Well, it has finally happened. Jude has gotten bitten by the Mac bug. It started off innocently enough; we watched movies on my MacBook Pro in iTunes and Super Hero Squad in QuickTime Player. Soon, Jude was requesting he be allowed to “check his email,” and so we moved on to him typing in an empty document in TextEdit (it didn’t take long for him to learn how to make capital letters by holding down the “Shift” keys). And now, we’re on to different toddler-friendly gaming websites (well, some are educational, I guess). Jude has mastered the trackpad, can switch between tabs in whatever web browser he’s using, and has recently learned how to open iTunes and select a movie for his viewing pleasure. Sometimes, when I sit down to watch him play, he does things with our MacBook Pro that I can’t figure out how to undo. At that point, I call for Josh.
In the same vein, Jude learned how to manipulate an iPod Touch over this past week. Josh’s sister Makenzie was visiting, and she was kind enough to let Jude play with hers. He likes the drawing app she has on her Touch and likes to access her playlists and select a song to listen to. Honestly, the kid just gets it. Well, he gets it more than I do, at least.
So! With all of these recent developments, we’re in the market for fixing our old iBook G4 for Jude. We think we need to replace the hard drive, and luckily for us that will only cost about $25! At that point, we’ll each have our own Apple laptop to play and learn and communicate on. I’m guessing Jude will start using his Twitter account on his own sooner rather than later. Keep an eye out for his recent tweets!
For those of you with computer-using toddlers, do your kids have any favorite websites you can pass along? I imagine that Jude will get tired of the two or three he frequents rather quickly.
Hi Jill,
Go JUDE, little apple boy!
You all have probably found it already, but our boys love the games and video clips on pbskids.org. And, even though I resisted it a little at first, they have a ball with Webkinz. You buy the little stuffed animal (pretty cheaply – I think the last one we bought was $5) and then you get to take care of him/her online. You give him/her food and take it to the doctor, etc. You can design rooms, buy clothes, etc. And it’s kind of fun for them to have. The account lasts for one year (unless, of course, you buy another Webkinz – then your old account continues alongside your new one). But it’s a ton of fun for just a little $$. I promise they did not pay me to say it. The boys even gave me my own for my b/d this year – probably because I kept trying to decorate their webkinz rooms
Her name is Fiona. She’s a little cow and I love her.
Love you guys too – and miss you.
Dem