My 5yr old son has had a lucky streak with being able to help me review one great computer game after another. I was not able to get my usual photo of him playing since the poor little guy has been sick. This particular game peaked both our interests because it is an online drawing game for kids.
Shidonni is actually a free drawing game that has an upgrade available. The concept is that your child gets to draw an animal, draw a background for it to live in, draw food for your child to feed that animal, plus other fun things. The animal actually comes to life and moves around the screen. Take a look at this short video:
Everything you've seen in this video is free! You can however upgrade to a Shidonni Pro account to allow your child to draw clothing for the animals, have access to patterned brushes, stamps, additional colors for the palette, access to many new worlds, fun music, and more.
Parents can also access Shidonni through the Baby First TV Playground.
What I liked about Shidonni as a parent:
1) The basic game is free and very entertaining.
2) You can ask the game to remember your child's login and password so that they can sign on without your assistance.
3) Even though the manufacturer recommends this game for grades K-5, I think this game is good for preschool aged children all the way up to adults. After all, the complexity of the artwork is completely up to the user.
4) My 5yr old can use the game independently for the most part, which is something that he is proud of.
5) There are not too many options for children my son's age as far as interactive gaming goes. He is not ready to jump into video games that are rated older than EC (Early Childhood) just yet. He does not like the stress of having negative consequences to his actions within a game right now. This is a perfect bridge to games that are rated E (for everyone).
What my 5yr old son liked best about Shidonni and Shidonni Pro:
1) He loves the drawing in general . . . the animals, the backgrounds, and the food.
2) He thinks that feeding the animals food that he drew for them is the neatest thing in the whole world. He loves to watch them take bites out of the food until it disappears.
My opinion is that the free version of Shidonni is entertaining enough for at least a little while. When the child starts to lose interest, then I think it is a good idea to upgrade to a Pro account which introduces new fun things like being able to draw clothing for your animals. Beyond that, I hope the creators of the game will introduce some new content now and then to keep the interest of the subscribers.
What you can win:
The prize for this contest is 3 free months of Shidonni Pro (A $16.95 value).
Limitations:
This giveaway is open to Worldwide entries. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.
How to Gain Entries:
Watch the short video above. Then leave a comment telling me which aspect of the game you think your child would enjoy the most. You must do this to be eligible to win this contest.
Extra Entries:
1) Help me plan for a future giveaway event by telling me at least one thing that has proven to be a big hit as a Father's Day gift. Please leave your suggestion in a separate comment.
2) Add this blog to your Technorati Favorites. Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so and under what username. Add to Technorati Favorites
3) Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post AND to Shidonni. Then come back here and leave a separate comment with the link to your blog post.
4) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave your link in a separate comment.
5) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.
6) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.
(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)
Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.
Good luck in the drawing!
