REVIEW BY KAT ROBERTSON: My four year old absolutely loves getting things in the mail, so you can imagine the excitement that overcame her when she realized that she had received *gasp* a PACKAGE from WebKinz, Jr.! She pulled out the contents to find “Princess” which is what she named her soft, fluffy purple monkey that has barely left her side since. Attached to Princess’ arm was a card which unlocked a world of fun – and responsibility – online! I have to say that although I was interested in testing this out, I wasn’t sure I was going to be impressed. I don’t typically allow my 4 year old to have computer time because it ends up being stressful for me. She doesn’t know very well how to navigate everything and I end up having to *do* it all for her rather than her have fun playing on her own. This system was so easy for her to get the hang of, she was in her own little Kinzville world in no time!

Avalyn was able to learn how to care for someone else’s needs by caring for her pet virtually. She watched Princess’ levels on the meters that represented her happiness, health, hunger, and energy. When Princess needed love/stimulation, food, sleep, or hygiene-related attention (bathroom, etc), Avalyn could provide those things for her. She fed her, played with her, brushed her teeth, bathed her, put her to sleep… She was also able to take her around Kinzville to school, the bakery, the park, the post office, the ‘caring’ center, the store, the playhouse, and of course – home! Once home, she could navigate around to Princess’ bedroom, the bathroom, the playroom, and the kitchen.

Not only could she earn KinzCoins through certain activities, but she could take Princess to the store to purchase items using what she had earned – food, toys, clothes, and even decorations for their house! There were hours of fun available for Ava and Princess – hours during which Avalyn had no idea that she was actually LEARNING life skills in the process That’s a double score for WebKinz, Jr.! Their system also allows parents to access their own account through which their child is able to send them greeting cards, which my daughter LOVED to do. WebKinz, Jr. also provides an option of upgrading to a Deluxe membership which unlocks even more learning capabilities – and reporting features for parents to track their child’s progress. There are so many functions provided in this software that it is impossible for me to cover them all, but I highly recommend that you try it out for yourself.

Want to try WebKinz, Jr. out for your child?

They are offering one lucky reader the chance to win one of their very own WebKinz, Jr. pets! Here’s how to enter:

(REQUIRED) Visit Webkinz Jr. website and take a look around!  Click on the catalogue and browse the different available plush animals – come back here and leave a comment and tell us what animal you think your child would choose and why.

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Win a Webkinz Jr. on MomActive.com ~ Adorable plush & membership in virtual world! http://bit.ly/84mWLp

***Winner will be chosen 12pm EST Fri. January 29, 2010***

CONGRATULATIONS TO LT ~ She has won the Webkinz Jr. giveaway!