I'm a firm believer that children can learn through play. When I was in school (many years ago), I can remember playing 'chalkboard baseball' as we memorized the presidents of the United States and all the States & Capitals -- we had fun and before we knew it -- we could tell you who was president after Andrew Jackson (Martin Van Buren) and that the capital of North Dakota is Bismark.
Last Friday evening, Papa Bill and MoMo did some babysitting while Joe & Laney's Mommy/Daddy went out for dinner. Laney slept most of the time, as most little ones do -- but, Joe was very excited to show us how he can play computer games all by himself. The games are within the Webkins site and are geared to specific ages. Joe's favorite involves navigating a pig through a maze while avoiding a bumble-bee. It's fun to play and teaches Joe basic key-boarding skills. He is having such a good time 'playing' -- that he doesn't even realize he is learning. 
We all took turns playing computer games for a short while and I'm sure we all learned something new (for the grown-ups - we learned that being your knees for an extended period can make us very stiff!). After the last piggy was stung by the bee -- we moved on to a more 'low tech' form of play -- one that kept Joe occupied for quite awhile.
Never under-estimate the power of a sticker book !!
