes that she can do it herself so she is compliant.

[picture dated 11/22/09]