GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 30
T care ake Preschoolers social-networking—should we be concerned? By Ruth NathaN W below, Webkinz online, a social networking site where children can create unique environments and feed, clothe and entertain their virtual pets. hen saying goodbye to a friend, we often say, “Take care.” It’s a pleasant way of saying “take care of yourself while we’re apart.” How do children learn what the expression means though? How do they learn how to really take care of themselves? One path, certainly, is learning to take care of others. One way children typically learn how to take care is through paying attention and looking out for their pets—from dogs and cats to careful handling of ladybugs on the run. Children’s literature has always been a lively force in this regard. Who can forget Charlotte’s Web —the story of Fern, who takes care of her pet pig, Wilber, who in turn takes care of the barnyard spider, Charlotte? And recently our grandchildren have read about Opal, the 10-year-old who mothers a dog in Because of Winn Dixie . On the ’net, children learn to take care, too, as they adopt pets on sites like Webkinz that offer children the chance to own a horse, though they live in a city; a cat, though they might be allergic to cats; a tiger, though they are scary and wild; a dog, though their apartment complex won’t allow one. What’s it all about? Webkinz is an educational and social media site, a Myspace-like environment for very young children. Their introduction to Webkinz begins with the purchase of a stuffed animal similar to the Beanie Babies of 20 years ago. The twist is that the Webkinz “pet” comes with a secret code to set up an account on Webkinz. com. Once there, a child “adopts” her pet online (using the code from the price tag), gives her virtual pet a name and a room, and gains access 30 GRAND MARCH 2009 Click and connect to more resources instantly where you see this symbol:
GRAND Magazine - March 2009
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - March 2009
GRAND Magazine - March 2009
GRAND View
Contents
GRAND Central
Isn't it GRAND?
The Hippest Grand of All?
Saying Goodbye
Necessities, Not
The Perils of the Purse
Take Care
Sexy at Sixty
50 ‘Hidden Treasure’ State Parks
Resources
GRAND Finale
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 1
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - GRAND Magazine - March 2009
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Cover2
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 3
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - GRAND View
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 5
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Contents
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 7
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 8
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 9
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 10
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - GRAND Central
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 12
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 13
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 14
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 15
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 16
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Isn't it GRAND?
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - The Hippest Grand of All?
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 19
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 20
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 21
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Saying Goodbye
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 23
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 24
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 25
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Necessities, Not
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 27
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - The Perils of the Purse
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 29
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Take Care
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 31
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 32
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 33
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Sexy at Sixty
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 35
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 50 ‘Hidden Treasure’ State Parks
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 37
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 38
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 39
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 40
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Resources
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 42
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 43
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - GRAND Finale
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Cover3
GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - Cover4
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