For the last couple of days, the first thing my son says when he wakes up has been "Can I play with Lakenosey?" This might not seem astounding to anyone except me, but it is. He only asks one of these three questions when he wakes up... 1) I'm hungry, what's for breakfast? or 2)Where's Daddy? or 3) It's not a preschool day is it? That's it...except for the past couple of days. Now you're probably wondering who Lakenosey is. Lakenosey is XR's animal that he drew on Shidonni. It's a red dinosaur that lives in a world that XR also created...and it 'came to life'. XR and Lakenosey along with his parents and grandparents have spent hours drawing, playing games, and completing star missions. But let's start from the beginning... Shidonni is a (safe) virtual world for children ages 4 and older. Shidonni is based on creativity and imagination. I, along with XR, have spent hoursdays reviewing this site. Instead of writing everything out, I would like you to watch this wonderful video that Shidonni has but together. It will save you the time of reading all of my musings. Make sure your children aren't watching it with you...I would like you to finish reading and they will want to immediately go to Shidonni!
Isn't it a great video...everything summed up in two minutes. It would have taken at least ten to read everything that I wrote explaining the how's of Shidonni. (Just being EcOnomical!) Now for what you didn't see or hear in the video...
Although you did hear one of the songs, I must tell you that I'm sold on all of the music. Every song that plays is engaging, yet still calm and very catchy! I also love that they kept with the creative theme and used drawings for the graphics. I need to tell you though, that when creating a world, you need to add as much color and images as possible. One of the games is a puzzle. The puzzle picture used is the world you create. I'm tell you this because when XR created his first world it was a green line for the grass and a small brown house. When it came time for the puzzle most of the pieces were plain white!
After playing a few games, it kinda bothered me that there were no actual instructions. I like it when, on a kid's website, the instructions are spoken to them. Everything explained upfront, especially for those who aren't able to read yet. There is very minimal instruction on Shidonni, e.g. , pictures of the arrow key pad blink when you need to use arrows or an arrow blinks when you need to choose your animal to play the game. That's about it though. I would like to see more instructions, however, my son had no problem. He played until he figured out what was expected. A parent's view vs. a kid's. And it does make them use their cognitive abilities. So, no real complaint, just an opinion.
The other aspect of Shidonni that I really value is that this world isn't based on money or competition. Kids aren't playing the games to earn money so that they can buy things or to see who is 'the best'. They are playing to play and learn! Although I am teaching my son about the value of money and being ecOnomical, I don't want money to be the center of his life. I want him to be a kid! For keeping money and competition out, I highly praise Shidonni.
Another reason Shidonni receives such praise from me is that Shidonni is a SAFE virtual world for children. Although they are able to invite friends, there is NO chatting involved in this world. And in order to invite a friend they have to know the exact name of their friend's character. They also have cute invitations that your child can print out to send an actual invitation to their friends. TOO cute!!
If you have questions or would like to learn more about Shidonni, please read the following information.
Contest begins Monday, March 30 at 12:00pm and ENDS on Sunday, April 5 at 12:00am.
Winner will be posted in a separate post within one week of the contest's end.
Winner will be notified either by blog or e-mail and will have 4 days (96 hours) to claim their prize. Time begins when I post the winner.
If the prize is not claimed within this time frame, a new winner will be chosen. NO exceptions.
Entries will be entered into and chosen by Random.org. I have NOTHING to do with choosing the winner.
HOW TO OBTAIN ENTRIES:
1) Visit the Shidonni website, come back to this post and tell me what you liked or disliked about Shidonni. (This is required. If this step is not done, NO other entries will be counted!) =5 entries
2)Join Shidonni (free version). =20 entries
3)Follow my blog. =10 entries
4.Add my button to your blog. =15 entries
5)Post a link to this giveaway on your blog. Please provide the link to your blog.( I will be randomly checking!!) =10 entries
6)If you don't have a blog... E-mail your family and friends the link to this giveaway. CC my e-mail address ecOnomicalmom@gmail.com. (If you don't CC my address, they will not count) = 2 entries per e-mail
7)Twitter about this giveaway.(Please provide a link or your Twitter id.) =10 entries
8)Add this to your Facebook status =10 entries
9)List and tally all of your entries in one comment. =15 entries
i.e., I really like the Shidonni music =5 I joined Shidonni...username Lakenosey =20 I already follow your blog =10 I already have your button =10 I posted a link about your giveaway =10/ or I e-mailed 5 people =10 I twittered about this giveaway =10 I added this giveaway to my Facebook =10 I have tallied the entries =15 For a grand total of 100 entries.
GOOD LUCK!!! And if you don't have a child that could use Shidonni...it would be a great gift for a grandchild, niece or nephew, or a friend's kid!!
After playing a few games, it kinda bothered me that there were no actual instructions. I like it when, on a kid's website, the instructions are spoken to them. Everything explained upfront, especially for those who aren't able to read yet. There is very minimal instruction on Shidonni, e.g. , pictures of the arrow key pad blink when you need to use arrows or an arrow blinks when you need to choose your animal to play the game. That's about it though. I would like to see more instructions, however, my son had no problem. He played until he figured out what was expected. A parent's view vs. a kid's. And it does make them use their cognitive abilities. So, no real complaint, just an opinion.
The other aspect of Shidonni that I really value is that this world isn't based on money or competition. Kids aren't playing the games to earn money so that they can buy things or to see who is 'the best'. They are playing to play and learn! Although I am teaching my son about the value of money and being ecOnomical, I don't want money to be the center of his life. I want him to be a kid! For keeping money and competition out, I highly praise Shidonni.
